I presented my senior honors thesis to a group of elderly people at the Mennonite Home during work yesterday. Sort of. I cut it down to about ten minutes and watered down the content so much that I cringed a little bit inside. But it was fun! They all sat in the dining room and drank mint tea and ate brownies. I played a few songs on the piano, and then presented about how hard it was for colonial patriots to stop drinking tea, even though many of them believed boycotting was the only way to preserve their freedom. They loved the story about Miss Hornbloom, who knocks her husband over the head with a broomstick and yells, "Go dirty Clod-pole, get me some Shushong*!" They also loved the story about John Adams trying to ask a lady for some tea, "provided it has paid no duties or has been honestly smuggled." When she replied no, that they had renounced tea, he wrote to his wife and stated, "I must be weaned, and the sooner the better."
So even though many of them slept or were in another world, about a third of them were truly interested. In fact, they answered my questions excitedly and often interjected with small tidbits about what they remembered from their history classes. Even though my project was simplified and slightly modified, I still tried to get them to think historically. I began with "let's travel back in time and imagine that we're American colonists in 1760." I tried to get them to understand that colonists looked very much like the British, and that it was a struggle to give up something that was such a deep-seated every day tradition. I also told them that they would make good patriots because they were drinking mint tea rather than black tea!
It was a great time and I think some of them really enjoyed it. My supervisor was interested and asked me to leave my notes on her desk so she could read them for fun. I also think it would be fun to present a fuller version of the paper to a more alert group of elderly people. Anyway, I can't say I haven't gotten a lot of mileage out of this honors thesis!
*a type of Chinese tea
Monday, November 19, 2012
Clocks, Children's Exhibits, and Committee Meetings Oh My!
It's been over a week since I wrote anything. Sorry everyone! I still want to tell all about last week at the historical society. Let's start with Tuesday.
On Tuesday, Barry gave me a mini research project for an outdoor sign that will be at the newly re-designed campus. There will be several of these stone signs outside describing many different events and places. He gave me the task of writing a small blurb about Clockmaking and Watchmaking in Lancaster County. WOW, that was hard! It's very difficult to keep anything to less than 200 words. Not only that, but I was having difficulty wading through the mounds of technical information about clock and watch-making. I'll just be honest. I don't understand how case clocks work. Or even battery-operated clocks. I just don't. All I can tell you is that the Hoff family made a lot of tall case clocks (the clocks, not the cases) and that everyone in the family was named some variation of John. I also waded through a lot of information about the Hamilton Watch Company. Before they ever became Hamilton Watch, they passed through so many hands and bankruptcies that I was quickly becoming confused. And I know that they invented the first LED digital watch, but it was apparently not a huge success. The watch required so much power that batteries died altogether way too fast. Today we have the LCD watch which requires much less battery power. Anyway, I'm not so sure that I produced anything very useful, but overall I learned that Lancaster County was once pretty successful when it came to clock and watch-making.
On Thursday, I was given another difficult task: brainstorming ideas for a children's exhibit. The new gallery will have a small carpeted space to pique children's interests. I gladly accepted the task thinking it would be a lot of fun. Little did I know just how hard it would be! I have a new appreciation for museum education directors and exhibit designers. Sometime soon I will be meeting with the Director of Education to discuss ideas and hopefully put something creative together. I also witnessed something very interesting Thursday afternoon. A committee meeting took place to discuss plans for the new gallery and Barry invited myself and another intern to observe. I even bravely offered a suggestion (yikes!). I saw sparks flying and ideas discussed and shot down (especially regarding the children's exhibit). I witnessed discussion about technology and a program called Joomla! that went straight over my head. It was intense. Yet I just kept thinking, "This is what I want to do!!" Hopefully someday...
So there you have it! The most difficult week yet, I think. I'm grateful that I can try out all of these different projects, even though I don't always know what I'm doing. Barry is very patient and I'm so glad he takes the time to allow me to try things out.
