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Historical authenticity does not = sterile museum.
No, of course it doesn't. As usual, I banged something out so quickly that I didn't articulate my point as well as I should have.
Keep in mind that you're an enthusiast, and as such your perceptions are not going to match those who are less so. And, as we've all pretty much agreed, you've got to address a wider range of folks than just enthusiasts.
What I'm driving at is the difference between perception and reality. Additionally, I'm trying to address the oft-repeated assertion here that "you can't sell history". Yes, you can, but you do need to be a bit careful about how you do it. Like it or not, for those who are NOT hard core enthusiasts, the words "museum" and especially "history museum" bring to mind images of artifacts stuffed and mounted in glass cases, antiseptically spit-polished as they never were in real life. Try "living history", and you risk visions of staged re-creations, such as the Golden Spike stuff at Promontory Point. Disneyland by another name.
So, you approach things a bit more carefully. It's the same message, promoting the same thing, but crafted with a different emphasis.
Scott