The Cotton Museum Historic Oak View County Park
project type: fabrication , graphics , museums
A History of Cotton
Cotton production in Wake County has had a long and colorful history. Growing, harvesting, ginning, and transporting cotton have provided a livelihood for thousands of area farm families and inspired the invention of many ingenious tools and techniques.
The Best Artifact was the Barn Itself
The Oak View Cotton Museum is located on a historic site on the east side of Raleigh. The building chosen to house the artifacts and exhibits is a restored ginning barn that was part of the working Oak View farm. The building was left rough on the inside to retain the character of its working days. Design Dimension developed a system of freestanding panels which present graphic information, artifacts, and interactives without constricting the openness of the space or hindering the circulation of visitors. Since the exhibit space is not climate controlled, all text was screen printed on laminate, and graphic artifacts were produced as fiberglass embedments.
From Farm to Field to Fiber
The exhibits use the growth cycle of the cotton crop as a context for learning. Planting, tending, harvesting, ginning, and marketing are all represented in sequence. A color key system identifies display areas with specific phases of the growing season. At each stage of the process, restored farm implements are mounted in a way that permits visitors to lift them and experience their weight and feel. An actual bale of cotton hangs from a cotton scale, and a full size metal mule with restored collar, bridle, and drawbar hardware is hitched to a turning plow and ready to go. A hand-cranked model of a cotton gin allows visitors to see the working components of the machine while they gin cotton grown in the adjacent field.
Hands-On Cotton Field
The display sequence leads visitors upstairs to the loft of the building where baled cotton was stored before transporting to mills, then outside to a covered area where larger equipment is on display. A hands-on cotton field gives visitors a seasonal look at real cotton in different stages of its growth and a connection to the planned ÒFarm History CenterÓ in the park.