The Newark Holy Stones: Touchstones for the Truth
JHM's own Jennifer Bush and Reba Kocher alongside Brad Lepper were featured in Volume 44, Issue 1 of the Public Historian with their article "The Newark Holy Stones: Touchstones for the Truth."
"The Center for the Future of Museums, in its TrendsWatch 2019 report, identified 'Truth, Trust, and Fake News' as key issues for museums to address. Fraudulent artifacts bearing Hebrew inscriptions were planted in Ohio mounds in the 1800s as fake news to promote a combined political, scientific, and religious agenda. Two of these so-called Newark 'Holy Stones' are among the most celebrated objects in the collections of the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum in Coshocton, Ohio. They have been interpreted in various ways over the years, but a recent opportunity to renovate exhibits allowed the staff to develop interpretation in alignment with the recommendations of the Center for the Future of Museums. This is therefore a case study for how contentious objects can be used as 'touchstones for the truth.'"
Read the article or download below, or visit online.ucpress.edu/tph to view the entire issue of the Public Historian.
"The Center for the Future of Museums, in its TrendsWatch 2019 report, identified 'Truth, Trust, and Fake News' as key issues for museums to address. Fraudulent artifacts bearing Hebrew inscriptions were planted in Ohio mounds in the 1800s as fake news to promote a combined political, scientific, and religious agenda. Two of these so-called Newark 'Holy Stones' are among the most celebrated objects in the collections of the Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum in Coshocton, Ohio. They have been interpreted in various ways over the years, but a recent opportunity to renovate exhibits allowed the staff to develop interpretation in alignment with the recommendations of the Center for the Future of Museums. This is therefore a case study for how contentious objects can be used as 'touchstones for the truth.'"
Read the article or download below, or visit online.ucpress.edu/tph to view the entire issue of the Public Historian.
| touchstone_for_the_truth_public_historian.pdf |
Readable Museum Booklets
The following booklets are available for free online reading. To obtain your own copy, please visit our Gift Shop.
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