Northern Virginia Daily 14 July 2011 New Market park's new director sees facility's potential to educate people By Preston Knight NEW MARKET -- In Troy Marshall's imaginary world as a child, he set up his own collection of "rusty" Civil War artifacts and created "Troy's Museum," an attraction that didn't pull in enough visitors for him to make a living out of it. At the Virginia Museum of the Civil War, he has the chance to prove how far he's come. On Sunday, the site, formerly known as the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park, officially welcomed its new director. There wasn't much need for a meet-and-greet -- Marshall has been the property's supervisor of historical interpretation since 2002. And while the museum isn't his, and instead belongs to Virginia Military Institute, Marshall has the opportunity to make his own mark on it. For the short term, that impression is focused on learning everything Scott Harris, the former director, did and looking at ways to increase the way the battlefield is promoted. "I'm taking over a vessel that's rigged out pretty good," Marshall said. He arrived in New Market a month before Harris with experience working at the Pamplin Historical Park in Petersburg and the Sherwood Forest Plantation near Williamsburg. A Petersburg native, Marshall often collected artifacts from the battlefield there, and was all ears when his grandfather shared stories about history. On a third-grade field trip to the College of William and Mary, where he would one day graduate, Marshall recalls being drawn to the interpreters and how that seemed to be a "cool" job. When he later determined there was a glut of people getting jobs teaching history in the classroom, he found that educating through museums or parks could be equally satisfying. "The industry has really come a long way," said Marshall, who received a master's degree in museum studies from the University of Oklahoma. His intent was to become a director somewhere, but opportunities were limited, especially when his focus was on keeping his family in the Shenandoah Valley. When Marshall learned that Harris was leaving to direct the James Monroe Museum at the University of Mary Washington, he said he was proactive in applying for the New Market job. In an email, Denman Zirkle, the director of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, said Marshall brings knowledge of history and interpretation to the table, but also a "fine" legacy at the battlefield park. "I am delighted at Troy's appointment," he said. Col. Keith Gibson, executive director of VMI museum operations, says in a news release that Marshall's skills will be particularly useful as the Battle of New Market's 150th anniversary approaches in 2014. Marshall said that event is a "big" one. This time, he is not building something as a child with a wild imagination. "From VMI's point of view, I'd like to think that they saw me as a good local asset," Marshall said. "It's definitely a win-win for me. It's an exciting change for me." -------------------------- Copied and Submitted by Gloria Bushong