On Tuesday, Barry gave me a mini research project for an outdoor sign that will be at the newly re-designed campus. There will be several of these stone signs outside describing many different events and places. He gave me the task of writing a small blurb about Clockmaking and Watchmaking in Lancaster County. WOW, that was hard! It's very difficult to keep anything to less than 200 words. Not only that, but I was having difficulty wading through the mounds of technical information about clock and watch-making. I'll just be honest. I don't understand how case clocks work. Or even battery-operated clocks. I just don't. All I can tell you is that the Hoff family made a lot of tall case clocks (the clocks, not the cases) and that everyone in the family was named some variation of John. I also waded through a lot of information about the Hamilton Watch Company. Before they ever became Hamilton Watch, they passed through so many hands and bankruptcies that I was quickly becoming confused. And I know that they invented the first LED digital watch, but it was apparently not a huge success. The watch required so much power that batteries died altogether way too fast. Today we have the LCD watch which requires much less battery power. Anyway, I'm not so sure that I produced anything very useful, but overall I learned that Lancaster County was once pretty successful when it came to clock and watch-making.
On Thursday, I was given another difficult task: brainstorming ideas for a children's exhibit. The new gallery will have a small carpeted space to pique children's interests. I gladly accepted the task thinking it would be a lot of fun. Little did I know just how hard it would be! I have a new appreciation for museum education directors and exhibit designers. Sometime soon I will be meeting with the Director of Education to discuss ideas and hopefully put something creative together. I also witnessed something very interesting Thursday afternoon. A committee meeting took place to discuss plans for the new gallery and Barry invited myself and another intern to observe. I even bravely offered a suggestion (yikes!). I saw sparks flying and ideas discussed and shot down (especially regarding the children's exhibit). I witnessed discussion about technology and a program called Joomla! that went straight over my head. It was intense. Yet I just kept thinking, "This is what I want to do!!" Hopefully someday...
So there you have it! The most difficult week yet, I think. I'm grateful that I can try out all of these different projects, even though I don't always know what I'm doing. Barry is very patient and I'm so glad he takes the time to allow me to try things out.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Lancaster: From Central Market to Civil Rights
I don't have much of anything new to say about this week at the historical society. I continued working on the same "County, Commonwealth, Country" project as last Thursday, which I explained in this post. While the work I completed was mostly the same, I did learn some fascinating tidbits about Lancaster. First, I learned all about history of Central Market off of Lancaster City's Penn Square. The market been in the plans ever since Andrew and James Hamilton designed Lancaster City in 1730. Wow! The current iconic market house was only built in 1889, but Lancastrians have been going to market ever since the very beginning. Today, shoppers can purchase locally-grown produce and meats, as well as enjoy pastries, coffees, and sandwiches. I personally have my eye on the wide array of choices listed under ethnic food. Since LancasterHistory.org is currently located on Penn Square (although we're soon preparing to move back!), Central Market is just a few strides across the street. I regret immensely that I haven't taken advantage of this opportunity on my Tuesday internship days. Now it's almost too cold to brave going outside across the street during my lunch break!
I also learned quite a bit about the Fulton Opera House and it's history. It was built in 1852 on the very foundation of the jail that held the Conestoga Indians in an attempt to protect them from the Paxton Boys rebellion. Unfortunately and very sadly, the Paxton Boys still managed to massacre the remaining Conestogas. Since construction in 1852, the Fulton has gone through many changes. It became the theater we know today in 1963 with the formation of the Fulton Opera House Foundation and renovations. In 1969 it became a National Historic Landmark and is also home to the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra. While looking over the website, I couldn't help but notice that the next show on schedule is Singin' in the Rain. Since that is one of my favorite musicals, I was immediately desperate to think of ideas for purchasing tickets. I don't know if I'll get to go (the Fulton can be a little bit expensive), but I sure wish I could!
I also learned a little about the origins of the famous Watt and Shand department store that was located on Penn Square in the city. It opened in 1879 through Peter Watt, Gilbert Thompson, and James Shand. It was first called The New York Store. Any native Lancastrian who is older than I am could probably tell you a story or two that includes Watt and Shand. Although not a native, my own mother purchased her wedding dress there. Unfortunately it closed in 1995. I had never been inside. Today it is the Lancaster County Convention Center and Marriott Hotel with the original facade, but with many more stories added on so that it surpasses the Griest building, once the tallest in Lancaster City.
Finally, I found two more really intriguing stories. The first takes place during Prohibition in 1930. Riekers Brewery, located on West King Street, had to turn to stealthy tactics to keep their business alive. They pumped their beer through hoses that ran through the sewer system. These hoses then came out in a warehouse on Water Street and were emptied into kegs. This process worked until the hoses were discovered by a city worker in 1932. I was completely amazed! For some reason, I never made the connection that the broad topic of Prohibition that all students learn about in their American history classes actually applied to my own romping grounds. So of course this certainly brought a good connection for the "County, Commonwealth, Country" theme.
