As the nation honors the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this year, the Earl Scruggs Center is debuting a brand-new special exhibit, Voices of the Frontier: Cleveland County on the Eve of Independence, opening April 10 and running through the end of the year. This exhibit to serves as a primer for the colonial history of our area, beginning with the Native Americans who first lived in the region surrounding the Broad River, known to the Catawba people as Eswau Huppeday.
Voices of the Frontier began with a simple goal to tell the history of Cleveland County during the colonial period. However, after months of research, it became apparent that the exhibit needed to revolve around people more than places or events. After all, it is descendants of the settlers, enslaved, and indigenous people who lived in Cleveland County that give us our most tangible connection to the past. With that in mind, Voices of the Frontier offers an intimate look at the struggle of frontier life from the point of view of those who lived it.
One way I was able to create an intimate experience with Voices of the Frontier involved leveraging one of the greatest collections of historical objects, the Cleveland County Historical Collection, which the Earl Scruggs Center manages on behalf of the County. Through this collection we have access to a massive loom from the turn of the 19th century, eyeglasses from the year of independence, and even a document signed by the nation’s first president, George Washington, all of which will be on display. There is something uniquely powerful about being able to see pieces history up close that creates a deep and meaningful connection from present to past. My intention with Voices of the Frontier is to let the artifacts do the talking, and I feel like they speak volumes.
Our hope is that visitors who experience Voices of the Frontier walk away feeling a deeper connection to fascinating history of Cleveland County and have a greater appreciation for the struggles of the people who called this part of the Piedmont home at the dawn of America’s founding.