Dr. Tamás Szegedy-Kloska, Historian and Acting Director of Collections and Research at the Hungarian Open Air Museum, recently spent two weeks in the United States at the invitation of the U.S. Department of State as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). In a new blog post, he recounts the stations of his transatlantic journey, his professional insights, and the cultural nuances he experienced along the way.
Arrival in the New World
The New World. Across the pond, as the British are wont to say. The promised land of liberty. This continental expanse goes by many names (before embarking on one’s maiden voyage across the Atlantic, I heartily commend Bill Bryson’s Notes from a Big Country). I boarded the aircraft bound for the United States with a mental luggage laden with various preconceptions and, on occasion, prejudices. In May 2026, I had the distinct honour of spending two weeks in the United States alongside nine other Hungarian cultural professionals, invited by the U.S. Department of State under the auspices of the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).
The primary objective of the project, titled Preserving Our National Story: Heritage, Memory, and National Identity, was to showcase the international excellence of American heritage preservation, established transatlantic strategies and best practices for safeguarding historic sites and battlefields, the diverse arenas of national memory, and the unique landscape of American public collections. Furthermore, the project closely connected with the Freedom250 series of events organised for the 250th anniversary of the declaration of American independence. The journey also served as an exceptional opportunity to deepen bilateral professional relations, allowing Hungarian participants to meet their American counterparts – effectively engaging with colleagues working in identical institutional roles and gaining a closer understanding of their endeavours.
‘If You Have a Story, You Are Free to Tell It!’
The United States of America is exceptionally proud of its two-and-a-half-century history. It speaks of it willingly and often, placing great emphasis on presenting the personal, individual memory nestled within the grand historical narrative. The foundational American experience is storytelling. ‘If you have a story, you are free to tell it,’ remarked a representative of the Department of State during a briefing. Wherever we ventured – be it a federal, state, municipal, or private institution – we constantly encountered exhibitions, cabinet displays, or pop-up showcases. It appeared of paramount importance to Americans to carry local and scientific history beyond the walls of cultural institutions and into everyday transit spaces, thereby addressing those who might not otherwise purchase a ticket to a traditional museum
As I toured with my colleagues North American exhibitions, I was repeatedly confronted with the question of museum self-reflection. The cornerstones of American identity – liberty, independence, and the Constitution – are no longer presented as idealized monoliths, rather, most displays openly acknowledge that these achievements were initially the exclusive privilege of a narrow, privileged stratum. Most of the museums we visited, including those in the South, felt the necessity (whether driven by professional consensus or external pressure) to integrate previously silenced narratives with self-criticism: the histories of African Americans, Indigenous peoples, immigrant nationalities, and women. This manner of confronting difficult heritage through recent, nuanced additions ultimately renders the American historical memory more authentic and complete.
During our fast-paced two weeks, we explored the American capital of Washington, D.C., familiarised ourselves with the workings of the federal government, and met state actors dealing with heritage preservation and public collections (the Department of State and the Department of the Interior). Through the discourse maintained within these two ministries, the American heritage preservation system crystallized before us – a model fundamentally distinct from the centralised, state-directed paradigm customary at home and across much of Europe. In the United States, this structure is exceedingly decentralised, resting upon the close cooperation of government agencies, the private sector, and civil organisations.
Cultural Heritage as a Brand
An indispensable component of American museums – indeed, of virtually any institution where physically feasible, including the Department of State – is the museum shop. As one of our hosts aptly phrased it, Americans are masters of the commercialisation of heritage, with various gift shops offering an exceptionally broad selection and bespoke merchandise tailored to the institution’s profile. During our visit, a common denominator across shop inventories was the commemorative product line prepared for the approaching 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. At Colonial Williamsburg, an open-air living history museum, I discovered the King’s Arms Tavern own-brand (non-alcoholic) ginger beer inside one of the period shops. This beverage is brewed and bottled locally by the Alewerks Brewing Company on commission for the museum. Such a period beverage, with its branding evoking historical taverns, serves as an exemplary instance of conscious, creative, and authentic brand-building.
