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Growing up in Washington
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| Memories of childhood visits to the National Museum of Health and Medicine form the collective experience of Growing Up in Washington, the theme for a year-long, city-wide initiative exploring the experiences of young people - past and present - and their neighborhoods in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. Over twenty "off-the-mall" cultural organizations are participating in Growing Up In Washington, a project that commemorates the millennium as well as Washington's bicentennial. The National Museum of Health and Medicine features an exhibit on its role in Growing Up in Washington. These photos and reminiscences recall museum experiences spanning the past 140 years. Take this opportunity to step back in time and enjoy some local history.
Growing Up In Washington marks the first time that so many local organizations have banded together to explore a single theme. The National Museum of Health and Medicine has welcomed visitors since the 1860s, including many young, native Washingtonians. A trip to the Museum and its unique anatomical and historical collections often stands out in these visitors' memories of childhood.
The Museum is remembered by many Washingtonians as the Army Medical Museum, which was located on the National Mall until the late 1960s. The National Museum of Health and Medicine has also been housed in some of Washington's most historic and memorable locations, including Ford's Theatre, and its current location on the campus of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. |
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The Museum located at Ford’s Theatre in the late 1800s.(1872 B Woodward/Reeve 32786)
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The Museum on the Mall, 1897.(AMM 153)
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The Museum on the Mall, 1942. (Reeve 73448) |
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Two young visitors view Able, one of the first two monkeys to travel in outer space, 1960. (PR81; MIS 60-5414-6) |
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Viewing the Museum’s microscope collection, 1960. (PR67; MIS 19845-13-5)
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Two students observe an exhibit of accomplished women.
(PR14; MIS 60-5488-6)
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A demonstration of army medical training aids draws an interested crowd, and helps the Museum show its military roots. (PR90; MIS 55-16533-6)
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Exploring an interactive exhibit, 1971“Frequently fathers bring their sons to the museum and take them directly to the frank syphilis exhibit.”
Miss Helen Purtle
Assistant curator, 1943 “I first came here as a child on a school field trip. It always left a lasting memory. I returned a few years ago and it was as interesting as I remembered.”
Museum Visitor, 1996 “A visit now and then served to remind one the human body, if not the being, is simply incredible…”
John McKelway, Washington Star staff writer, 1972 |
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