FoJMB Newsletter 2011 09

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Newsletter No. 18, September 2011

Dear Friends,

I was delighted to learn that visitor numbers in August

exceeded 2300, a 20% increase on the same month last year and

greater than the best annual total for the museum previously housedin the top flat prior to the Birthplace Trust acquiring the property.

Visitor numbers are increasing, each year being better than the

previous one. The comments in the visitors book make for

wonderful reading: Inspiring; Awesome; A wonderful tribute to

a great Man from American visitors. Best Little Museum I Have

Ever Visitedfrom an Australian. And many, many more including,

of course, Royal patronage with visits from the Duke of Rothesay

(the Scottish title of Prince Charles) and, earlier, Prince Edward.

This level of success is, of course, no accident. It is all due to

the hard work of Jo Moulin and the rest of the staff at the

Birthplace. School visits over the past eight years must now number

in four figures, outreach, talks, lectures, the work shops for children

- some as young as five. Its lovely to think of these young people

learning to love nature and wild things and places just as the young

John Muir did with his grandfather all those years ago here in

Dunbar. Those who had doubts had what we were doing with the

Birthplace must now know how mistaken they were. What better

legacy for John Muir than to tell his story in the context of an

inspirational museum.

This sadly is my last letter to you as I am standing down from

Council at the AGM. There is an old Scots saying auld age does

not come by itselfand I have promised my wife that I will cut back

on my commitments. I have enjoyed my time as convener and wish

Friends continued success.

Sincerely,

Jim Thompson


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Notice of Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of the Friends of John Muirs Birthplace

will be held on

Wednesday 12th

October 2011 at 7.15pm for 7.30pmDunbar Town House, High Street, Dunbar

Agenda

(i) Report on years activities

(ii) Filling any vacancies on Council*(iii) Other competent business*

Non-members will be warmly welcomed

Following the AGM there will be an illustrated talk

Dunbar Town House A Brief History

by Pauline Smeed, Dunbar and District History Society

* Please note that nominations for Council accompanied with the nominees

agreement in writing and items for consideration under other competent

business should be lodged with the Secretary, c/o 126 High Street, Dunbar,

EH42 1JJ by Monday 10th October 2011

John Muirs Birthplace Goes from Strength toStrength

In July, Dunbar welcomed Frank and Carol Walsh, Goodwill Ambassadors

from Martinez. Appropriately, a reception was held in John Muirs Birthplace,

felicitations and gifts were exchanged and the visitors were shown round the

three-story building. We were very, very impressed with what theyve done,

Frank told the Martinez-News-Gazette1. They are the Birthplace trustees

who took over ownership in 1998. Before then, the top floor housed a 1970s

recreation of what the interior might have looked like in Muirs time. Its

1http://www.martinezgazette.com/news/story/i3106/2011/09/06/sister-city-rolls-out-royal-treatment-

local-ambassadors


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appeal was limited as was the space available. Faced with a choice of

presenting his life and modern relevance, looking back to his time in Dunbar,

or a bit of both, the trustees chose the first of these2. Sadly, that meant

removing the top floor museum but it was felt that it had served its purpose.

The small 18th century town house was converted into a 21st century

interpretative centre telling the story of Muirs life and legacy. It opened on

August 23 2003. Annual visits, averaging 1,500 before the conversion, now

exceed 12,000. August 2011 visits totalled 2,331. Repeat visits, rare in the old

museum, are now much more common3. Visitors book comments have been

hugely complimentary4, as were the visits of HRH Prince Charles in 2009 and

HRH Prince Edward in 2008.

The use of modern technology allows hands-on experiences for all ages and is

particularly attractive to young people. Technology also dramaticallyincreases the amount of information that can be presented

5. The houses small

garden is now an education/exhibition room capable of accommodating a

school class. Its walls are in regular use by local art groups and for mounting

special exhibitions. Its flexible space allows workshops for young people on

Friday afternoons and during school holidays, and visits by school6

and other

groups throughout the year.

Birthplace trustees and staff are thinking ahead to 2013, the centenary of thepublication of The Story of My Boyhood and Youth and the 10th anniversary

of John Muirs Birthplace. There will be exhibitions and special events. If

you are coming to the UK that, or any, year pay Dunbar a visit. We will be

delighted to welcome you.

