On February 18th, PSU opened the Museum of the White Mountains (MWM) to students and staff at 34 Highland Street.
The White Mountains have become a historic symbol of Plymouth, as well as northern New Hampshire.
The Museum is a trans-disciplinary exhibit where “geology, art, history, environment, culture, tourism, and all disciplines have a home,” said Marcia Schmidt Blaine, history professor at PSU.
The Museum of the White Mountains will soon be displaying such exhibits as “Passing Through: The Allure of the White Mountains”, “Industrial Explores”, “Guy Shorey: Among the White Hills”, and “As Time Passes Over The Land.”
The project came about due to President Sara Jayne Steen’s vision to enhance the region of the White Mountains three years ago.
The MWM plans to add an addition that will “basically double the building in size,” said museum director, Catherine S. Amidon. Adding to that, the renovations to “the lower level will be used to create teaching spaces for object based learning.”
Some of the features of the MWM are a compass activity for middle school students, lesson plans for teachers, a treasure hunt for children, and a cairn guide marker. The cairn gives hikers “GPS readings of where the artist was standing, you see what the artist was seeing, and appreciate how the land has changed,” said Blaine. The cairn guide marker allows outdoor enthusiast the chance to interact and discuss what they saw.
The MWM gives PSU students a “sense of place and identity, students come here because of the location,” said Amidon. She later remarked the MWM is a “place to celebrate and learn about tradition.” One of the museums’ goals is for “students [to] become culturally, environmentally, and all around aware of the impact we have on a space,” said Blaine.
But, the museums not only has an impact on students. The MWM could “further drive tourism to help the economy of northern New Hampshire,” said Blaine.