During our fast-paced two weeks, we explored the American capital of Washington, D.C., familiarised ourselves with the workings of the federal government, and met state actors dealing with heritage preservation and public collections (the Department of State and the Department of the Interior). Through the discourse maintained within these two ministries, the American heritage preservation system crystallized before us – a model fundamentally distinct from the centralised, state-directed paradigm customary at home and across much of Europe. In the United States, this structure is exceedingly decentralised, resting upon the close cooperation of government agencies, the private sector, and civil organisations.
Without a Ministry of Culture: The Grassroots American Model
The United States of America possesses no Ministry of Culture. The legal framework for heritage preservation is principally defined by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The federal government establishes professional standards, provides financial incentives – such as tax credits for the restoration of historic structures – and maintains the National Register of Historic Places. Every American state maintains its own State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), tasked with conducting local research, nominating sites to the national register, and reviewing development projects.
The United States of America possesses no Ministry of Culture. The legal framework for heritage preservation is principally defined by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. The federal government establishes professional standards, provides financial incentives – such as tax credits for the restoration of historic structures – and maintains the National Register of Historic Places. Every American state maintains its own State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), tasked with conducting local research, nominating sites to the national register, and reviewing development projects.
Yet, the true champions and practitioners of heritage preservation are local communities and nonprofit organisations. The prevailing American perspective holds that the safeguarding of historic buildings succeeds only when private capital discerns potential within them, whether for business or community utility.
The American museum system rests fundamentally upon grassroots, non-profit funding model driven by private philanthropy. Approximately thirty-five thousand museums operate across the United States, the vast majority of which remain non-governmental entities (Institute of Museum and Library Services, Museum Data Files, 2018). The largest and most celebrated institutions – such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York – are independent, non-profit organisations governed by boards of trustees. Their financing derives from endowments, private donations, corporate sponsorship, and admissions revenue. The state incentivises affluent individuals through tax exemptions to donate artefacts or funds to museums.
The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., stands as the world’s largest museum, gallery, and research centre complex, encompassing twenty-one museums and galleries alongside a national zoological park. A decisive majority of its constituent institutions flank the National Mall. Thanks to federal appropriations, the vast majority of permanent exhibitions here are open to the general public free of charge. Although federally established and largely supported by Congressional funding, the Smithsonian relies in part upon private philanthropy, functioning essentially as the national museum of the United States.
Operating not as a governmental body but as a non-profit, the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) serves as the nation’s preeminent professional organisation, uniting museums and museum professionals since 1906. Furthermore, historic house museums constitute one of the most populous groups within the American museum network. Established through local initiatives to preserve the built heritage of specific historical figures or eras, these local institutions profoundly shape collective American memory and forge the identity of local communities.
The Role of the Federal Government in American Heritage Protection
In the United States, the portfolio of the Department of the Interior differs markedly from its European counterparts: it bears responsibility not for domestic policing, but for federal lands, natural resources, and national heritage. The National Park Service (NPS), housed within the Department, represents the foremost governmental actor in heritage preservation. This agency administers not only natural reservations like Yellowstone, but also historic sites, battlefields, and presidential estates.
In the early twentieth century, park rangers within American national parks realised that sharing mere statistical data quickly bored visitors, failing to inspire genuine interest in national heritage. The rangers’ task became awakening citizens to the reality that pine forests, canyons, former battlefields, and memorials form integral components of ecological balance, national identity, and memory. Methodological developments in historic site interpretation also birthed the practice of living history. Modern museum interpretation as an independent profession is linked to Freeman Tilden (Interpreting Our Heritage, 1957), one of the most defining figures in NPS history. The NPS also maintains the National Register of Historic Places, while the Secretary of the Interior establishes the professional standards for preservation and restoration observed nationwide.
The Department of State is responsible for the international dimensions of heritage preservation, particularly within cultural diplomacy, artefact protection, and the prevention of illicit trade. The Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs organises international cultural exchange programmes and exhibitions, while overseeing bilateral agreements that restrict the unlawful import of archaeological and cultural treasures into the United States. The Department also coordinates the repatriation of stolen or illicitly smuggled foreign artefacts to their countries of origin. Through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, American ambassadors worldwide – including in Hungary – support local heritage initiatives, reinforcing the nation’s commitment to safeguarding global cultural heritage.