I was also amazed by the second story (which probably just shows how naive I am). During my middle and high school years, I remember asking my parents and grandparents to tell me what they remember about the Civil Rights movement here in Lancaster or in New York where my mom grew up. They never really had much to tell me. However, this week I learned that there was a Civil Rights incident concerning Rocky Springs pool right here in Lancaster County. Apparently Rocky Springs and two other pools in the county were sued for discrimination. The park still did not allow African Americans to beat the heat in the pool, so a Civil Rights protest ensued in 1963. Eventually the park closed in 1966. I have seen in some places that the protest resulted in the opening of the public pool in Lancaster County Central Park. Yet another example to link the small town world to the big USA themes.
Oh, the things I didn't know about good old Lancaster! It was certainly an adventure that I enjoyed immensely this week. I can't wait to find out what is in store for next week!
 |
| Taken from www.centralmarketlancaster.com |
 | |
| Taken from www.thefulton.org; This is a view circa 1900 |
 |
| Taken from www.cityoflancasterpa.com |
I was also amazed by the second story (which probably just shows how naive I am). During my middle and high school years, I remember asking my parents and grandparents to tell me what they remember about the Civil Rights movement here in Lancaster or in New York where my mom grew up. They never really had much to tell me. However, this week I learned that there was a Civil Rights incident concerning Rocky Springs pool right here in Lancaster County. Apparently Rocky Springs and two other pools in the county were sued for discrimination. The park still did not allow African Americans to beat the heat in the pool, so a Civil Rights protest ensued in 1963. Eventually the park closed in 1966. I have seen in some places that the protest resulted in the opening of the public pool in Lancaster County Central Park. Yet another example to link the small town world to the big USA themes.
Oh, the things I didn't know about good old Lancaster! It was certainly an adventure that I enjoyed immensely this week. I can't wait to find out what is in store for next week!
Saturday, November 3, 2012
The Fifteenth President's Home
To conclude my fantastic week filled with history, I'll write about my rather spontaneous trip to Wheatland.
Friday afternoon, I asked my grandparents to take a tour of President Buchanan's Lancaster home with me. Soon Yuletide tours will begin at Wheatland, so I wanted to learn about Buchanan himself before the normal tour season ended. The Lancaster County Historical Society is located next door to Wheatland, creating the "Lancaster Campus of History" called LancasterHistory.org. As I've mentioned before, the historical society is currently under construction in order to add a lot more space and climate-control. It's looking really good from the outside and we are expecting to begin moving back in just a few weeks!
Before taking the tour, we entered the small visitor center where the folks at LancasterHistory.org have created an excellent and very interesting exhibit on the life of Buchanan. It prepared us well for understanding him before walking through his home. I appreciated the use of very engaging, short, simple stories and objects in order to bring the stories to life. One section even dealt with his failed relationship with the woman he loved! Normally when I go to a museum, I don't read everything that is written on the plaques, but I certainly came close this time! We also watched a 10 minute video that highlighted James Buchanan and the coming of the Civil War. It was well done (in my opinion) and deftly addressed the situation, providing some grace for Buchanan's lack of action, but also not condoning it either. In fact, it was a great example of thinking historically!
Wheatland itself was decorated in the style of the Victorian era, including beautiful china dishes, furniture, and carpeting. Three of the rooms were styled to match sketches that were drawn to showcase life at Wheatland. The rest were decorated in the general style. Our tour guide (who looked like President Buchanan!) knew my grandparents, so it seemed as though he gave us some extra attention and more information than would normally fit into a regular tour. Apparently he also volunteers at Rockford Plantation and Boehm's chapel. He's retired, but he's a busy fellow quite involved with local history! That's exactly what I want to do when I retire some day. Anyway, I learned a lot about the bachelor president Buchanan and his niece Harriet Lane, who served as his First Lady. One of my favorite aspects of history is understanding what it was like to live in a particular era or place, so this was perfect. I think that I got a good glimpse of the quiet life at Wheatland. Buchanan seemed like a kind, gentle man who really enjoyed his retreat into his Lancaster home among the wheat fields.
