Museum intern wants to bring history to life

Camey Buck of Monteagle, an intern at the Fly Arts Center and Museum in Shelbyville, stands with one of her favorite displays. (T-G Photo by Tamara Belinc) [Order this photo]

For Camey Buck of Monteagle, getting lost on the Shelbyville square turned out to be a lucky venture.

Buck is a rising senior at Tusculum College in Greeneville and is a double major in history and museum studies. She was intrigued when she saw the sign for the Fly Arts Center and Museum.

"I was lost and saw the sign for it," she said. "I dropped in and asked Janice Cole, the director, if they had any internships available, and she said they didn't."

When Buck informed her it would all be on a volunteer basis and she wouldn't be paid for her work, Cole was more than glad to take her on as an intern.

"I just walked in on a whim, and it paid off," she said. "Now, I want people to come in to the museum and appreciate the county's history. It is important to preserve it."

The museum has two exhibit spaces she would like to get started and fill. One of them will be featuring the history of the Walking Horse Industry, and the other, she hopes, will display items pertaining to pencil factories.

"We have information about both of those, but nothing concise," she said. "I want to put it all in once place. I want people to come in and say they remember working in the pencil factories.

She also hopes to start an educational program for schools.

"With the economy the way it is, schools aren't taking many long distance field trips," she said. "The museum would be just a short way for them to go."

During her time with the museum, she has gone through items that have not been displayed.

"I really like what I'm finding," she said. "I found a farm report from 1897 where someone bought a cow and a half for $500. That is unheard of today. I really like seeing how things were done then."

When she graduates from college, she hopes to get a job in a museum, maybe even the one in Shelbyville.

"I would love to find a grant and come back here," she said. "Grad school would also be good."

She wants to leave museum officials with a plan of action to make changes to the museum, but she has many ideas she wants to implement before she leaves in September.

"I need volunteers to help me," she said. "I need someone who can nail two boards together and use a paint brush."

She is also wanting people who know anything about Bedford County to talk to visitors.

"I guess I'm looking for a jack of all trades," she said. "If they fit that description, they can just drop in and see me."