Category: Programs

Facilitating NPS Workshop Examining How to Uncover the Untold Stories of the War of 1812

“Humanizing the War of 1812:  Telling the Untold Stories along the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail” is the theme of a National Park Service workshop taking place at Harford Community College on April 8th

Dr. Allen Taylor, a national author and university professor, will open the day long workshop with remarks about his recent research into the role of African-Americans during the War of 1812.  The morning session includes a living history performance, as participants engage in a discussion about using costumed interpretations to express the perspective of African-American women.  In the afternoon, break-out sessions include using research to uncover the untold stories of the war, making your interpretive program engaging and developing relevant programs for youth.

I will facilitate the panel on researching untold stories.  That break-out includes Dr. Taylor, a State Archives representative, and other practitioners.   The subject of telling what it was like for everyday people and underrepresented groups when the war came to the shores of the Chesapeake, is something  I have focused my research on for a few years so I am looking forward to that discussion.  I find that there is a growing interest in the stories of these groups and the narratives of everyday people, the accounts that did not usually make the newspaper or the history books.

The afternoon concludes with a session that concentrates on using the trail network to promote the untold stories at your site.  Click here for more details.  Joining the National Park Service in sponsoring this program are the Maryland Historical Trust and Harford Community College.

Talking About the Mason Dixon Line: The Stories Behind a Geographic Boundary at Docent’s Workshop

In this living history program, Chip Jewell shares stories of the early days of firefighting, as a representative of the Independent Hose Co.
In this living history program, Chip Jewell shares tales of the early days of firefighting as an officer of the Independent Hose Company.

I was pleased to talk about how to interpret the history of the Mason-Dixon Line at the Frederick Historic Sites Consortium’s Master Docent Series Workshop on February 16.

This was the 22nd year for the program, which is geared toward providing educational opportunities that help volunteers working in museums share the stories of their communities and collections.

With that purpose in mind, we discussed how to develop narratives supporting the famous boundary’s history and ways to share those accounts with general audiences.

The workshops included several other interesting and informative topics, which helped docents share the stories of the past in Frederick County.  Those included the Civil War, prohibition in Frederick County, working with teenage audiences, and the history of firefighting in the county.

Chip Jewell, the Frederick County Director of Emergency Communication with the Frederick County Fire & Rescue Museum.
Chip Jewell (right), the Frederick County Director of Emergency Communication, is with the Frederick County Fire & Rescue Museum. He did a living history program for his presentation, interpreting the stories of the county’s early firefighters. I enjoyed catching Chip’s great program.

Serving as Scholar for ALA, NEH Program – “Let’s Talk About It: Making Sense of the American Civil War”

Samuel Harris of Brick Meeting House on Maryland's Eastern Shore, a young soldier in the Union Army during the Civil War. He was in Co. E Purnell Legion.
Samuel Harris of Brick Meeting House on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, a young soldier in the Union Army during the Civil War. He was in Co. E Purnell Legion.

Let’s Talk About It:  Making Sense of the American Civil War is a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and American Library Association (ALA) reading and discussion program.  Participants in this series read a common series of books, using the carefully selected titles to spark exploration, reflection, conversation and greater understanding of this pivotal period, throughout the sesquicentennial of the conflict.

The Wicomico Public Library, one of about 150 sites to host the ALA and NEH program, is sponsoring the national reading and discussion program on the Lower Eastern Shore.  Throughout the five-part discussion series, readers consider the legacy of the Civil War and emancipation through historical and contemporary literature as they discuss pivotal events in the selected works.

I am looking forward to serving as the scholar for the discussions and readings.  We will consider speeches, diaries, memoirs, and short stories, representing a broad range of perspectives from the era.

The Crime and the Time, A History of the Criminal Justice System in Delaware Subject of Talk at Georgetown Historical Society

The Whipping Post at the New Castle Jail. Photo courtesy of the Delaware Public Archives.

The Georgetown Historical Society is hosting a Delaware Humanities Forum talk that I will do on Jan. 7th, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. at the Marvel Carriage Museum in Georgetown.

This lecture offers an intriguing look at the evolution of crime, punishment, and police work in Delaware from the colonial era to the mid-twentieth century. The fast-paced program examines old county jails, headline-grabbing criminal escapades of long ago, discontinued methods of punishment, and unheralded peace officers.

 The Georgetown group has a particular interest in Delaware’s whipping post, so we will spend some time examining that subject.  The goal of the program is to look at how crime and policing methods have changed by using  any little-known stories of this often unexplored aspect of history.

The museum is located at 510 South Bedford Street in Georgetown.