Brainstorming at the Historical Society
I did not go to my internship on Tuesday since there was a hurricane outside. No big surprise there! I did go on Thursday, though, and had a wonderful day. Since the cataloguing objects project was not exactly my cup of tea, Barry gave me a new project to work on. When the historical society moves back into the updated building, it will have a small hallway with a magnetic wall titled "County, Commonwealth, Country." I don't want to reveal too much, but it was my job this week to contribute to filling in ideas and events that bridge the gap between Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and the United States. The first obvious example that comes to mind is James Buchanan. His home, Wheatland, is located in Lancaster County. He was (and still is) the first person from Pennsylvania to become President of the United States. Another example involves the Civil War and Lancaster County. I didn't know this, but because the people of Columbia prevented the Confederates from entering Lancaster County by burning the Columbia-Wrightsville bridge, the Confederates turned around and headed toward Gettysburg. I had no idea that Lancaster was so important in the chain of events that led to the Battle of Gettysburg! So basically, I spent my day brainstorming ideas and trying to think outside of the box for these three categories of the magnetic timeline wall. I had so much fun doing it, too!
Friday, November 2, 2012
Wright's Ferry Mansion: Gateway to the West
So it's been about a week since my last post - I guess that's what will happen when life gets as crazy as mine! I've had a lot of encounters with some great history since then. I'll begin with last Friday in this particular post.
Last Friday I visited Wright's Ferry Mansion in Columbia, PA. Before I went in for a tour, I wandered around the town of Columbia. I had never been there before, despite having lived in Lancaster County all of my life. It's situated on the Susquehanna River in the northwestern portion of the county and was once a major railroad connection. From what I understand, the Columbia-Philadelphia Railroad was a piece in the "Main Line of Public Works," a railroad-canal system that provided connection between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Even before the invention of the railroad, Columbia provided a "Gateway to the West" through Wright's Ferry. In general, I found Columbia to be a peculiar town that seemed to be caught in a previous decade, but I enjoyed the slow pace.
When I went in for my tour, I was struck by how different a wealthy early 18th century English home was from the wealthy early 18th century German home where I occasionally volunteer (the Hans Herr House). Susanna Wright was an English Quaker and her home was built in 1738. It is currently styled in the period before 1750. I suppose I had the assumption that Quakers would have lived simplistically, but Susanna Wright certainly had good taste for fine things and many beautiful objects. She even cultivated her own silk from silkworms! She also enjoyed reading, so I appreciated that fact. In contrast, early German Mennonites were all about being practical and simple, so that is why the Hans Herr House appears starkly bare in comparison, despite the wealth of Christian Herr.
I enjoyed a very interesting tour of the beautiful home and learned much about Wright's Ferry before having a good talk with Meg, the curator. I told her about my cataloguing objects woes from the previous day at the historical society and she encouraged me not to give up on objects. I still don't know if the technical aspects of caring for objects is what makes me most excited, but I'll take her advice and give them some more chances. Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, I think I have myself an interesting internship for the spring! I'm not quite sure what I'll be doing yet, but probably some research involving the Civil War.
Exciting Friday, huh? I thought so!
Last Friday I visited Wright's Ferry Mansion in Columbia, PA. Before I went in for a tour, I wandered around the town of Columbia. I had never been there before, despite having lived in Lancaster County all of my life. It's situated on the Susquehanna River in the northwestern portion of the county and was once a major railroad connection. From what I understand, the Columbia-Philadelphia Railroad was a piece in the "Main Line of Public Works," a railroad-canal system that provided connection between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Even before the invention of the railroad, Columbia provided a "Gateway to the West" through Wright's Ferry. In general, I found Columbia to be a peculiar town that seemed to be caught in a previous decade, but I enjoyed the slow pace.
When I went in for my tour, I was struck by how different a wealthy early 18th century English home was from the wealthy early 18th century German home where I occasionally volunteer (the Hans Herr House). Susanna Wright was an English Quaker and her home was built in 1738. It is currently styled in the period before 1750. I suppose I had the assumption that Quakers would have lived simplistically, but Susanna Wright certainly had good taste for fine things and many beautiful objects. She even cultivated her own silk from silkworms! She also enjoyed reading, so I appreciated that fact. In contrast, early German Mennonites were all about being practical and simple, so that is why the Hans Herr House appears starkly bare in comparison, despite the wealth of Christian Herr.
I enjoyed a very interesting tour of the beautiful home and learned much about Wright's Ferry before having a good talk with Meg, the curator. I told her about my cataloguing objects woes from the previous day at the historical society and she encouraged me not to give up on objects. I still don't know if the technical aspects of caring for objects is what makes me most excited, but I'll take her advice and give them some more chances. Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, I think I have myself an interesting internship for the spring! I'm not quite sure what I'll be doing yet, but probably some research involving the Civil War.
