HOLYOKE — Wistariahurst Museum is collaborating with Holyoke Veterans’ Services in an upcoming Veterans Uniform Exhibit. The exhibit will feature a collection of oral histories from Holyoke veterans, along with some preservation projects.
The museum was awarded a Heritage Preservation grant of $15,000 by the Massachusetts State Historic Records Advisory Board (MASHRAB). The grant, along with a local Holyoke Cultural Council grant, is going towards the exhibit in order to preserve Veteran uniforms and the collection of oral histories.
Wistariahurst curator and Holyoke’s city historian, Penni Martorell said that historians are always looking for personal stories and details. Martorell explains that written documents sometimes lead to dead ends that do not recount the whole story.
“Oral histories record people’s experiences and (are) more personal,” Martorell said. “To have the opportunity to interview veterans and get intimate details of what they were doing is always much more interesting.”
She explains that this is because “tone of voice carries a lot of feeling” that written documents do not contain.
Martorell says she is “kind of overwhelmed right now” as many veterans have shown interest in being interviewed for the oral histories.
In a statement, Jesus Pereira, Director of Holyoke Veterans’ Services said, “It is a chance for Holyoke Vets to share their stories, and educate future generations about their experiences.”
Martorell adds that organizers are looking for all ages of veterans and from different branches of the military to be interviewed. “It’ll be really interesting to see the collaboration between young and old and different branches of service come together,” she said.
She also stated that this is an educational opportunity to hear different stories from different generations of people to share their experiences and come together as a community.
The museum is going to preserve 12-15 uniforms from different branches of service and time periods, Martorell explained. The grant money is going towards purchasing archival boxes, housing display cases and a flag room. The total of the project is $30,000 with help from other funding in order to contribute to the preservation of uniforms and collection of the oral histories.
The interviews are being conducted in April until the end of June. The recordings will be held at Wistariahurst and will be made available for public viewing and research as a transcript and/or as a digital recording.
Martorell says that Wistariahurst is looking to have a soft opening on May 16 and then a grand opening on May 23. Veterans interested in being interviewed can contact Martorell and Pereira (martorellp@holyoke.org, 413-322-5660 or pereiraj@holyoke.org, 413-322-5630).
Wistariahurst Museum has many other public programs including concerts, lectures and demonstrations that serve the community with educational programs and partnerships. More information on current and upcoming exhibits can be found at www.Wistariahurst.org.