Gen. Stewart Goodwin has made an appearance to talk about Indiana’s role in World War I.
This spring, an actor portraying Clara Barton will tell people about the founding of the American Red Cross.
And later this month, Danny Russel will throw on his brown leather coat and grab his gun to act as Daniel Boone.
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The storytelling series through the Johnson County Museum of History and the Johnson County Public Library continues Oct. 21 with Russel’s portrayal of the plucky American pioneer.
The storytelling series has been conducted a few years, and representatives from the museum and library try to plan topical characters they can bring to the county to give residents a chance to hear a story in a different way.
One of the goals in the series is to attract families to attend the museum and libraries to help get school age children interested in those venues, said David Pfeiffer, director of the Johnson County Museum of History.
“It is just a way to bring in a new audience to the museum,” he said.
Museum and library officials work together to bring in characters that are seasonal and topical, Pfeiffer said.
For example, Gen. Goodwin was appropriate for the opening of the museum’s World War I exhibit. And Barton will tie in with the American Red Cross’ 50th anniversary.
They try to pick storytellers and characters that would draw families, and each presentation is given at about a fourth-grade level, to help draw families to the events, said Kelly Staten, adult services librarian at the Franklin branch of the Johnson County Public Library.
“We want it to be a family event, where the whole family can go,” she said.
Part of the draw to the series is allowing residents the chance to connect what they read about to something that can be portrayed, Staten said.
“It gives you a connection, maybe to the actual story or to the historical aspect you might not get from the book,” she said. “It kind of gives a context to what you read about in history as well.”
Russel will explore Boone’s life as an American pioneer.
And Boone’s story intrigues people of all ages, Russel said.
Boone served with George Washington in the French and Indian War, led Abraham Lincoln’s grandfather into Kentucky, cut the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap and served in politics with Thomas Jefferson.
His portrayal will focus on parts of Boone’s personal life, such as losing children, outwitting a Shawnee siege and rescuing his kidnapped daughter, he said.
“Daniel Boone represents the best of America: its lust for exploration and adventure, its dreamy idealism, its rugged and stubborn individualism, its unwavering sense of purpose, and its fervent patriotism,” Russel said.
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What: Portrayal of Daniel Boone through the Story Telling Series.
When: 1:30 to 3 p.m. Oct. 21
Where: Johnson County Museum of History, 135 N. Main St.
Cost: Free
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