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July 13, 2003 Dear David,  Please accept my thanks for guiding me on a tour of the
Sutton's Corner Museum. It is a remarkable project, from its conception as an exhibit
with not only coherence but also life through its manifestation as a faithful and
undisturbed "time capsule" of an era now past.
In addition to thanking
you for my tour, I want to lend my support to your efforts to extend the life of the
museum into the distant future. We discussed your vision of the museum, and I heartily
concur in it. So many local museums are fascinating but eclectic collections of
memorabilia, without rhyme or reason for existing save for the tastes and nostalgia of
their directors. Sutton's Corner Museum is different. Having discovered the store of
Sutton's Corner abandoned and in ruins, but with its contents protected and intact, you
made a faithful reconstruction of it. Your project celebrates the heritage of that
bygone life, but it does so much more. Unlike those eclectic collections that spur
memories and sentiment, Sutton's Corner Museum makes accessible actual history — in
archival and material culture forms. That you have done this systematically adds value
to your continued endeavor in maintaining the museum. One of the values of the
Sutton's Corner Museum is your emphasis on preservation. I am not one who thinks that
everything from the past is so valuable that no one should be allowed near it. In fact,
I argue loudly that the greatest service we in archives and museums can provide is
significantly greater access to large numbers of people. Many museums agree, and go out
of their way to encourage even casual visitors. But there are special circumstances in
which providing access to small groups of serious researchers rather than to every
casual tourist serves the long-term interest of both the collection and the community.
My experience leads me to believe that providing limited rather than general access to
the Sutton's Corner Museum protects both the collection's long-term viability and its
historical integrity. Because Sutton's Corner is a unique, well-thought-out, and
self-contained project (an historical "snapshot," if you will), its value is
far greater as a research facility than as a tourist attraction. You explained that this
was your vision, and I concur completely. As you make plans to insure Sutton's
Corner Museum's continued usefulness, please count me among your most stalwart
supporters. Sincerely, Dr. Martin T. Olliff
Director
Archives of
Wiregrass History and Culture
Troy State University - Dothan, Alabama |
