On This Day, Years Ago <h2>Widening the Lens of Local History</h2> One of the most powerful tools public historians use is a simple question: Do you remember . . .? Of course, we have to frame the question within the scope of contemporary history–that is, within our life time and near-field memory. Simply living through …
Rapid Response: Do Local History Now Just as the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic swept across the globe and infiltrated nearly every nation, state, county and local community, today the COVID-19 (corona virus) pandemic is upon us. These are uncertain times, and government officials, health professionals, and citizens are trying to understand and cope with …
Local History: The Musical When Hamilton hit the Broadway stage, not only did it become a celebrated musical, it also inspired a renewed interest in American history. The show is based on historian Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton, but creator Lin-Manuel Miranda brings history up to date with hip hop, R&B, pop, soul, …
The last time I checked, I owned the films that we’re in the process of colorizing. I can do whatever I want with them, and if they’re going to be shown on television, they’re going to be in color. ~ Ted Turner More than thirty years ago media mogul Ted Turner purchased the rights to …
Read more ““De-oldifying” History: Creative Interpretations of How Things Might Have Been”
Watermarking History (Laying Claim to the Public Domain) Some of the work public historians do is create interpretive displays around significant dates, events, or other historical subject matter. Take for example a local history museum’s commemoration of WWII, featuring hometown memorabilia, artifacts, newspaper clippings, and oral history interviews with veterans. To give the public …
Read more “Watermarking History: Laying Claim to the Public Domain”
Recognizing What Women Done Did WOMEN’S HISTORY MATTERS In 1904 the Rev. Joseph H. Bausman opens his centennial account of our county by saying, “Beaver County, Pennsylvania, has a wealth of historic interest beyond what many even of its own most intelligent citizens appreciate.” More than a century later Bausman’s estimation of our collective …
Stories of . . . History STORIES TEACH US Rudyard Kipling said, if history were told in the form of stories it would never be forgotten. We agree. Stories animate facts and provide chronological form: every story has a beginning, middle and end. Moreover, stories are logical and explanatory, they make sense. Even the …
Local Historians in Service My father has been a volunteer firefighter for 53 years. Since the 1960s living next door to the fire department I literally grew up in the shadow of gleaming red fire trucks, massive hoses, rubberized coats and boots, and the iconic brass eagle peaked helmets worn by the firefighters. In …
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