Billings Farm & Museum endorses the relevance of history

WOODSTOCK—Billings Farm & Museum has joined more than 100 history organizations around the country in endorsing the History Relevance Value Statement and declaring the importance of teaching and learning history.
To celebrate, Billings Farm is urging history fans to post a selfie enjoying their favorite historical spot and use the hashtag #HistoryRelevance.
The value statement comprises seven distinct tenets that delineate critical ways that the study of history is essential to individuals, communities, and our shared future. The complete value statement may be found at historyrelevance.com/value-statement.
“We preserve our past and inspire our future through history. Billings Farm & Museum is pleased to endorse the History Relevance Value Statement, which outlines the many ways that the study of history is essential,” said Darlyne Franzen, senior vice president. “History — saved and preserved — is the foundation for subsequent generations. It is crucial in perpetuating democracy by explaining our shared past. Through the preservation of authentic meaningful places, documents, artifacts, images, and stories, we leave a foundation upon which future Americans can build. Without the guidance of our past, future citizens will have no grounding in what it means to be an American.”
History Relevance comprises over 150 organizations around the world, from the Smithsonian Institution and National Archives to historical societies and archivists; associations and nonprofits; and museums, trusts, estates, and local institutions. The value statement is endorsed by organizations that promote and encourage a sense of awareness, identity, and interconnectivity in a multicultural world through history-driven courses of study.
“We are thrilled with Billings Farm’s endorsement in our values statement,” said Tim Grove, History Relevance spokesperson.
“History — knowledge as well as the processes of research and reflection — is critically important to our society, culture, and the individual citizens who live it each and every day,” Grove added.