Michelle Alexander began work March 6 at Westville as the museum’s Director of Interpretation. Ms. Alexander met with individual craftspeople throughout the week, becoming familiar with the staff and their many different workskills.

Her initial reaction is positive. “I love Westville,” she said in an interview. “The longer I’m here, the more impressed I am by what has been accomplished and by the potential for even more good things.”

Ms. Alexander is not new to Westville, having visited here on other occasions. “Over the times that I have visited, I have been able to see the Village mature, especially in the gardens. They really have come along.”

Ms. Alexander is an anthropologist who has been at the Orange County [Florida] Historical Museum in Orlando as Curator of Research and Archives. “Anthropology is a natural discipline for museum work, especially living history,” she said. “Anthropology gives the total view of a culture, not just one part. That’s what living history at Westville should be, a total view of an 1850 west Georgia town.”

Her vision for Westville is to round out that total view. “I’d like to see more activity---traffic in the streets, politics, court cases, people in every house---daily life in an 1850 village.” Ms. Alexander has noted some differences between Orlando and Lumpkin. “It’s colder here. I noticed some of the staff had long johns on yesterday [low temperature 34 degrees on March 12]. I only have this shawl. I think I need long johns, too!”