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Haley Stodart
Reflective Essay
Public History Internship
July 20, 2021

Andalusia: Internship and Experience

This summer, I interned at Andalusia: The Home of Flannery O’Connor, a historic house

museum in Milledgeville, Georgia. For some background, Flannery O’Connor is a famed

southern, American author. Andalusia, though originally a cotton plantation, was purchased by

Flannery O’Connor’s uncle, Dr. Bernard Cline, in 1931. During the O'Connor's residency, the

site contained 14 buildings with over 520 acres of land that was used for dairy and beef farming.

Following a diagnosis of Lupus in 1951, Flannery moved to Andalusia to live under the care of

her mother Regina Cline O’Connor. During the 13 years she lived at Andalusia, Flannery

completed the bulk of her literary work, as the farm’s environment influenced the setting of

many of her writings.

Following her death in 1964, the farm remained in the family until 2003 when it was

given to a private foundation. In August 2017, the site was gifted to O’Connor’s alma mater,

Georgia College. Today, “Andalusia serves as a museum whose mission is to care for, collect,

interpret, and exhibit items that illustrate the history of the site during the time which Flannery

O’Connor lived on the property (1951-1964).”1 As an intern, I was in charge of creating

educational content for the museum, as they do not have an educator on site or extensive

resources available at the moment.

When I started this internship, I had three objectives laid out in my contract: develop an

educational resources page focusing on K-12 students for Andalusia, implement standards based

activities and programs that can serve as adjuncts to our current tour that focus on the needs for

1“Andalusia,” Georgia College & State University, accessed on July 12, 2021, https://www.gcsu.edu/andalusia
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K-12 students, and develop print, online, and virtual resources to support and enhance the

educational programming elements. These instructions were very broad, and therefore allowed

for a large amount of flexibility in my projects. As a stepping stone, I started to create content

that matched (on a base level) the educational resources provided at Georgia’s Old Governor’s

Mansion and the Sallie Ellis Davis House. These are two other historic house museums in

Milledgeville, and they, along with Andalusia, all fall under the Department of Historical

Museums at Georgia College. In the interest of creating unity across the department, something

my supervisor was very keen on, this became the logical first step. From there, I created two

lesson plans, three educational pamphlets to use as on-site or online resources, and useful links.

These fulfilled the k-12 resources and standards based activities, as well as the print and

online/virtual resources that were listed out in my contract.

Beyond there, I created two educational programs (including virtual

adaptations/resources that could be pulled in for a lesson or program), an on-site activity, and

wrote a blog entry for the location's social media presence. Though the programs, activities, and

additional resources align with my contract, the blog post was an additional task that was added

on later. After reviewing my experience with research, social media, and blog curation through

previous internships/jobs, I was assigned this by Meghan Anderson, the current Curator at

Andalusia. Though not my immediate supervisor, she oversaw much of my progress and was a

fantastic coworker within this internship. The blog’s focus was on 20th century Christmas

traditions and their connections to Flannery’s Christmas experience, as shared by her personal

correspondence with friends over the years around the holiday season. This was a topic I chose

to research myself, and I had a great time discovering the history behind treasured holiday

customs and creating this additional assignment.

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The purpose of the educational resources I created are to act as a stepping stone for

educational opportunities at Andalusia. This historic house museum is quite new to the field and

public. Over the past few years with the renovation, addition of a full-time curator, and

continually updated collection, they have been able to create a fully accessioned museum and

contextualized historic site with a guided tour. However, they did not (and still do not) have the

resources for an educator on site. Aside from a simple “education packet,” (which included great

fill-in-the-blank, scavenger hunt, coloring page, and word-search activities that went along with

the tour) they had no educational resources for the site. My contributions through the internship

will set the foundation for an educator once they are eventually hired at the site, and in the

meantime act as educational options for the museum, teachers, and guests until more can be

created.

