Abstract

This thesis examines the important role of volunteers during the genesis and life of the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum, a small community museum. The analysis looks at the history, the administration, and the outreach programming of the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum and compares the results to four other successful living history museums in North America. In addition, it examines the role of loyalty in volunteers and staff in ensuring the commitment of the community towards these five museums. Through this comparison, we see that the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum's strong ties to the community have been of critical importance in providing a basis for its success as a thriving living history museum.