Personal Experiences and Case Studies
Alongside visits to select Smithsonian constituent institutions during our stay in Washington, we attended a commemoration organised by the Hungary Foundation – an organisation that played a vital role in coordinating our IVLP – in honour of Colonel Mihály Fabriczy Kováts of the hussars. Alongside Kazimierz Pułaski of Poland, Kováts remains revered to this day in the United States as one of the founding fathers of the American cavalry. The commemoration featured the unveiling of a new Kováts memorial plaque on the façade of the Kossuth House in Washington, alongside an inscription greeting the quarter-millennium anniversary of the United States. Anna Smith Lacey, Executive Director of the Hungary Foundation, presented newly published historical and educational materials dedicated to the Hungarian colonel. During the event, it was announced that a national fundraising campaign had commenced to erect a permanent bronze public statue, scheduled for inauguration in downtown Charleston in 2029, marking the 250th anniversary of Colonel Kováts’s death.
Our itinerary next led us to Mount Vernon Estate in Virginia, the former plantation of George Washington operating with an open-air museum character, followed by the historic triangle of Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown. We also visited the aforementioned Charleston, where, alongside the city museum, we toured the NPS-administered Fort Sumter and the floating exhibition aboard the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) at Mount Pleasant harbour – housing the independent Medal of Honor museum – before enjoying an evening as dinner guests of an American family.
Our final days unfolded further north in the bustling metropolis of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the historic site where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed. Here, at the William W. Bodine High School for International Affairs – a secondary institution specialising in international relations – we discussed Hungarian history and culture, our respective professions, and our daily duties with American students. On our penultimate day, we joined the crowds to cheer at a Philadelphia–Cleveland baseball fixture.
Mount Vernon – George Washington’s Legacy and the Interpretation of Difficult Heritage
Situated on the banks of the Potomac River in Virginia, the Mount Vernon Estate stands as the most visited historic private estate in the United States, serving as the home and final resting place of George Washington, the nation’s first president. A fascinating footnote in museum history is that the property was rescued not by the state, but by a women’s civic organisation known as the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, which acquired and opened it to the general public in the mid-nineteenth century. This marked the very establishment of America’s first historic house museum.
Along the perimeter of the estate operates a working reconstruction of Washington’s former gristmill and distillery. Much like the mills at the Hungarian Open Air Museum in Szentendre, this site demonstrates live how grain was ground and how late-eighteenth-century America’s largest whiskey distillery operated. The area also functions as a site for living history interpretation, though the characters portrayed do not represent specific historical figures, living or fictional; instead, costumed staff demonstrate various occupations or provide musical accompaniment as visitors explore the museum. The mortal remains of George Washington and his wife, Martha Washington, rest here as well, making the family tomb one of the nation’s most revered pilgrimage sites.
The challenge of presenting difficult heritage was keenly felt here. President Washington was a progressive agriculturalist, yet he also held more than three hundred enslaved people on his estate. This latter reality is increasingly cited by American historians not only regarding him, but Thomas Jefferson as well. The one-sided, idealized narrative of the Founding Fathers has given way to a more nuanced, critical approach that places this moral duality at the forefront. At Mount Vernon, visitors may tour the former quarters of enslaved individuals, view their personal belongings, and explore their daily struggles through dedicated thematic tours.
Regrettably, we lacked the opportunity to observe the work of the George Washington Leadership Institute operating on the estate. Supported scientifically by the on-site Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington – a research centre functioning essentially as a think tank – the Institute draws upon Washington’s actual historical decisions for its programmes. Designed for senior executives, chief executives, politicians, and military leaders, its curriculum covers modules such as strategic thinking, crisis management, leadership qualities, and team-building. It is our sincere hope that the Hungarian Open Air Museum’s Museum Educational and Methodological Centre might forge a partnership with this institution in the future, given our shared professional profiles.
Colonial Williamsburg – Living History and Authentic Storytelling
As a museum professional rooted in open-air traditions, the most eagerly anticipated leg of the study tour for me was Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, one of the world’s largest open-air museums dedicated to eighteenth-century American colonial life. It was a particular delight to be welcomed by Peter Inker, Director of Historical Research, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the 2024 conference of the Association of European Open-Air Museums (AEOM) in Szentendre, and who graciously guided us through his institution.