I also created these resources with the new Visitor’s Center of Andalusia in mind. This

center has not been built yet, but the blue prints have been drawn up and most of the funds

acquired. Its construction should be complete by the fall of 2022 at the latest, so when an

educator is eventually hired, they will not need to adapt the programs to fit the new setting.

Overall, this internship taught me three valuable lessons: what I learned about myself within this

field, what qualities public historians should possess, and what museums and sites within the

public history field should have regarding education.

After working on these resources for two months, sharing a space with the curator and

observing their work once a week, and following the docents, I realized more than ever how

much I want to work with the public through education. Accessioning and processing a

collection is not something that is of interest to me, and while exhibit curation can be very

enjoyable when dealing with topics that one is passionate about, I find engaging others in those
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topics more in the front of the museum instead of behind the scenes more enjoyable. Creating

positive interactions and opportunities to work face-to-face with the public and students is where

I had the most fun on this internship.

In fact, my most memorable experience during these past two months was creating the

Lupus and Peafowl educational pamphlets. Used as virtual and hands-on resources, these

pamphlets will help bring the public into more unique aspects of Flannery’s life at Andalusia.

Not only were these topics ones I was unfamiliar with, but they tend to be something that draws

the public’s attention, especially since lupus is a condition that affects many people today and

there are two live peafowl at the site. Researching the history behind these two topics was quite

enjoyable, and I can’t wait to see how these pamphlets can be used to further the understanding

between Flannery O’Connor, Andalusia, and visitor experience.

In addition to these pamphlets though, the main force driving this understanding will be

(and currently is) the docent core at Andalusia. This group is made up almost entirely of paid,

undergraduate students from Georgia College. Most of them are history majors or have museum

studies minors, so they are quite passionate about the work they do at the museum. As front line

staff, they not only interact the most with the public, but they also guide all the tours, take care of

the peafowl, clean the collection, and help upkeep the image of Andalusia. I was so impressed

with how they thought up such creative ways of bringing the public into the unique story of this

location, and it made me realize how much I enjoy being a part of those interactions. My true

passion in this field is being able to share the history I love, or at the very least find important to

understand, with the public. Education and tour/programming creation seem the greatest ways of

doing so, and I feel I have found the correct career path for myself.
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Beyond my personal realizations, I also discovered some important qualities that I

believe a public historian should possess. The first is the importance of being able to work

independently within the field. While help and assistance is never a bad thing, professionals

cannot have their hands held throughout their time at an institution. My supervisor assigned me

tasks at the beginning of my internship, and aside from checking in on how things are going and

reviewing finished products, I was basically in charge of creating my own timeline and ensuring

that projects were done to the standards required.

To achieve this, I realized that communication is everything within this field, and

something public historians should be comfortable engaging in. Through the few

meetings/reviews that my supervisor and I had, I made sure to ask any questions that had arisen

while I was on my own to ensure I had what I needed and wasn’t going astray. I also strove to

communicate what I was planning and doing clearly to ensure we were both on the same track

for the end of the internship. This was a supervision that I found adequate, and it was reinforced

by the on-site Curator, Meghan. She was wonderful when it came to communication. She layed

out everything she expected while I was at Andalusia in the beginning, but then allowed me to

learn at my own pace. With the help of communication, I discovered that being able to work

independently is an important asset to have as a public historian at any historic site.

That being said, I also realized that even individual projects can benefit from an outside

view. Though I did not technically collaborate with anyone during this internship, Meghan and

my supervisor looked over my projects. It was helpful to have a second set of eyes on

everything. I will not only take these lessons with me as I continue into the public history field,

but I will also try to create the work environment that I was offered here at Andalusia at my

future locations.
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The second thing I believe a public historian should know and practice is the importance

of documentation. This was brought to my attention by the Meghan. She was kind enough to

show me the entire collection, which she fully accessioned herself when she started this position.

Though not necessary for my internship in the broad sense, this collection tour started because I

needed historic photos for my educational resources. Initially, she only showed me her photo

catalogue, but later continued on to show me artifact PastPerfect entries, their corresponding

print folders, and the museum’s archives.