[This article by Will Collin was originally written for the John Muir

Association magazine 'The View'7

due to be published next month. Ed.]

2SE, 8.2.11, So wonderful to get a deeper sense of John Muirs life and legacy. Thank you.

CA, W Yorks, 8.22.11, Very enlightening. What a man!

GS, London, 8.23.11, Excellent learnt loads!! What an amazing man!!3

AG, Edinburgh, 9.8.11, Absolutely wonderful museum. Will come again and make sure the family

come along. Thank you.4 MC, San Francisco, 9.4.11, Fine presentation. May he become better known everywhere.5 G McG, Livingston, Great exhibition. Need to come back another day. So much to see.6 Sacred Heart Primary School, W Lothian, 9.7.11, Students found out lots of interesting facts. Thankyou for your patience. Excellent facility!7http://johnmuirassociation.org/php/newsletter.php


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John Muirs Birthplace Museum News

July and August visitor numbers saw a 20% increase in comparison to the

same period last year. In total, the January to August numbers in 2011 show an

increase of 17% over the same period last year.

New interactive games exploring food in Dunbar as an environmental and

historical topic have been installed on the top floor computers that were fitted

earlier this year. The John Muir maquette has also been moved to its new

position and a new graphic with text has been included.

Eight summer activity workshops were run during the holidays looking at

topics about the seashore, lighthouses and pirates.

Prof. Joe Goldblatt from Queen Margaret University, International Centre forthe Study of Planned Events, hosted a John Muir 2014 Centennial Tourism

Event session on Friday 10th June. This two-hour session explored taking the

2014 celebrations from an East Lothian agenda to a national agenda. Attending

organisations included Visit Scotland, Event Scotland, Creative Scotland,

National Trust, Historic Scotland, and the Royal Botanical Gardens of

Edinburgh. Follow up meetings with the John Muir Trust are being organised.

Jo Moulin has contributed to two Eco Lab sessions bringing together artistsand scientists to explore John Muir as a topic for future collaborative projects.

The John Muir Birthplace has signed up to be a John Muir Award provider for

another three-year period.

Christmas John Muir Trust stock is now

available in the Birthplace shop. Dunbar is

working towards being a Fairtrade town.

Although some ethically sourced productsare already stocked, more Tradecraft and

Fairtrade products will soon be added. For

example,Beads for Life jewellery is on sale

and a fair-trade tea towel is being planned.

Don't forget that Friends of JMB members

get a 10% discount in the shop.

Jo Moulin


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NewsSand Sculpture Competition 2011

Friends of John Muirs Birthplace held their

6th Annual Sand Sculpture Competition at the East Beach, Dunbar onSaturday 6

thAugust. It was slightly overcast with dire predictions of heavy

rain as around 40 people gathered to create their masterpieces before the

heavens opened! Sculptures included sea creatures, mermaids, castles and a

crazy golf course hole! Prizes were awarded in four categories. The winning

group/family sculpture was a startling starfish; the adult winner was that crazy

golf course hole creation; the winner in the childrens category was marvellous

montage of sea life and the winning Muir-related sculpture was a depiction of

Muirs journey from Dunbar to America! Everyone enjoyed the day despitethe rain bringing the event to an early conclusion and many commented that

they were getting their thinking caps on for next year!

`

Winning sculptures (clockwise from top left):Child; Family; Adult; Muir-related.


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More Quotes from the Visitors Book

Why don't Scots know about this hero?

Have 'met' John Muir in America - good to explore his childhood home and

your excellent exhibition!

Absolutely fantastic! Really inspirational ... thank to all who made this

happen!

Lovely museum, well presented exhibits, enthusiastic and welcoming staff!

Review of John Muir in the New World

I resolved to watch John Muir in the New World, the new film about Muir

written and directed by Catherine Tatge and part of the American Masters

series of documentaries for PBS8, with an open mind. I deliberately didnt look

it up online and knew only that it was about John Muirs years in America and

had aired on American public television. So, with that open mind, I sat down

and ended up actually quite liking it. Despite not covering the Scottish part of

Muirs life, which after all were his formative years, or indeed the two years he

spent in Canada, the film gives a very good chronological look at Muirs life

and work in America. This goes from forging the farm in Wisconsin to his last

years after Louie died and Hetch Hetchy, with Muir academics and

environmentalists offering insights interspersed with dramatic scenes with

actors playing Muir at various points of his life, the industrial accident in an

Indianapolis factory (where he was almost blinded) to strolling up mountains

and camping with Roosevelt. For a relative Muirphile like myself, I found it

quite engrossing, bringing back things I had read and should read more about,

while for the lay person, I would imagine it could very easily spark a new

interest in Muirs life and that isnt at all a bad thing.

