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World War II Heritage City Criterion Essays

  • American Revolution 250 Commemoration
  • Antietam African American Historic Resource Study
  • Chaco Culture National Historical Park Administrative History
  • Civil War Defenses of Washington Administrative History
  • Coltsville Historic Resource Study
  • Disability History Handbook
  • Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine Special History Study
  • Historic Resource Study for the Eastern Front Unit, Petersburg National Battlefield
  • Jimmy Carter National Historical Park Administrative History
  • Lincoln Home Scholars’ Roundtable & Working Group
  • Longfellow House Special History Study – Black History
  • Longfellow House Special History Study – Preservation
  • National Heritage Area Legislative History
  • Paterson Great Falls Historic Resource Study Addendum
  • Pecos National Historical Park Administrative History
  • Petroglyph National Monument Park Administrative History
  • Southwestern National Monuments Administrative History
  • Survey of African American History in Intermountain Parks
  • Tribal Engagement Support CHCU and PETR Administrative Histories
  • Valles Caldera National Preserve Historic Resource Study
  • Women in the American Revolution Study
  • World War II and the American Home Front Volume 2
  • World War II Heritage City Criterion Essays
  • World War II Home Front Education Materials
  • World War II Home Front National Historic Landmark Nominations
  • World War II Home Front Park Unit Working Groups

Statement of Work

The goal of this project is to research the congressionally established criteria for the American World War II Heritage City program. Participants will author essays expanding on these criteria and provide historic context to assist the National Park Service in reviewing program applications from various jurisdictions. The purpose of the overall program is to provide increased recognition for communities that substantially contributed to the World War II home front and that have recognized that contribution through monuments, historic preservation, and other activities.

Project Participants

Essay Authors:
Erica Fugger
Laura Oviedo
Kurt Piehler
Jon Taylor

Editor:
Selena Moon

Final Products & Resources

Essay Series

National Park Service and National Council on Public History, "American World War II Home Front Heritage City Criteria Essays," by Erica Fugger, Laura Oviedo, Kurt Piehler, and Jon Taylor. Edited by Selena Moon, 2023.

Webinar Series

NCPH and NPS hosted a series of webinars in September 2023 and November 2023 exploring the American WWII Heritage City selection criteria for purposes of applications and evaluation by Park Service staff. View the playlist of webinars here.

WWII Home Front Heritage City Webinar Series - Criteria 1
Led by Jon Taylor, covering Criteria 1 - defense manufacturing.

WWII Home Front Heritage City Webinar Series - Criteria 2
Led by Kurt Piehler, covering Criteria 2 - production of foodstuffs and consumer items.

WWII Home Front Heritage City Webinar Series - Criteria 3
Led by Laura Oviedo, covering Criteria 3: War Bond Drives.

WWII Home Front Heritage City Webinar Series - Criteria 4
Led by Laura Oviedo, covering Criteria 4: Adaptations to Wartime Survival.

WWII Home Front Heritage City Webinar Series - Criteria 5
Led by Laura Oviedo, covering Criteria 5: Volunteer Participation.

WWII Home Front Heritage City Webinar Series - Criteria 6
Led by Kurt Piehler, covering Criteria 6 - civil defense preparedness.

WWII Home Front Heritage City Webinar Series - Criteria 7
Led by Jon Taylor, covering Criteria 7 - personnel serving in the armed forces.

WWII Home Front Heritage City Webinar Series - Criteria 8
Led by Jon Taylor, covering Criteria 8 - Armed Forces bases, camps, airfields, etc.

WWII Home Front Heritage City Webinar Series - Criteria 9
Led by Erica Fugger, covering Criteria 9 - commemoration of the war effort.

WWII Home Front Heritage City Webinar Series - Criteria 10
Laura Oviedo, covering Criteria 10: Diversification of the American WWII Home Front Workforce.

Requests for Letters of Interest

Via our cooperative agreement with the National Park Service, the National Council on Public History seeks subject matter experts in the history of the World War II home front or mid-twentieth century American history to research the Congressionally-established criteria for the American World War II Heritage City program and develop historic context for these criteria that can be used to aid the National Park Service in the evaluation of Heritage City nominations. We seek authors to write essays for each of the eight criteria; a ninth essay on trends in memorialization and historic preservation of the home front; and a tenth and final essay to be mutually decided upon between the author, NPS, and NCPH. Each of the ten essays will be about 2,500 words in length and will be compensated at the rate of $2,500 per essay. Potential authors or teams are welcome to submit letters of interest for the full run of essays or as few as one. Please read the full narrative for a description of the project’s scope of work and timeline, as well as a brief exploration of Congress’s criteria and instructions for submitting your letter of interest.

Compensation:  $2,500 per essay for each of ten essays; authors will be paid per-essay upon completion of the essay and should specify in their letter of interest how many essays they want to take on
Deadline for Letter of Interest to NCPH: August 15, 2021
Expected Date to Award Project:  September 15, 2021
Projected Start Date:  October 1, 2021
Timeline for Completion:  October 1, 2022

With Support From
NCPH Patrons & Partners
  • Indiana University Indianapolis
  • Arizona State University
  • American Association for State and Local History
  • American University
  • Central Connecticut State University
  • Historical Research Associates, Inc.
  • University of Central Florida
  • University of Maryland Baltimore County
  • Reid Public History Institute & University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Dept. of History
  • University of West Georgia, Department of History
  • University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Chicago History Museum
  • Florida State University, Department of History
  • Kentucky Historical Society
  • Missouri Historical Society
  • Oklahoma State University, Department of History
  • St. John's University, Department of History
  • The CHAPS Program at The University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley
  • IEEE History Center at Stevens Institute of Technology
  • Loyola University
  • Middle Tennessee State University
  • Corporation for Digital Scholarship
  • Corporation for Digital Scholarship
  • Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
  • University of Northern Alabama
  • Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation
  • Meijer Heritage Center
  • University of Northern Iowa
  • Ball State University
  • National Park Service
  • University of Houston
  • New York University
  • New York University
  • Voces Oral History Center
  • Boise State University
  • University of Nebraska at Kearney
  • University of Arkansas at Little Rock
  • Stephen F. Austin State University
  • Washington State University
  • Historic New Orleans Collection
  • Historic New Orleans Collection
  • Thomas Jefferson's Monticello
  • New Mexico State University
  • University of Illinois Springfield
  • The Library of Virginia
  • The Library of Virginia

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Headquartered on the campus of Indiana University Indianapolis, NCPH benefits from the generous support of the IU School of Liberal Arts.

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Cavanaugh Hall 127, 425 University Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46202-5140
(317) 274-2716
[email protected]