local history

Aging is Threatening the History of Many Black Communities in Maryland

Black community historians have long been the keepers of historical knowledge about places and local traditions that elite institutions have considered unimportant. As they age, who will carry on their work and preserve and keep the documentary record? 

Preserving Local History in Water Valley, Mississippi

"We always hear about important figures like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but I wanted to know about the heroes here in Yalobusha County.”

Who's Teaching Local History?

Michael Oberg and Joel Helfrich of SUNY-Geneseo's Center for Local and Municipal History discuss connecting history students with local historians to unearth and tell their region's history.

African American Museum in Georgia Honors Forgotten History

"It all goes back to when I was a child growing up in White Plains," said Mamie Hillman, executive director of the museum. "I always wanted to know — how did I enter into history?"

This Map Shows How the New Deal Was a Big Deal for DC

Historian Brent McKee presents a guide to sites around the greater Washington area that show how the New Deal transformed the region, from historic preservation to wastewater treatment. 

West Hartford is Mostly White, While Bloomfield is Largely Black. How that Came to be Tells the Story of Racism and Segregation in American Suburbs

Local historians in West Hartford are working to promote public knowledge of exclusionary zoning and other practices that built and maintained racial segregation in the suburbs. 

What A 1924 KKK Gathering in Tacoma Tells us about White Nationalism in the U.S. Today

Managing director of the Tacoma Historical Society Michael Lafreniere never expected to unearth a glimpse into the Klan’s history in Washington state, and more particularly Tacoma.

Race and Reconciliation Initiative Begins Study into TCU’s History

“We want to provide critical perspective, we want to deepen understanding so that we can really take on this idea of reconciliation and healing,” said RRI chair Frederick Gooding Jr.

UMW, City of Fredericksburg Partner in Effort to More Accurately Tell the Local Civil Rights Story

Christine Henry, an assistant professor of historic preservation at UMW, will contribute to this project with her fall semester upper level seminar “Diversity in Historic Preservation.”

More Than a Century Before the 19th Amendment, Women were Voting in New Jersey

For decades, there has been only anecdotal evidence that any women actually used this right.

Confronting the Duluth Lynchings 100 Years Later

On June 15, 1920, three black men were lynched in Duluth; now, the Minnesota Historical Society is making sure this crime is not forgotten.

Old Saybrook Historical Society Wins Prestigious History Award, Publishes New Book

The winner of a 2020 Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History's new book focuses on the Battles of Saybrook Fort during the Pequot War.

Darius Swann Changed Charlotte's School System, Local Historian Remembers

Local historian Pamela Grundy discusses the Rev. Dr. Darius Swann who was the lead plaintiff in the landmark Supreme Court case Swann v. Charlotte - Mecklenburg Board of Education. He died on March 8, at the age of 95.

Author of 'The Lynchings in Duluth' Broke Silence on City's Dark History

Michael Fedo's 40-plus year old account of the public murders of Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson and Isaac McGhie is credited as the first complete resource on the events of June 15, 1920.

2 Women Work to Highlight History of Slaves in Maryland Town

One woman is a descendant of people who were enslaved in Taneytown for generations. The other woman’s ancestors belonged to the family line of the owner of those slaves.

An Interview with Historian Dr. David Dzurec of the University of Scranton

by Jared Levinson

The University of Scranton's History Department Chair, Dr. David Szurec discusses the ways students engage with local history through service-learning. 

A Conversation with the Eastham Historical Society

by Jonathan Montano

The Eastham Historical Society, a small institution on Cape Cod, discusses their archives and the importance of preserving local history.  

Making a People's History: Community Archives and Movement Activism in Arkansas

by Acadia Roher

How the Arkansas People’s History Project utilizes public history and engagement. 

Historical Society of Pennsylvania lays off 30 percent of its staff

The Historical Society cited operating deficits and a lack of financial stability as the reason for the layoffs. 

In the age of distraction, one small publisher keeps local history alive in sepia tones

For more than two decades, one small publisher far from New York has been quietly rescuing remnants of history from the flames of oblivion.