I’m writing this on Wednesday because we’re in Kentucky today celebrating one of our grandson’s third birthday. That gave me even two fewer days to settle on a topic! So, I decided to let you do some of the work for me.

One of the projects I’ve been working on for quite some time—and which is finally starting to come together—is what I’ve been calling the “Immigration Hallway.” I’m revamping the displays and signage along the right side of the main gallery hallway to better tell the story of the immigration and the early Perry County settlements.

It’s been both exciting and a bit daunting to think through how best to tell such a rich and meaningful story in a limited space. What do you include? What do you leave out? How do you balance historical detail with readability for visitors who may only spend a few minutes in the hallway?

And that’s where I’d really value your input.

As I work through what to include, I keep coming back to this question: what do people most want—or need—to know?

If you’re familiar with the story of the Saxon immigration, what do you think is most important to include? And if this is a story you don’t know well, that’s just as helpful. What questions would you have as you walked through the hallway? What would you want to understand better? What would make the story come alive for you?

Give me one thing (or more, if you are so inclined):
What is one question you would want answered?
Or one thing you would not want to see left out?

Please leave a comment, send me a message (contact@lutheranmuseum.com), or share your thoughts the next time you’re at the museum. I’d truly love to hear from you.

Until next week! Denise Hellwege, Director