What the public wants (#125847)
by John R. Maass on August 1, 2008 at 11:13 AM

Bruggeman writes that "perhaps the George Washington Foundation should dispense with its replica and make Ferry Farm a place to learn important lessons about the construction of knowledge and historical meaning. Why do the imagining for us when, after all, it's in learning how to imagine the past responsibly that we develop the ability to think critically about our own world?" While this is an interesting ACADEMIC question, from a practical standpoint it is silly. The replica isn't about "the construction of knowledge and historical meaning." It is about luring people off I-95 and capturing tourism dollars. Most tourists want to see *something* (like a reconstructed house, or cannons, or a fort) and are not interested in (or even aware of) academic or theoretical issues with regard to history or memory.