Public can offer input on Shiloh Park museum renovations

Shiloh National Military Park invites the public to attend a kickoff meeting for the major redesign of the exhibits and exhibit area at the Shiloh Visitor Center.
(Editor’s note: This story was originally published in the Nov. 15 print edition.)
The meeting is on Nov. 27 from 6-8 p.m. in the visitor center auditorium.
Shiloh Park said Monday that in September, the National Park Service’s Harpers Ferry Design Center awarded a $639,700 contract to Formations Inc., of Portland, Oregon, to provide planning, design, fabrication, and installation services for the visitor center.
The goal is to develop new exhibits that feature artifacts from the park’s collection, interactive and tactile experiences, and audiovisual presentations that provide visitors with opportunities to make meaningful connections to the park and its story. The designers will also provide recommendations for any architectural changes in the facility that will be needed to accommodate the new elements.
“Shiloh National Military Park preserves the Civil War battlefield where the first major battle in the Western Theater took place in April 1862. The current exhibits in the visitor center are 30 years old and are no longer effective,” said park Superintendent Dale Wilkerson. “New exhibits are needed to provide interpretive approaches that are based on park themes, that reflect current scholarship and multiple perspectives, and that are accessible.
“As part of the design process, there will be public meetings to provide the community with opportunities for learning about the development of the new exhibits and for providing input as the design moves forward. It is important for us to include the local community in the process as we move forward with the revisions to the center.”
At the meeting the designers and park staff will introduce the project to the public and listen to comments and ideas from area residents regarding the new exhibition. In a few months the designers will return to present several alternative approaches to the design for consideration and public comment, as the park moves toward the selection of a final alternative. The entire project is slated to be completed by April 6, 2021, according to Shiloh Park.