Does historic preservation in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and across the United States succeed? The answer depends on how success is defined. If preservation is measured only by whether every historic building survives, then it will always fall short. For public historians and preservation advocates, however, success includes building public awareness, creating long-term protections, and laying the groundwork for future action.Read More
This Is Black Louisville is a semi-permanent exhibition that familiarizes visitors with objects in the collection highlighting the Black experience in Louisville, Kentucky, at the Filson Historical Society, a research library. Debuting on September 19, 2025, the exhibition features Black life through the lens of economic power, creativity, and resilience in the city. Read More
“What are the clues? Where does the evidence lead?” “It’s a mystery!” If you have worked in public history for long enough, chances are you have at some point described a historical episode or research question as a mystery. While it may be a useful strategy, public historians should thoughtfully consider the implications of a “mystery” framing before using it. Read More
The University of North Alabama’s (UNA) summer study abroad experience in Scotland demonstrates that regional universities can create meaningful international public history experiences for their students. Co-led by public historians from UNA and archaeologists from Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the program gives students a rare opportunity to work directly with international heritage institutions, applying classroom skills to research, interpretation, and community engagement.Read More
Editors’ Note: We publish the editor’s introduction to the May 2022 issue of The Public Historian here. The entire issue is available online to National Council on Public History members and to others with subscription access.
As Timothy Snyder, historian of Ukraine, reminds us, the myths, memories, and stories about a nation’s past shape its understanding of the present and the future. Read More
Editors’ note: We publish The Public Historian editor James F. Brooks’s introduction to the November 2020 issue of The Public Historian here. The entire issue is available online to National Council on Public History members and to others with subscription access.Read More
Editor’s note: We publish The Public Historian editor James F. Brooks’s introduction to the August 2020 issue of The Public Historian here. The entire issue is available online to National Council on Public History members and to others with subscription access.Read More
Editor’s note: We publish The Public Historian editor James F. Brooks’s introduction to the May 2020 issue of The Public Historian here. The entire issue is available online free through June 2020, courtesy of the University of California Press, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Read More
It’s been five years since Hamilton: An American Musical debuted at the Public Theatre in New York, a notable moment for numerous reasons, not least of which was the ensuing (and ongoing) clamor among Americans for tickets to see a musical about history. Read More
Editor’s note: We publish The Public Historian editor James F. Brooks’s introduction to the November 2019 issue of The Public Historian here. The entire issue is available online to National Council on Public History members and to others with subscription access.Read More
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