PLYMOUTH NOTCH, Vt. -
It's an exhibit 15 years in the making.
"The research has been going on for many, many years before that," historic site administrator William Jenney said. "In fact, we did a lot of our seasonal displays in the last 15 years or so with this permanent exhibit in mind."
And it's the first non-seasonal Calvin Coolidge display to hit the homestead in nearly 40 years.
"And so we thought this was very much needed to bring things up to the 21st century," Jenney said.
It's not just artifacts in a display case, but a modern, interactive exhibit of the life and accomplishments of the president who once called Plymouth, Vt., home.
"This is state of the art," Jenney said. "And we have a lot of computer interactives."
There are things for you to touch, to listen to, and even better, you can talk to the president. And Coolidge, in his old New England drawl, will talk back!
"Well, I think this really brings him to life," Jenney said. "To be able to see him moving around and with Jim Cook, the actor's inflections, he has it down perfectly."
The exhibit, which is just under a month old, drew a large crowd Wednesday, which also happens to be the president's birthday.
"It's very informative," said Tom Morrison, a visitor from New Jersey. "Yeah. There's a lot of interactive communications I like."
"I think it's really fun because you get to learn more and more about him," visitor Angie McWhirter said.
It was almost completely funded by the state of Vermont, and Jenney hopes it will be an exhibit that grabs the attention of visitors young and old.
The exhibit and all buildings at Plymouth Notch are open daily until 5 p.m. through Oct. 14.
