The new exhibit, “Stories from The Village that Straddled a Swamp”, commemorates the 25th anniversary of Doug Symons’ book The Village that Straddled a Swamp, which recounts the history of Woodstock. The exhibit will combine Symon’s words with artifacts and additional content to help tell the stories of those who have lived in Woodstock over the past two hundred years. Among the items on display are medals on loan from the Woodstock Coin Club, commemorating significant events in the city’s history.
The display will be accompanied by a re-printing of Symons’ book, which will be available for purchase at the museum. Many authors now turn to small presses and printing services to help create Books such as this that deal with local or niche subject matter.
Symons recently passed away aged 91, so the exhibit will also be a tribute to his work bringing Woodstock’s history to life. In a statement, museum curator Karen Houston said that the approachability of Symons’ work is what made it the ideal basis for an exhibit:
“What’s wonderful about his book is that it’s readable. It’s easy to digest [...] It could be fun because Doug was fun. It needs to be more than just dates.”
“Stories from The Village that Straddled a Swamp” opened at the Woodstock Museum on 1 March and is scheduled to run until 28 May.
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