Discovering the perspective of Baker County residents has continued to be the focus for this week. I followed the existing leads that I made through my research last week. Through this process I was able to have an enlightening conversation with the Baker County Historical Society. Furthermore, I have continued sending my Google Form about Olustee and Baker County to more residents. These efforts have highlighted how important communication and tailoring a message to certain demographics are when working with different audiences.
The highlight of this week proved to be my conversation with the Baker County Historical Society. Due to their limited schedule, I made it a priority to get into contact with them last Saturday. During this conversation I was able to speak to the president of the society. I began by introducing myself and explaining that I was interested in research for a project centering on Baker County and Olustee. Rather than begin by asking the most pointed questions, I started broadly then narrowed down to questions about the mass grave. I believe this is an ideal way to build a short, but strong rapport with new contacts. I learned this from prior experience reaching out to Baker County community members. I had previously reached out to a funeral director to gain their input on the mass graves or just African American funeral practices in general. For a few of my first contacts, I remember giving a long, semi-convoluted speech on Olustee and the mass grave before asking them my main question. This seemed to overwhelm a few people and confuse them about what I was looking for. In contrast, other times when I left the questions too open I found people to be even more confused about what I wanted to hear. Thus, in time I realized that there must be a balance. It is good to start with simple questions where the answers are more available. This helps reassure contacts that what I am asking is relevant and that they can in some way help. Then, from there I am able to ask more detailed questions. This process allows me to slowly introduce myself to contacts as well as get a feel for their personality. Subsequently, it proved successful when talking with the Baker County Historical Society.
I first asked about materials they had centering on the battle. I was told that there were plentiful resources on the Civil War and Olustee. Following this broad question, I began to narrow in my focus. I continued by asking about the adjacent African American cemetery. Here the president was very helpful because he was able to provide me with a name, Mount Herman cemetery. The name of this cemetery is quite difficult to find online and had been previously unknown to me. This new information gained could possibly lead to a new avenue for exploration. After that inquiry, I shifted to asking about material on the Union soldiers. He assured me that there was plentiful material on that topic as well. Next, I finally transitioned
to asking about the mass grave of Union soldiers. I asked if there was any formal material on this topic. I noticed that compared to my earlier questions, the president was more hesitant and unsure about this. He responded that he was not sure I would find information about that topic written down, but that it was possible it could be somewhere among their many resources. He continued by saying that it is "understood" by the community that the mass grave lies around the cross located at the Olustee battleground. When I probed further about what he meant, he relayed something to the effect of, "it is just known by most people." Following this question, I thanked him for his time and was able to exchange numbers so that I could contact him for further questions or seek him when I am able to visit in person.
Overall, this exchange proved to be very fruitful. For one, it allowed for more practice in community outreach and in the aforementioned process when it comes to connecting with new people. Secondly, it granted me another interesting perspective on Olustee. The president's answer confirmed that the mass grave appears to be a known thing or in other words an open secret. It is less formally discussed yet it is known among the community that soldiers who fought for the nation lie underground, unidentified, and unacknowledged. Even during Tuesday's team meeting this reality was confirmed by another intern. This intern shared that they had visited the Olustee state park. While there they watched an introduction video that also mentioned the location of the mass grave but failed to provide any additional information. This in combination with my own findings confirm that sadly such a tragic story has been ignored for so long. It shows that this lack of recognition is not due to ignorance but perhaps other complex reasons.
I am eager to explore these reasons for the lack of action towards the mass grave. I believe one way I can do so is by continuing to reach out to residents through my Google Form. I hope that soon I receive responses that help clarify why the story of the mass grave has been neglected. Lastly, my experience from this week has revealed just how important developing an Olustee network is. Establishing rapport with the Baker County Historical Society has provided yet another essential link that can provide more vital information for the overall project.
Comments