Her documentation not only included several images of damage or designs in Past

Perfect, but her knowledge on the provenance of each object was astounding. Provenance

research establishes a sequence of ownership, documents sources of information, and helps

determine an object’s legal status before putting it into the collection.2 This is a critical step

within museums, and public historians have to take it seriously, because issues in provenance,

ownership, or legal standing can cause overwhelming problems for the institution.

The fact that Andalusia was so well documented was astounding in general, considering

parts of their collection have been found in random places. For example, in the summer of 2018,

there was a storage facility that called and told the site to come and get objects from the museum

held there. Georgia College, the owners of Andalusia at the time, was unaware of these objects

because the previous owners placed them there and failed to notify the university. As a result, an

entire storage unit of original artifacts was dropped on Andalusia’s lap, and large amounts of

research was required to guarantee proper provenance.

In addition to her Past Perfect entries, the archives' printed records are so well organized

that anyone who would follow her would have no issue finding and accessing all the information

2 Rebecca Buck and Jean Gilmore, Museum Registration Methods 5th Edition (Washington, DC: American
Association of Museums, 2010), 62-63.
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they needed. I was so impressed! It also reminded me of the Collections Management course I

took my first semester at the University of West Georgia. It was a great opportunity to see it all

in effect in person, and it made me realize how crucial proper documentation, accession, and

organization is at a historic site. Beyond the collection side, documentation also keeps a record

of conversations (between groups), scheduling (for educators, contractors, and more), and

becomes the official word when questions arise. If it's not written down, it can't be proven.

Therefore, documentation is a critical part of the public history field, and public historians should

know how to keep organized records, reports, and more.

The final quality that every public historian should possess, which may seem

untraditional, is to take on a “jack of all trades” attitude. Specializing is important, because it

allows one to understand one topic, historical time, art form, etc. very well, and it can make one

stand out within the field. However, what specialization can sometimes lack is a way to adapt.

Andalusia presents its history, tours, and collections to the public through the efforts of a very

small staff. This is a similar experience for many historic sites and public historians, but this

internship truly solidified for me that while specialization is important within the public history

field, public historians also need to be comfortable with adjustments and accomplishing tasks

outside a general job description. For example, as one could deduce above, the curator at

Andalusia is also doing the job of the registrar. She also schedules tours, museum work hours,

and manages employee payroll. The docents, as I mentioned above, are not just in charge of

leading tours, but also cleaning the site, feeding/taking care of the peafowl, and working as front

line staff and guides. Though it may say more about the field that one is expected to take on

multiple jobs instead of the one assigned, it is an unfortunate reality that is required to make
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certain historic sites function properly, and this is something that public historians need to be

prepared to take on.

Speaking of the field as a whole, this internship also demonstrated the importance of

access, resources, context, and relevance within the public history field. Through the lense of my

experience and public history education, making a museum accessible to visiting teachers often

means creating resources that fit their classroom goals, which often surround academic

standards. According to Melissa Bingmann “Teachers must adhere to state standards and are

evaluated based on students’ performances on exams…By linking content of field trips and

professional development programs to the standards, teachers will…see greater value in your

museum.”3 This is critical because the state and academic standards are designed to build off of

one another to create a seamless transition between what students know and what they will learn.

This transition of knowledge between standards allows museums to create educational

programing based around larger themes that can connect with various grades. This is what I have

strove to do through the lessons and programs I created, and what all public history sites must

keep in mind when creating educational resources.

However, creating access must go beyond connecting with classroom goals and include a

physical component. Visiting public history sites requires more than simple interest and time.