Exciting Friday, huh? I thought so!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Another Week at LancasterHistory.org
This week was an interesting one at LancasterHistory.org. Aside from the fact that I really enjoy the people I work with and I'll be sad when it's time to go at the end of the semester, I learned quite a lot!
On Tuesday, Barry gave me a list of research requests. Since I absolutely love researching, I had a blast! Whatever I end up doing in the future, it must include this sort of scavenger hunt fun. (My major in history certainly prepared me well for this!) I looked up a couple of bios for some Lancaster men, learned a little about Lancastrian Sarah Ann Stauffer (photos and archival material) and her service to the Red Cross in Europe during World War Two, and wrote a short 500 word summary of Ephrata Cloister, the German monastic religious community established by Conrad Beissel.
I also quickly looked up the photograph of my grandma and aunt. It was taken in 1967 at the Adam Lefever family reunion and was donated by Jacob Dagen. I'm sure this means more to them than to me, so I'll have to pass the information along! They'll be glad to know they are preserved for posterity.
Today, Thursday, I was given a box of prints to catalogue. It's work that needs to be done in a historical society, but it really didn't thrill me at all. Apparently some people are surprised to find that they love creating inventories. I certainly wasn't one of them. Barry also tried to briefly explain the differences between kinds of prints to me, including etchings, engravings, block prints, lithographs, etc. It didn't exactly click very well and I found myself struggling to tell the difference, so I think I'll need a re-explanation next time. Otherwise, it was an informative and enlightening week at my internship! I'm looking forward to next week.
On Tuesday, Barry gave me a list of research requests. Since I absolutely love researching, I had a blast! Whatever I end up doing in the future, it must include this sort of scavenger hunt fun. (My major in history certainly prepared me well for this!) I looked up a couple of bios for some Lancaster men, learned a little about Lancastrian Sarah Ann Stauffer (photos and archival material) and her service to the Red Cross in Europe during World War Two, and wrote a short 500 word summary of Ephrata Cloister, the German monastic religious community established by Conrad Beissel.
I also quickly looked up the photograph of my grandma and aunt. It was taken in 1967 at the Adam Lefever family reunion and was donated by Jacob Dagen. I'm sure this means more to them than to me, so I'll have to pass the information along! They'll be glad to know they are preserved for posterity.
Today, Thursday, I was given a box of prints to catalogue. It's work that needs to be done in a historical society, but it really didn't thrill me at all. Apparently some people are surprised to find that they love creating inventories. I certainly wasn't one of them. Barry also tried to briefly explain the differences between kinds of prints to me, including etchings, engravings, block prints, lithographs, etc. It didn't exactly click very well and I found myself struggling to tell the difference, so I think I'll need a re-explanation next time. Otherwise, it was an informative and enlightening week at my internship! I'm looking forward to next week.
Monday, October 22, 2012
It's Not All Fun and Games!
My most recent week at LancasterHistory.org was not really as bad as my title suggests. But it did have its moments of frustration and bouts of mundane work. On Tuesday, the portraiture exhibit was scheduled to go up. My supervisor expected that I would help with that, so he left no further instructions for me. Made sense. However, other than cleaning some plexiglass covers, they were never quite ready for my assistance before it was time for me to leave. So I spent most of my day helping in the archives sticking numbered dots on boxes. I needed something to do and the archivist was right there working alongside of me. LancasterHistory.org is preparing to move back to what they call the "Lancaster Campus of History" in January. Currently, they are located on the square in Lancaster until the expansion is complete. So to help the movers put the boxes back in the correct order, the archivists have been color-coding and numbering their collections. I also helped to transcribe one entry from a journal of S. S. Rathvon. That was certainly good practice in reading difficult handwriting! It was also an amusing task considering Rathvon's extreme lack of humility.
On Thursday, frustrations abounded. The laptop with all of my saved documents refused to connect to the internet, so I was unable to export the needed information to the director. After struggling for a while, I was given another computer to use that was equipped with Windows 2000. I'll just say that I am now very thankful for my more recent Windows Vista program, even if it is flawed! It took approximately two hours to complete a ten minute task. Later, when the curator arrived, I learned that he had already done what I had been attempting to complete. It happens. Thankfully, in order to redeem my frustrating morning, I was able to move on to research a few small details about people connected to certain objects in the collection. That was successful and turned a gloomy day into a bright one!
Even still, with frustrations and mundane tasks, I am grateful for everything I am learning and for the opportunity I have to intern here. I look forward to what the next week brings!