Kevin Addies

[There are plans to show this film in Dunbar as part of the Friends Walks and

Talks programme. Further details will be given in a future newsletter. It is also

available for viewing online9. Ed.]

8http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/john-muir-in-the-new-world/about-the-film/1789/9http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/john-muir-in-the-new-world/watch-the-full-

documentary-film/1823/


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Friends of John Muirs Birthplace on the Internet

As mentioned in the last newsletter part of the preparations for the Dunbar &

Martinez 30th Anniversary celebrations in April was a revamping of the

Friends website. The address remains !!!"#$%&'%&()*+,-./&%.012"3&4"$5 and

we hope that Friends like the new updated look and content.

Facebook has also become an important medium for community groups and

charities like Friends to disseminate news and to organise and promote their

events. A Facebook page has been created to help raise the profile of Friends

and to help promote Muirs life and work. This Facebook page will also be

kept updated with news, events and links to other Muir-related web resources.

Friends (of the Birthplace sort!) are encouraged to like the page as a certain

number of fans are required before a more memorable username e.g.

)((*677!!!"/,-.'335"-3#7/38#'9 - is enabled. Until then a (shortened) link to

the Facebook page is )((*677!!!"(%0:$&+"-3#7/'/38#'

Muir News From Around the World (Wide Web)

The April 2011 Newsletter included some details of the many other Facebook

pages and groups dedicated to Muir that Friends can now link to and share

news with. Here are some of the recent highlights from these resources.

John Muir Associationhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Muir-Association/124570547602721

Please join us for the Grand Opening of our new visitor center at the John Muir

National Historic Site on Saturday, September 24th at 10:00am PST. The JMA

is also pleased to announce that the park is now open 7 days a week AND

admission is FREE to everyone from here-on-out.

Restore Hetch Hetchyhttp://www.facebook.com/RestoreHetchHetchy

Discover Hetch Hetchy with Harrison FordThis short film explains the history behind the flooding of the Hetch Hetchy

Valley, and the continuing debate regarding its restoration. Starring Harrison

Ford.


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John Muir Fanshttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6008104983

John Muir's Life and Legacy | KQED

The exhibit 'A Walk in the Wild: Continuing John Muir's Journey'opened at the

Oakland Museum of California this month. We discuss the exhibit, whichattempts to recreate John Muir's experiences and adventures in California's

wilderness.

[The discussion page linked to by the above includes a downloadable audio file

of the discussion by the guests:

Bonnie Gisel, environmental historian, educator, curator of the Sierra

Club's LeConte Memorial Lodge in Yosemite National Park and author

of"Nature's Beloved Son: Rediscovering John Muir's Botanical Legacy"

Donald Worster, professor of American history at the University of

Kansas and author of"A Passion for Nature: The Life of John Muir"

Dorris Welch, guest curator for the "A Walk in the Wild"exhibition at the

Oakland Museum of California

Ed.]

Membership Renewals

September is one of the two months the other is April - when membership

renewals often fall due. Renewal forms were included in the last two

newsletters for Friends who had taken out their membership on an annual basis

and whose renewals are not automatically paid by standing order. Friends

Council hopes that the initiatives, events and publications that are produced to

help promote Muirs life and work and that support John Muirs Birthplace

have been of interest to the membership. If our records show that your

membership is due for renewal then a subscription form will be included in

this newsletter mailing.

FRIENDS CONTACTS

Official address: Friends of John Muirs Birthplace, John Muirs Birthplace,126 High Street, Dunbar EH42 1JJ: tel: 01368 865899

Friends Website: www.muirbirthplacefriends.org.uk

Birthplace Email: [email protected] Website: www.jmbt.org.uk

Convener: Jim Thompson, Secretary: Susan Panton, Membership Sec: DuncanSmeed, Treasurer: Will Collin. All can be contacted through the Birthplace.

Documents

FoJMB Newsletter 2011 09