The Emancipation Proclamation did not free all enslaved African Americans but it was a start in that direction. It would be another two years before the war ended and with it, the ratification of the 13th Amendment, which abolished the institution of slavery in the United States forever.

For centuries, cultures around the world have turned this gift from nature into water dippers, bowls, masks, baskets, jewelry, and musical instruments. The Museum offered workshops using gourds as a canvas for creative projects.