In the Beginning...at LCHS
I'm not going to tell you about the very beginning of the Lancaster County Historical Society (or LancasterHistory.org), but rather my beginning almost two months ago. Unfortunately I haven't written much about it yet, but now is as good a time as any to begin.
My very first day was just a few hours to get acquainted. My supervisor Barry, the curator, showed my around the library and then took me downstairs to witness the transfer of some deaccessioned clothing from LancasterHistory.org to the Millersville University Costume Shop. Interestingly enough, when showing me how to look for photos in the PastPerfect system, we stumbled upon a photo of my young grandmother and aunt that someone had donated.
I mentioned this in a previous post, but the next week or two I was assigned the task of locating information about a woman from 19th century Lancaster County (Hannah Slaymaker Evans). It was easy to find information about the many prominent and wealthy men to whom she was attached, but because she was a woman, there is little to find about her. I did stumble upon a very humorous letter from her second husband to her sister that helped explain a little bit about her character. Overall, it was a great scavenger hunt and I enjoyed the project very much. I'm excited to see where it will go.
This project was interrupted by the urgent need to pull together a portraiture exhibition in two and a half weeks. The new Lancaster County Historical Society and the Iris Club joined together in 1912 to exhibit a great many portrait paintings and busts of famous Lancastrians or works by Lancaster artists. Almost exactly 100 years later, LancasterHistory.org and the Demuth Museum have teamed up to create an echo of that exhibit, titled, "Take Another Look!" In just a few short weeks, it all had to come together, so it was my task to look up dimensions, donors, and various other information about potential paintings to be displayed. I also researched artist biographies to be used in a few of the labels. It was very exciting to see it all come together this past week and I learned so much!
Thus far, I have enjoyed my time interning immensely. I can already see that it will be hard to leave!
My very first day was just a few hours to get acquainted. My supervisor Barry, the curator, showed my around the library and then took me downstairs to witness the transfer of some deaccessioned clothing from LancasterHistory.org to the Millersville University Costume Shop. Interestingly enough, when showing me how to look for photos in the PastPerfect system, we stumbled upon a photo of my young grandmother and aunt that someone had donated.
I mentioned this in a previous post, but the next week or two I was assigned the task of locating information about a woman from 19th century Lancaster County (Hannah Slaymaker Evans). It was easy to find information about the many prominent and wealthy men to whom she was attached, but because she was a woman, there is little to find about her. I did stumble upon a very humorous letter from her second husband to her sister that helped explain a little bit about her character. Overall, it was a great scavenger hunt and I enjoyed the project very much. I'm excited to see where it will go.
This project was interrupted by the urgent need to pull together a portraiture exhibition in two and a half weeks. The new Lancaster County Historical Society and the Iris Club joined together in 1912 to exhibit a great many portrait paintings and busts of famous Lancastrians or works by Lancaster artists. Almost exactly 100 years later, LancasterHistory.org and the Demuth Museum have teamed up to create an echo of that exhibit, titled, "Take Another Look!" In just a few short weeks, it all had to come together, so it was my task to look up dimensions, donors, and various other information about potential paintings to be displayed. I also researched artist biographies to be used in a few of the labels. It was very exciting to see it all come together this past week and I learned so much!
Thus far, I have enjoyed my time interning immensely. I can already see that it will be hard to leave!
 |
| While renovations are being made, LCHS is temporarily on the square in Lancaster City |
Monday, October 15, 2012
The Joys of a Public Lecture
Public lectures are a wonderful thing. Last night, Dr. John Fea was in my local area to speak about his book Was America Founded as a Christian Nation? at a church. Despite discussing this book numerous times in his class on the American Revolution, I had never actually heard him speak about it extensively to a public or church audience, so I went. It was very excellent, but it was the Q & A that excited me the most! It was thrilling to see people so open to discussing a topic which normally carries much tension and division along with it. That is what civil dialogue is all about! I think everyone quickly realized that there is definitely no simple answer to the question of America as a Christian nation. Great questions were asked and the congregation was willing to try to look at the topic responsibly and in all of its' historical complexity. I definitely left feeling optimistic and energized!
On another note, I wish I could find more history-related public lectures to attend in the Lancaster area. Perhaps they exist and I just don't know about them. I'll have to do some asking-around - especially at the historical society where I am interning!
