Category Archives: Uncategorized

Chapter 1 of Andrew Hurley’s book, Beyond Preservation: Using Public History to Revitalize Inner Cities, sets up his argument that historic preservation in cities is the most viable (albeit underutilized) form of urban renewal. Historic urban centers, done well, can create a booming local heritage tourism industry, bump up real estate values, rehabilitate slums, andContinue reading “Whose History?: Preservation vs. Gentrification”

Back in September, I attended the American Association for State and Local History’s first ever all-virtual conference. By and large, the ongoing pandemic and greater reckoning with our nation’s systemic racism dominated the topics of conversation. Museum and history professionals came together to discuss how to play a leading role in the important work thatContinue reading “Exploding the Traditional Museum Model: The Black Museum Movement”

This week’s “book,” Imperiled Promise: The State of History in the National Park Service (actually a report co-authored by Anne Whisnant, Marla Miller, Gary Nash, and David Thelen back in 2011), is a call to action for the National Parks Service, urging them to bring their historical and interpretative programs into alignment with emerging trendsContinue reading “Shaking Up History in the National Park Service”

In the spirit of complete candor, my first gut reactions to reading Heidi Aronson Kolk’s book Taking Possession: The Politics of Memory in a St. Louis Town House were anger and defensiveness. That’s because I am exactly the type of St. Louis booster that Kolk describes in her introduction.  I’m extraordinarily proud to be fromContinue reading “Taking Possession and Troubling Preconceptions”

Henry Ford, a man of immense means and influence, had the funds, resources, and connections to recast history and display his values and ideals. The end result was Greenfield Village – idealized Small Town, USA populated by inventors, innovators, and entrepreneurs who trumpet old-fashioned values – and its accompanying museum of technological development. The historyContinue reading “Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village”

The past does not rest in peace. It has a funny way of coming alive to haunt us, reanimated like the living dead by the contemporary issues that plague us. However, its safe distance from the present can lull us into a false sense of security and make us believe that complex issues are muchContinue reading “History Haunts”

In this crazy year, many institutions have struggled to grapple with the realities intersecting pandemics – COVID-19 and systemic racism. More than just figure out how to transition to working from home or launching Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion departments, museums and other cultural institutions have been challenged to meaningfully speak on these issues to theContinue reading “The Many Faces of Relevance”

I came into the museum profession because I’m passionate about sharing our collective history and I believe in the power of exhibitions to tell underrepresented stories and break down barriers. This path makes the best use of my skill set to, in some small way, to change the world. I may not be able toContinue reading ““Nothing About Us Without Us”: Decolonizing the Museum”

Seth C. Bruggeman’s play by play account of the evolution of the George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Westmoreland County, Virginia is more than just an institutional history. Here, George Washington Was Born: Memory, Material Culture, and the Public History of a National Monument serves primarily as a reflection on the challenges that stem fromContinue reading “Memory v. Authenticity at George Washington’s Birthplace”

Most stories about the origins of public history go something like this: the brutal job market of the 1970s forced newly minted academic historians to look outside the walls of the academe. They decided to adapt their skills, shifting away from an academic audience of their peers to engage the general public at large inContinue reading “The Public Origins of Public History”