As a person who does some work in Auburn's tourism industry as a guide, I will make a small disclaimer that I am writing this letter as a personal commentary. In this context, I am not a spokesperson for any organization.

It is not easy for a lot of people to walk into or onto historical sites anywhere in this country without feeling a little uneasy. I am a historian with credentials who “belongs” in historical places, but I will be the first to admit that I do not get a “welcome” feeling when I walk onto most historical sites. Many of us have been born and raised in a culture that expects us to tread lightly around institutions where the “gaze reverently, but don't touch” rule applies. Besides that, we have beautiful mansions in Auburn and ordinary people might be saying to themselves, “Hey, what do I have in common with those rich people, anyway?”

Well, the gentleman of the 19th century may get most of the credit in many history books, but he never existed in an isolated sense. He was part of a household and was largely defined by power relationships existing within that household (my thesis, in a nutshell). That household encompassed many lower-ranking people besides wives and children: maids, cooks, coach drivers, butlers, gardeners, nannies, and the list goes on.

As I see it, history belongs to all of us, not just to the rich and famous. If you were born and raised in Auburn, you may be related to some of the hard-working employees who made those great households tick - or maybe those from small households. Whatever the case may be, take pride in your past and put some friendly pressure on your local historical agencies to recognize Auburn's lesser-known ancestors, too.

Lisa Backus

Auburn