On another note, I wish I could find more history-related public lectures to attend in the Lancaster area. Perhaps they exist and I just don't know about them. I'll have to do some asking-around - especially at the historical society where I am interning!
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Go Do an Internship! You Won't Regret It
I wish I had done more internships while I was in college. Thankfully I have this year to make up for that, but its a little easier to fit them in while classes are the only thing to worry about. Several of my Messiah College history major friends did anywhere from 3-5 internships during their four years! Aside from a small internship at the Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle during my junior year, I probably could have made room for more. Even if you can only fit one internship in during four years of college, definitely make it a point. Here are a few reasons why I think it's so important:
1) Not only does it provide a good line on your resume, but I imagine that it shows prospective employers and graduate schools that you are really serious and earnest about your interest in history, whatever that may be specifically. Of course I'm only on this side of the process so I can't actually vouch for that myself, but I trust my professors to know what they're talking about!
2) Internships allow for gaining hands-on practical skills, especially if you are thinking about public history. I learned so much in my history classes at Messiah College that is vital to the historical profession. Yet it's only through my internship that I can learn how to navigate the PastPerfect system, understand terms like "accessioning" and "deacessioning," and try my hand at contributing to a new museum exhibit.
3) You can figure out what you like and don't like. I struggled (and still am) to figure out what I'm specifically interested in when it comes to public history. Museum education, objects, archives, and so much more are all great possibilities. So by interning, I have the curator, the archivist, and many others all at my finger-tips to ask questions of and get a feel for their positions.
4) And most importantly, it's so much fun! I started the semester by researching the story of an early 19th century Lancaster County female artist who was related to many wealthy and important men. It was hard to find anything about her, so the task required some creativity, determination, and serious deciphering of awful handwriting, but I finally came through with a few great primary sources that turned out to tell hilarious stories! The project was like detective work. I've had to set that aside for awhile to help put together a temporary exhibit, but I have enjoyed every moment of my internship thus far.
The moral of the story: go do an internship! You won't regret it.
1) Not only does it provide a good line on your resume, but I imagine that it shows prospective employers and graduate schools that you are really serious and earnest about your interest in history, whatever that may be specifically. Of course I'm only on this side of the process so I can't actually vouch for that myself, but I trust my professors to know what they're talking about!
2) Internships allow for gaining hands-on practical skills, especially if you are thinking about public history. I learned so much in my history classes at Messiah College that is vital to the historical profession. Yet it's only through my internship that I can learn how to navigate the PastPerfect system, understand terms like "accessioning" and "deacessioning," and try my hand at contributing to a new museum exhibit.
3) You can figure out what you like and don't like. I struggled (and still am) to figure out what I'm specifically interested in when it comes to public history. Museum education, objects, archives, and so much more are all great possibilities. So by interning, I have the curator, the archivist, and many others all at my finger-tips to ask questions of and get a feel for their positions.
4) And most importantly, it's so much fun! I started the semester by researching the story of an early 19th century Lancaster County female artist who was related to many wealthy and important men. It was hard to find anything about her, so the task required some creativity, determination, and serious deciphering of awful handwriting, but I finally came through with a few great primary sources that turned out to tell hilarious stories! The project was like detective work. I've had to set that aside for awhile to help put together a temporary exhibit, but I have enjoyed every moment of my internship thus far.
The moral of the story: go do an internship! You won't regret it.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Conference on Faith and History
This past weekend, October 3-6, I had the privilege of attending the Conference on Faith and History. I traveled with my former professor Dr. John Fea (who knows everyone - it was great), a friend and former fellow student from Messiah College, Megan Keller, and met up with another friend from Messiah, Katie Garland, who is currently completing her MA in Public History at UMass-Amherst. Myself and my two fellow Messiah friends presented papers at the undergraduate conference alongside many other students on Thursday. I presented on tea as a lens to view the progression of events from Anglicization in colonial America to the American Revolution, and was pleasantly surprised to find my primary sources funny enough to make the crowd laugh! It was an excellent experience. I also listened to Megan present on the driving force of nationalism in the 1936-37 General Motors sit-down strike, complete with gun shots and flying car doors! She did an excellent job and fielded her questions well. Unfortunately, I could not listen to Katie present since her session coincided with my own, but unsurprisingly I heard that she also did very well. Much discussion on bridging the gap between popular history and academic history also took place, especially in Kent State PhD candidate Greg Jones' plenary and the lunchtime panel titled "Is Pop History Real History?".
