Various things make up the shared historical memory of a community. These narratives take assorted forms, but the most jarring materialize when an unthinkable tragedy strikes. Whether a storm or accident, the catastrophes are seared deeply into the collective memory of residents. They shatter many lives and became part of history in the aftermath —…
Hillside Arizona Santa Fe Railroad Station
THINGS FOUND IN AN OLD PHOTO ALBUM — This July 2, 1929, photo of the Santa Fe Hillside Arizona train station came from an album full of pictures I purchased thirty to forty years ago. An unidentified adventurer compiled the images as he motored across the country. His series of albums had been dumped in…
170,000 Photos of American Life During the Great Depression and World War II
During the Great Depression and World War II, the United States Farm Security Administration and the Office of War Information hired photographers to document American life. The documentarians, working between 1935 and 1944, captured 170,000 pictures. This included many in Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. It is described as one of the most…
Researching First African American Police Officers in Atlantic City
I am investigating the nature of work for African Americans in the public sector during the Jim Crow Era, specifically in healthcare, local government, and public safety. Drawing on archival research, interviews with local experts, and oral histories with tradition-bearers and pioneers who broke barriers, this research examines the opportunities, obstacles, and challenges for Black…