The Turner-Dodge House

When we got historic site visit assignment number two, I knew exactly where I wanted to visit--The Turner-Dodge House.  Located at 100 E. North Street, or as I like to think of it, on the path home, I have driven past this location my whole life--so I was really excited to have an excuse to visit it!

However, when I looked up the hours, I realized it was only open Tuesday-Friday from 8-5pm.  I realized I could only go on Wednesday at 4pm so I did--only to find that it was already closed! Of course I peeked around the property and inside the windows and it seemed really neat! I am definitely going to try to visit another time.

So while I don't have much to say about the house as a historical/heritage site--I do have something to say about the preservation of such sites.  First, the site was only open during hours when people work--it says something about what kind of audience this type of site is catering to.  While I did notice in the window a flyer for a benefit over the weekend, having hours only during the workday really limits tourists. Also, closing early doesn't allow visitors to get the full experience either. I was really disappointed in my trip to the house, and ultimately while I thought from what I got to see that it would be awesome to tour the inside, I came away with the conclusion that these sites aren't worth preserving if they are not accessible.

For a better recap of what this site was like, I will refer you to my classmate's blog.