Williamsburg was established in the early twentieth century through the financial patronage of John D. Rockefeller Jr., marking the beginning of a major historical reconstruction project. Consequently, modern Colonial Williamsburg has expanded into a historic district spanning over 120 hectares, featuring hundreds of eighteenth-century structures: some original monuments, and a significant portion rebuilt as reconstructions grounded in archaeological and archival research. Because the museum is situated within public urban space without perimeter fencing, it is truly experienced as a living, breathing city. Admission tickets grant entry to the buildings and programmes, while the streets themselves remain open for public strolls.
The interpreters and actors working within the museum embody period characters, communicating with visitors using eighteenth-century language and mindsets. Alongside portraying the lifestyles of affluent citizens, they introduce visitors to the daily realities of former enslaved persons, servants, and lower social strata. Traditional historic trades also occupy a prominent role in Williamsburg. From blacksmiths, coopers, and shoemakers to wigmakers and bookbinders, the participants work with authentic eighteenth-century tools and technologies.
At the edge of the historic district’s museum zone, connected by an underground corridor, lies a building complex housing two institutions: the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum. The former stands as the world’s oldest continuously operating folk art museum, displaying a collection of objects, furniture, textiles, trade signs, and toys that illustrate the material culture of ordinary people. The latter preserves courtly and civic decorative arts from British and American traditions, including silver, ceramics, and weaponry.
Adjacent to this building is the DeWitt Wallace Collections Conservation Center, the conservation, restoration, and research hub of Colonial Williamsburg. Portions of this study collection are visible to both the general public and researchers, revealing vast quantities of ceramics, glassware, metalwork, and archaeological finds that exceed exhibition or residential capacity. The experimental laboratories house well-equipped restoration workshops (wood, textile, metal, and paper), where non-destructive materials testing and chemical analyses – such as X-ray and infrared examinations – are conducted to determine the exact provenance of an eighteenth-century garment or furniture piece and the chemical composition of its pigments. This scientific foundation ensures the historical integrity of the reconstructions visible across the historic district.
Yorktown and Jamestown
The next stop along the historic triangle was Yorktown, the site of the decisive battle of the American Revolutionary War. Here, in 1781, George Washington, aided by Marquis de Lafayette, compelled British General Cornwallis’s forces to surrender, effectively bringing the conflict to a close. We toured the outdoor exhibition spaces of the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. Indoor displays here focus intensely on immersive experiences, featuring numerous replica artefacts that visitors are encouraged to touch, handle, and wear. In the theatre depicting the Battle of Yorktown, atmospheric sound, lighting, and smoke effects are heightened by seats that vibrate during artillery fire. The outdoor component is divided into two primary units: the Continental Army encampment and an eighteenth-century farm. The former features a reconstructed military camp where visitors can inspect officers’ tents, enlisted men’s barracks, and field kitchens, alongside live military demonstrations including musket firing. The farm portrays the modest homestead of a typical Virginian tobacco-growing family, complete with a dwelling house, detached kitchen, slave quarters, tobacco barn, and vegetable garden.
Following Yorktown came Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America. The institution comprises two distinct sections: the original archaeological site (Historic Jamestowne) and the adjacent open-air museum (Jamestown Settlement). Our delegation visited the latter. Beyond temporary exhibition spaces, this site features a full-scale replica of the triangular military fort enclosed by palisade walls of sharpened logs, complete with settlers’ houses, a church, and an armoury. Here, live interpreters demonstrate period metalworking, weaponry, and the struggle for survival. During our visit, this portion of the museum felt somewhat sterile, with only a single, rather taciturn historical interpreter present in the armoury.
Moored along the river is a fully functional, period-accurate reconstruction of the sailing ships that carried the first settlers across the Atlantic. Visitors may board the vessels, where museum staff members dressed as mariners demonstrate seventeenth-century navigation and shipboard life. As a delightful personal touch, upon stepping aboard the ship Godspeed, one of the costumed hostesses greeted us in Hungarian upon hearing our conversation. Regrettably, time constraints limited our stay at this museum.
