Touring with Empire Logistics Group

31 July 2018 – Cathy Gudis

Editor’s note: This post continues a series featuring contributions from members of the NCPH Board of Directors.

Lately I’ve been performing my public history. Several times this spring I’ve donned a business suit and silk blouse, straightened my blonde(ish) hair, and adopted the cheerful demeanor of a corporate publicist. Read More

Editors’ conversation on interpreting immigration, Part 1

19 July 2018 – Adina Langer 3

Editors’ Note: Four years ago, outgoing NCPH president Bob Weyeneth called on public historians to “pull back the curtain” on their process. Turning topics of contemporary relevance into public history involves numerous collegial conversations which usually remain behind the scenes. The History@Work editors thought our readers might be interested in the following conversation prompted by Adina Langer’s development of a new exhibition at the Museum of History and Holocaust Education at Kennesaw State University. Read More

A new way to be with one another

26 June 2018 – Kimber Heinz

Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of pieces by recipients of NCPH’s 2018 best in public history awards.

From this year’s annual conference, one thing seems clear: as public historians, we want our work to make a difference. Read More

Campus history as public history: Interpreting slavery through historical walking tours

20 June 2018 – Kristin O’Brassill-Kulfan

Can campus history be public history? NCPH members and others, both inside and outside of the academy, have been grappling with this question for years, considering the often-fraught town/gown and faculty/administration relationships many of our colleagues face. The ways that we answer this question have changed significantly over the last decade, however, as dozens of colleges and universities have endeavored to reckon with the reality of their histories, many in response to institutional connections to slavery. Read More

Scratch the surface and women’s history is everywhere in Las Vegas

14 May 2018 – Joanne Goodwin

Editor’s note: This is the final post in a series of pieces focused on Las Vegas and its regional identity which were posted before and during the NCPH Annual Meeting in Las Vegas in April. 

The casino and entertainment industries in Las Vegas have used women’s bodies to sell the city since the 1950s. Read More

Family history around the world

04 May 2018 – Jerome de Groot and Tanya Evans

Editor’s Note: This post concludes a two-part series exploring international family history that began last year. 

In October 2017, we held the International Family History Workshop in Manchester, UK. This event was a way to explore the rich margins inhabited by scholars and practitioners of the burgeoning phenomenon of family history. Read More

Our Marathon, five years later: Reflections on the work of digital public humanities

30 April 2018 – Jim McGrath

Five years ago I was watching the Boston Marathon in Coolidge Corner with my brother Brian. He had recently moved to the city and had never experienced a Marathon Monday, so the lively spectators and runners in Brookline—combined with the perfect spring weather—seemed like a fine introduction to this Boston tradition. Read More

How a Pennsylvania gal fell in love with Nevada

30 March 2018 – Deirdre Clemente

Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of pieces  focused on Las Vegas and its regional identity which will be posted before and during the NCPH Annual Meeting in Las Vegas in April.

I grew up scouring the grasses around the Juniata River for arrowheads and I hunted down second-hand fur coats in every rusty, steel town in western Pennsylvania. Read More

Preserving the history of the mob in Las Vegas

26 March 2018 – Michael Green

Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of pieces  focused on Las Vegas and its regional identity which will be posted before and during the NCPH Annual Meeting in Las Vegas in April.

If NCPH members want proof that the mob no longer has power in the city hosting their conference this year, try to find a 99-cent rib special. Read More

Q: “Sir, would you like a history of this monument?” A: “F**k You!”

21 March 2018 – HIstorians for a Better Future 6

Members of Historians for a Better Future planned to encounter many personalities along the sidewalk when we set up in front of the Women of the Confederacy monument at the State Capitol building in Raleigh, North Carolina, on September 8, 2017. Read More