The Museum of the White Mountains at Plymouth State University celebrated its 10th anniversary on August 24. PSU President Donald L. Birx, PhD, shared brief remarks about how the museum fits into the university’s unique Cluster Learning Model and PSU Professor Emerita and longtime museum curator Marcia Schmidt Blaine recounted the museum’s origin story.
Over the years, the Museum of the White Mountains has distinguished itself as a locus of insightful and inclusive learning opportunities through its eclectic exhibitions and illuminating lecture series. It’s also a popular tourist destination.
Since its debut, the museum has hosted 38 exhibitions, including An Enduring Presence: The Old Man of the Mountain, which was inspired by the 20th anniversary of the fall of the iconic rock formation. Those exhibitions would not have been possible without more than half-a-million dollars in donations and the collaboration of people who were directly involved in creating exhibitions and museum programming, including:
- 62 PSU faculty and staff
- 84 community members, such as guest speakers and curators
- 184 PSU students who participated in mounting exhibitions and exhibited work in the museum over the years
- More than 42,400 visitors have come to experience the museum and learn from special lectures
The museum is located in a former Methodist church built in 1946. PSU purchased the building and made it a part of its campus in 2010. The Museum of the White Mountains opened in February 2013 with its first exhibition, Passing Through: The Allure of the White Mountains, which showcased images, interpretative panels, films, and interactive technologies to invite visitors to question the influence of time and space on human connections with nature. It focused on five distinct areas in the White Mountains; Crawford Notch, Mount Washington Valley, the Summit of Mount Washington, the Northern “Presidentials,” and Franconia Notch.
Under the leadership of Museum of the White Mountains Director Meghan Doherty, exhibitions have included a mixture of modern technology and historical artifacts and education, with a special emphasis on Indigenous voices. Guests have been able to see 180-year-old photographs, experience abstract art, and view scientific data through augmented reality while learning about culturally significant icons like the Old Man of the Mountain as well as the effects of climate change on the White Mountains and nearby forest lands.
For more information exhibitions and to register for lectures, including attending either in-person or virtually via Zoom, and for museum hours please visit https://www.plymouth.edu/mwm/events.