Drayton Hall – ‘Preserve as Found’
Journeying further south from Virginia, our travels brought us to Charleston, South Carolina – a city carrying deep significance for Hungarians due to Mihály Kováts, who sustained the wounds here that led to his death on 11 May 1779. In the context of Charleston, special mention must be made of Drayton Hall, a historic house museum that serves not only as an extraordinary heritage site, but as the methodological laboratory and training ground for American historic preservation, whose practices instruct professionals nationwide. Simultaneously, the estate has blazed a trail in social history, standing among the earliest Southern plantations to integrate the history of enslaved African Americans into its core narrative.
When the National Trust for Historic Preservation acquired the estate from the Drayton family (who held it across seven generations) in the 1970s, they made what was then a radical decision: rather than restoring the house to any single chronological period, they would conserve it and focus entirely on structural stabilization. Because the house lacks electricity, heating, air conditioning, and furnishings (preventing modern interventions from harming walls, plaster, and timber), the guiding principle was sheer preservation, known as the ‘preserve as found’ approach. The microclimatic monitoring and preventive conservation system developed here, built upon natural ventilation, has been successfully adapted by Americans for other historic buildings. It proved particularly fascinating to observe the visible strata of the centuries upon the structure: the ravages of the American Revolutionary War, the Civil War, earthquakes, and hurricanes, alongside pencil marks on the walls where the family tracked children’s growth across generations.
The Caretaker’s House on the grounds of Drayton Hall proved especially compelling, immediately recalling the Erdőhorváti methodological house at the Hungarian Open Air Museum. Its American counterpart functions as an exemplary methodological and exhibition space; sections of the walls have been intentionally left exposed to reveal structural elements, varying layers of historic wallpaper, and newspaper insulation. Visitors can trace step-by-step how a nineteenth-century timber building evolved through the twentieth century, how electricity was introduced, and how flooring changed over time. This technique of exposing wall stratigraphy represents one of the most engaging visual educational tools in open-air ethnographical museology. The building also served as a methodological workspace for Drayton Hall’s researchers. The core of the exhibition is anchored not only by artefacts recovered on-site – such as buttons, ceramic fragments, and tools – but also by oral history interviews conducted with descendants of former residents, several of which are accessible within the methodological house.
What Can We Learn from American Museums?
Returning from Philadelphia and unpacking our metaphorical luggage – sorting through preconceptions and hypotheses – the insights gathered during this intensive two-week study tour transcended mere professional and personal curiosity. The heritage protection and interpretation practices of the United States proved to be both a striking cultural shock and an exceptionally inspiring methodological lesson.
The primary takeaway for me was the broadening of my perspective. Familiarising ourselves with the American public collections sector highlighted that storytelling can indeed serve as a principal driver for social dialogue and visitor engagement. The power of decentralised partnerships could be utilised far more effectively within domestic contexts. The reality that the soul of American heritage preservation lies in the engagement of local communities, civic organisations, and private capital inspires us to place even greater emphasis at home on community-based museology, network-building with local partners, and the strengthening and methodological refinement of sponsorship practices.
The symbiosis of interpretation and conscious branding demonstrated through Colonial Williamsburg or Mount Vernon illustrates that authenticity and pop-cultural or commercial appeal – whether an authentic ginger beer or an interactive battlefield simulation – are not mutually exclusive. The coexistence of scientific research and creative marketing is something we can embrace more boldly at home. Furthermore, the example of Drayton Hall reinforced that visitors can – and should – be included in museum backroom operations. Real-time broadcasting of archaeological digs or making restoration processes visible represent visual educational tools that hold significant potential for the Hungarian Open Air Museum and other domestic museums.
A final impression was the recognition that while the historical timescales of Europe and America differ radically, the dilemmas surrounding the preservation, processing, and animation of the past remain identical. The United States proudly embraces the historical mission it assigns to itself in the struggles for freedom of the world’s peoples – a sentiment discernible across nearly every exhibition we encountered. Yet the picture remains more nuanced, as European historical memory inevitably casts the American narrative into a more critical light.
The IVLP programme provided not only professional connections and lifetime memories, but a methodological compass through which we may formulate fresh, internationally contextualised answers to the questions facing domestic open-air museology.