Hear and Touch History
Hear and Touch History
September 20, 2012 by Taylor Studios
We recently visited the Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis and were blown away by their exhibits . This area features three exhibits:
• 1920: Busted! Prohibition Enforced
• 1950: Making a Jewish Home
• 1955: Ending Polio
These exhibits are completely immersive and interactive. They tell history and the story via highly informed and trained actors. As a visitor you walk through a historic photograph that is brought to life in three-dimension.
We first walked into a kitchen scene in which Mrs. Kaplan was preparing a meal. You could smell the soup in the air. We all sat at the table and began asking Mrs. Kaplan about her resettlement in Indianapolis after being in a camp during WWII. We were told to be sensitive in asking about her children given that she lost them in the war. We asked questions about the boat ride to America, where her husband worked, how she like Indianapolis, etc.
We then walked into a scene where a still had just been confiscated. We were a bit spunky at this time and my colleagues told the officer I was considering making beer. He was very stern and suggested I do not do that. The actors do not fall out of character. We then walked into the jail and chatted with the bootlegger and the female officer. The bootlegger talked about how much money he could make on bootlegging. The female officer talked about how there were many female officers at the time. She discussed how she did her job.
Before walking into the Eli Lily packing line scene we read about Dr. Jonas Salk who discovered the vaccine for Polio. He took the vaccine himself to test it. We thought if we were his wife or children we may not be so happy with this risk. Eli Lilly manufactured and stockpiled the vaccine even before it was approved. They ended up supplying over half the vaccines used in the US.
We highly recommend visiting the historical society and these exhibits. It is truly an immersive learning experience.
What great exhibits have you seen lately?