Abstract:
This cultural study research aimed at establishing guidelines for establishing
historic house museums through conducting a case study of Prince Prachaksilpakoms
Sa-Ke palace. This study was qualitative research which applies the oral history
method as the conceptual framework to gather and to analyze the data. Information
from documentary and archival material in the form of documents, academic articles,
photographs and illustrations, was also used.
Sa-Ke palace is an important historical place that once belonged to Prince
Prachaksilpakom. It was constructed in the reign of King Rama III. The palace
consists of four main buildings. Tamnak Yai, which was the main residence of the
prince, is made of teak. The architectural style is a combination of Thai, Chinese and
Western styles. It has two stories and it has a hipped roof.
The research found that Sa-Ke palace possesses both historical and
architectural values. These values make it desirable that the palace becomes a historic
house museum. There are four possible ways of managing Sa-Ke palace as a historic
house museum in the future: (1) preserving all of the buildings; (2) putting a sign
identifying where one of the buildings may have been; (3) constructing new buildings
which are copies or variations of the old buildings; (4) destroying the old buildings but
establishing a museum in some other places which commemorates the Sa-Ke palace.
I argue that the establishment of a historic house museum, which preserves
the Sa-Ke palace, would create a place of historical interest and knowledge that would
help audiences acknowledge and understand its history. Furthermore, this would help
the country to preserve its cultural heritage.