I have been working as a consulting public historian since 2011 on a project to document the story of Havre de Grace around the time the British burned the town in May 1813. This work was part of the development of the Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail. As one of two project historians, my…
Category: Public History
Making Sure Fallen Officers from Long Ago are not Forgotten in Delaware and Maryland
Occasionally while doing a study on some subject related to criminal justice history, I’ll find some hint in the old records related to a long forgotten, undocumented fallen police officer. When that happens, I pick up the evidentiary traces and follow the trail back through the old sources, to make sure the officer’s ultimate sacrifice…
Marriage Discussed on National Public Radio Show
Two broadcast journalists from “Back Story with the American History Guys,” a public radio show, interviewed me a few weeks ago for a show titled “Committed: Marriage in America.” The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and the University of Virginia sponsor the shows, which bring “historical perspective to the events happening around us today. On…
Participating in Summit of Local and Regional Historical Societies, Taking Stock & Planning for the Future
I participated in the Summit of Local and Regional Historical Societies in Baltimore, a couple of weeks ago (May 16). Attended by representatives from historical societies, heritage groups and museums throughout Maryland, we began to take stock of the challenges, strengths, and weakness of museums and special collections libraries and started outlining an agenda for subsequent discussions about…