After the excitement of presenting at the student conference was complete, I was able to stay to enjoy the professional conference. After having felt "intellectually starved" and really missing college this fall, it was great to use my mind and critical thinking abilities. There were many very interesting sessions and opportunities to meet prominent historians. Dr. Fea introduced us three Messiah students to Lendol Calder, a historian whom Megan and Katie knew much about from their Teaching History course, but I did not. I'm certainly excited to learn more about his teaching methods, plus he was just a quirky man whom I loved listening to as he chaired a session. Dr. Fea also provided me with the opportunity to discuss Baylor University's History MA with the Director of Graduate Studies, as well as ask many questions of Baylor graduate students.
In addition to 3 interesting plenary sessions at the professional conference, we were also able to listen to Tracy McKenzie's banquet address which challenged Christian academic historians to "love their neighbors" by being engaged with the Church. Again, the theme of bridging the gap between academic and popular history surfaced, as much of what the church population encounters is popular history. It is truly important for historians to find ways to reach to those who do not converse in the way that academics discuss history. This address also encouraged me to think about the way that faith informs my own studies in history and how I can attempt to bridge this gap in my own circles.
Overall, it was a much-needed and thought-provoking weekend! I really like what the CFH is doing and hope that someday I can return and be involved.
After the excitement of presenting at the student conference was complete, I was able to stay to enjoy the professional conference. After having felt "intellectually starved" and really missing college this fall, it was great to use my mind and critical thinking abilities. There were many very interesting sessions and opportunities to meet prominent historians. Dr. Fea introduced us three Messiah students to Lendol Calder, a historian whom Megan and Katie knew much about from their Teaching History course, but I did not. I'm certainly excited to learn more about his teaching methods, plus he was just a quirky man whom I loved listening to as he chaired a session. Dr. Fea also provided me with the opportunity to discuss Baylor University's History MA with the Director of Graduate Studies, as well as ask many questions of Baylor graduate students.
In addition to 3 interesting plenary sessions at the professional conference, we were also able to listen to Tracy McKenzie's banquet address which challenged Christian academic historians to "love their neighbors" by being engaged with the Church. Again, the theme of bridging the gap between academic and popular history surfaced, as much of what the church population encounters is popular history. It is truly important for historians to find ways to reach to those who do not converse in the way that academics discuss history. This address also encouraged me to think about the way that faith informs my own studies in history and how I can attempt to bridge this gap in my own circles.
Overall, it was a much-needed and thought-provoking weekend! I really like what the CFH is doing and hope that someday I can return and be involved.
 |
| Messiah Faculty and Students at the CFH Banquet (photo belonging to Megan Keller) |
What Do You Do With a Degree in History?
Everyone who has been a history major has fielded this question at least once in their career: "So you're a history major? What are you gonna do with that?" It's a legitimate question, but one that can certainly become tiring and daunting, especially if you aren't exactly sure yourself. You simply know that you've received an excellent liberal arts education, you have a genuine love for discovering the past, and you can think critically and write well. But now what?
For myself, I love history so much that I couldn't conceive of doing anything else with my life. But what specifically? I'm currently in a "gap year" (hopefully) with the intentions of going to graduate school and aspirations of becoming a public historian. Yet, I have no idea exactly what that means for me or where I will end up. Currently I am interning with the curator at Lancasterhistory.org, an organization including the Lancaster County Historical Society and President Buchanan's Wheatland, hoping that I will not only gain some hands-on knowledge and an insider's view to public history, but also discover where exactly I am intended to journey in my career. I am anticipating that this blog will provide a venue to write about my weekly experiences there, as well as my journey toward graduate school and the public history profession.
So what am I going to do with a BA in history? I don't really have a specific answer, but I'm ready to embark on an exciting journey to find out!
For myself, I love history so much that I couldn't conceive of doing anything else with my life. But what specifically? I'm currently in a "gap year" (hopefully) with the intentions of going to graduate school and aspirations of becoming a public historian. Yet, I have no idea exactly what that means for me or where I will end up. Currently I am interning with the curator at Lancasterhistory.org, an organization including the Lancaster County Historical Society and President Buchanan's Wheatland, hoping that I will not only gain some hands-on knowledge and an insider's view to public history, but also discover where exactly I am intended to journey in my career. I am anticipating that this blog will provide a venue to write about my weekly experiences there, as well as my journey toward graduate school and the public history profession.
So what am I going to do with a BA in history? I don't really have a specific answer, but I'm ready to embark on an exciting journey to find out!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)