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Crossroads logo

A Smithsonian Exhibit at the Great Falls Discovery Center in Turners Falls, Ma
February 5th – March 18th

About the exhibit

In 1900, about 40% of Americans lived in rural areas, By 2010, less than 18% of the U.S. population lived in rural areas. In just over a century, massive economic and social changes led to massive growth of America’s urban areas. Yet, less than 10% of the U.S. landmass is considered urban. Read more…

Events

Feb 8
Featured Featured February 5 – March 18

Smithsonian Exhibit – Crossroads: Change in Rural America

Feb 8
Featured Featured February 5 – March 18

Crossroads Exhibit: Changing Storefronts in Turners Falls

Feb 8
Featured Featured February 5 – March 18

Crossroads Exhibit: Montague At Work and Play

Feb 8
Featured Featured February 5 – March 18

Crossroads: Whose Viewpoint? Exhibition of Historic Franklin County Images

Feb 10
Featured Featured 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EST

Nice & Easy Walk: Crossroads Edition

View Calendar

See all Crossroads Events

Updates

  • Crossroads KickoffFebruary 6, 2023
    Saturday, February 11 – 6 p.m. refreshments, 7 p.m. program. Join us at the Shea Theater Arts Center in Turners Falls to jump start your Crossroads experience with storytelling, a short local film, and live music. Hear an introduction to the Crossroads exhibit and related programming with Leo Hwang, UMASS Amherst Assistant Academic Dean. Enjoy […]
  • Crossroads Exhibit Ribbon Cutting!February 3, 2023
    Sunday, February 5th 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Come be the first to see the Smithsonian Exhibit, Crossroads: Change in Rural America, in Turners Falls! Get the scoop on how rural America has changed since 1900. The Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center board members, expert hosts of the monthly Great Falls Coffeehouse series, […]
  • Crossroads at the ChamberFebruary 3, 2023
    If you missed the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce Breakfast, featuring a panel discussion about themes from the upcoming Crossroads: Change in Rural America, you can check out this video from GCTV. https://gctv.org/video/chamber-of-commerce-breakfast-january-27-2023-crossroads-change-in-rural-america/
  • Crossroads Artist Reception: Joe ParzychJanuary 22, 2023
    January 28 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm, FREE. Meet Joe Parzych and enjoy light refreshments, including pizza. Joe’s exhibit, Photo Beat, Past and Present— Moving Forward in Time, Capturing of the Moment, captures changes in local rural life, helping us celebrate the upcoming Smithsonian Exhibit too – Crossroads: Change in Rural America. Crossroads: Change in Rural America has […]
  • The Smithsonian is coming to Turners Falls!October 17, 2022
    The Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center are proud to announce the upcoming exhibit “Crossroads: Change in Rural America” arrives in February 2023. You won’t want to miss it! Turners Falls, MA (January 19, 2022) – Through a partnership with the world’s largest museum complex, the Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center is […]

Change in Rural America

Many Americans assume that rural communities are endangered and hanging on by a thread—suffering from outmigration, ailing schools, and overused land. But that perception is far from true in many areas. Many rural Americans work hard to sustain their communities. Why should revitalizing the rural places left behind matter to those who remain, those who left, and those who will come in the future? All Americans benefit from rural America’s successes. We can learn great things from listening to those stories. There is much more to the story of rural America!

Crossroads: Change in Rural America offers small towns a chance to look at their own paths to highlight the changes that affected their fortunes over the past century. The exhibition will prompt discussions about what happened when America’s rural population became a minority of the country’s population and the ripple effects that occurred.

Despite the massive economic and demographic impacts brought on by these changes, America’s small towns continue to creatively focus on new opportunities for growth and development. Economic innovation and a focus on the cultural facets that make small towns unique, comfortable, and desirable have helped many communities create their own renaissance. The future is bright for much of rural America as small towns embrace the notion that their citizens and their cultural uniqueness are important assets.

Sponsors

The exhibition covers many themes, including:

Identity

Rural identity—so deeply rooted in the land—has profoundly shaped American identity. Family farms, country roads, and small-town Main Streets are both real and imagined places; they are crossroads of competing visions of rural life. What is your perception of rural America?

Land

Rural America’s prime attraction has always been land—locations to build homes, farms, businesses, communities, and to build a sense of worth. Americans link the reality of land ownership with the ideal of independence. Private land symbolizes political influence and contribution to the local economy. A sense of place exerts a powerful, almost spiritual, hold on many rural people. Even if they leave, it draws them back, sometimes to stay.  It has inspired many to work and advocate for preservation of natural lands so that others can experience their wonders.

Community

A sense of community first began to form at rural crossroads where lives intersected and common interests merged. Rural people exchanged ideas, worked toward common goals, and built toward a common future. They built powerful, dynamic communities. But events of the 20th century changed the conditions so favorable for crossroads communities: some failed, some diminished, some found new ways to thrive.

Persistence

Rural Americans believe in their communities. They work to find solutions to problems rather than abandoning the places where they live. But every community is different. And, challenges are unique in each community. To meet them, rural people have organized locally and partnered with special interest groups and state and federal agencies dedicated to rural issues. They develop strategies that fit their communities. The attractions of a country life are strong, inspiring the people to persist. 

Managing Change

What happens in rural America matters to all of America.

Rural America is still the primary source for our nation’s food, fuel, fiber, and many critical natural resources. It is home to some of our most treasured landscapes, to thousands of species of wildlife, and ecosystems upon which all life depends. It is important for the people who live in and care for these places to survive and thrive. 

All Americans who have a stake in the success of rural America will play an important role in shaping its future. Change, good or bad, is inevitable. Managing that change is crucial.

Crossroads: Change in Rural America has been made possible in Turners Falls, MA at the Great Falls Discovery Center by Mass Humanities. The exhibition is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and State Humanities Councils nationwide. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress.

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The Discovery Center

2 Avenue A,
Turners Falls, MA 01376
413-863-3221

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Current Seasonal Hours

Tuesday
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesday – Sunday
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Closed Mondays
but open Monday holidays including 2/20/23, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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The Great Falls Discovery Center is operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation with financial, volunteer, and program support from the Friends of the Great Falls Discovery Center.

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