The size of the museum, chaperone availability, parking, and funding are just a few of the

considerations that go into whether a museum is accessible or not for students.4 This is where

issues of resources can come into play as well, which is one of the main challenges that many

historic sites across the U.S. face. Andalusia, for example, only has one functioning toilet. The

bathroom is not even in a separate area, and guests have to walk through exhibit spaces within
3 Melissa Bingmann, “Professional Development for Teachers,” The Museum Educator’s Manuel (Lanham:
Rowman & Littlefield, 2017), 106.
4 Laura Ferries and Anna Johnson, “Museums—And Educational Resource for Schools,” The Museum Educator’s
Manuel (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017), 122-126.
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the historic house to get to it. Therefore, Andalusia as a museum cannot accommodate groups

larger than 15 per half hour nor can they host events. Due to a lack of external holding space,

such as an education building or even a pavilion, they struggle to host school groups that would

have half the class wait outside while the other half is touring. They also do not have an official

parking lot. Since the property itself is considered part of the historic site, they cannot simply

pave parking spaces for guests between the house and barns. Therefore, there is only one section

of land available for cars to pull into, and it is very difficult for buses to manage. This is why the

Visitor’s Center will become essential for this site, but the lack of accommodation resources has

truly limited access to the grounds for certain groups or activities.

Once the trials of access and resources are worked through, then public history sites have

to push beyond state standard education and parking and focus on what is important to the public

at this moment in time. In the field of public history, it is imperative that historians, museums,

adn sites contextualize historical artifacts (from Flannery O’Connor’s writing to confederate

statues) and reflect upon them in a modern light. This idea of creating this context is related to

relevance. Public historians often believe they have an idea of what people or communities want

—and they often form programming or exhibits around such beliefs or ideas—but in reality,

“You cannot assign relevance by fiat. People choose for themselves what is relevant. You can’t

dictate on high.”5 Therefore, it is essential that museums and historic sites create educational

programming based upon visitor—not institutional—driven relevance.

I discovered Andalusia’s relevance based on the current events of the past year, where

political elections (one of the most controversial in recent memory) and social movements (such

as Black Lives Matter) caused average citizens to question their personal, cultural, and national

history. Questions, such as: “What is it that we are built upon as “America” and “Americans.”

5 Nina Simon, The Art of Relevance (Santa Cruz: Museum 2.0, 2016), 40.
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Where do we fit within the narrative of the world and our personal lives?” began to arise. To

understand these, and allow others to reflect upon the theme, I chose to narrow in on one

personal life, Flannery O’Connor. I brought her stories, which reflect her experiences, into

context with what was happening in the world around her. Through this I created the

“Understanding the (Hi)Story” lesson plan, in which students will be encouraged to break down

her story The Displaced Person within the context of the politics and social constructs of WWII

and the mid-20th century. Many of the social challenges that arose from this period--including

forms of xenophobia, civil rights, racism, gender constructs, and more--are still at play in the

nation and being continually challenged or reinforced. It was imperative that students understand

the relevant historical context behind these stories, because they are still relevant topics today

and within the public history field. It is always why context and relevance are so important to the

public history field as a whole.

An educational experience all around, I learned more about myself and this field from

this experience while creating learning resources for others than I thought possible. As someone

who is familiar with the internship process, I didn’t expect any surprises from working at

Andalusia. However, I am delighted that I was proven wrong. After having the opportunity to

work in the field for two years, I learned more about what it means to be a public historian in the

past two months than I ever could have as an undergraduate student. As I took on projects I

didn’t expect and worked towards goals that were familiar at the same time, I realized what it

means to be an active player in the public history field. Through communication, independent

thinking, striving for relevance, and battling questions of access, I took the knowledge I gained

from three semesters of graduate experience, and created an internship I will never forget.
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Bibliography

“Andalusia.” Georgia College & State University. Accessed on July 12, 2021.

https://www.gcsu.edu/andalusia.

Bingmann, Melissa. “Professional Development for Teachers,” The Museum Educator’s Manuel,
101-118. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017.
Buck, Rebecca and Jean Gilmore. Museum Registration Methods 5th Edition. Washington, DC:

American Association of Museums, 2010.

Ferries, Laura and Anna Jonson. “Museums—And Educational Resource for Schools,” The
Museum Educator’s Manuel, 119-137. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017.
Simon, Nina. The Art of Relevance. Santa Cruz: Museum 2.0, 2016.