Audience

One of the primary audiences for the historical marker is the people living in Gum Springs and the county as a whole who are interested in learning about the local history. This is one of the primary audiences that are shared between all historical markers. Placing a marker on the side of the road, along a footpath, or anywhere else in public is done for the purpose of making the information of it and the history it tells of accessible to the public to learn and to remember the events that took place in seemingly ordinary places. A secondary audience related to this would be people who aren’t from the area who happen to read the marker.

Another secondary audience would be historians who focus on George Washington or the Washingtons as a whole. West Ford was formerly owned by the brother of George Washington, with a rumor that he was actually Washington’s illegitimate son. Whether that is true or not is another topic, but either way it is a significant topic of interest for them. They aren’t directly focused on learning about West Ford, or about the founding of Gum Springs, but it is still something many people doing research on the Washingtons look into and vice versa.

Historians are a primary audience. Anyone who wants to research the history of West Ford whether it be academic, professional, or just because it is interesting are all primary audiences. A historical marker is a great source of research. Even if you can’t learn everything you need with it, it is still a good starting point that can point you in the right direction. Some historical markers do not go into very many details, possibly because they don’t have enough room, but they still can tell you a lot, and get you started.