Public History Commons^™

We Have Always Been Here: Trans Oral History Project Grant Application, Finn Vincent-Fix

Historic Preservation Final Projects

This project is a grant application for the HOPE Fund, a permanent community endowment established at the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan for the purpose of providing grants to organizations serving local LGBTQ+ communities. The grant would have been used to finance the We Have Always Been Here: Trans Oral History Project (WHABH), which seeks to preserve the stories of transgender individuals living in SE Michigan utilizing the practice of oral history. Grant funding would allow project personnel to conduct, transcribe, publish, and preserve the stories of a marginalized population whose rights are actively being threatened in the highest courts …

A Historic Context For House Moving: Why Moved Houses Are Eligible For The National Register Of Historic Places, Ian Tomashik

Historic Preservation Final Projects

Structural moving, the process of moving complete buildings to new sites, has shaped American landscapes for over two centuries. Thousands of wood-frame houses were moved with surprising frequency between the mid-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries. Yet, moved buildings are “ordinarily” ineligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. This project explores this exclusion two parts: an analytical essay that argues for their inclusion for nomination and a historic context survey that explains the prevalence of house moving. The essay first explains the National Register’s rationale for questioning the historic significance of moved buildings. It also examines why large-scale house …

Gladys Mitchell House Collection, Dan Bonenberger, Jaclyn Panter, Katherine St. Amand, Ian Tomashik, Kate Zorn

Digital Heritage Preservation Collection

This collection explores the life of Gladys Mitchell and the home she shared with her family on Detroit's Eastside. Gladys and her husband, Ossian Sweet, lived with her parents Benjamin and Rosella in a residence on 9322-24 Cairney Street from 1922 to 1925 before moving to the now-historic bungalow at 2905 Garland Street, located about a mile southeast. In 1925, when the Sweets moved into an all-white neighborhood, their experience led to a landmark Supreme Court case that affirmed African Americans' rights to homeownership, including the right to defend their private property.

Benjamin Mitchell and his wife, Rosella, rented the …

154 East Chicago Blvd And Downtown Tecumseh, Mi, Lisa Powell

Historic Preservation Final Projects

The downtown commercial building at 154 East Chicago Blvd in Tecumseh, MI represents the typical building style of the late 1800s. It reflects the building styles and materials common to the area using such as fired brick and limestone, decorative cast iron columns and galvanized metal cornice, all typical in the Midwest in the late 19th century. This project analyzes how this commercial building has adapted to meet the needs of a small town in Tecumseh, Michigan, in southeast lower Michigan.

Contemporary Museum Practices In An "Old School House;" Bringing Best Collections Management And Public History Practices To A Local Historical Society, Korey Ryan Morris

Historic Preservation Final Projects

The Taylor Michigan Historical Society’s (THS) collections and interpretation-based activities in its historical single-room schoolhouse were underutilized and put to the side for years. The current wave of THS members and volunteers are reinvigorating the society by using best practices in the field of museum management and heritage interpretation to achieve its goals of a vibrant community historical society. To assist in this revitalization effort, this project: creates object and archival collection lists for current and future reference in the schoolhouse; updates the interpretation plans for the schoolhouse, including lesson plans that reflect the current academic standards in the state …

"Love And Reading": An Oral History Of Albion's Big Read, Akaiia Ridley

Historic Preservation Final Projects

No abstract provided.

Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum Disaster Preparedness And Response Plan, Andrew De Windt

Historic Preservation Final Projects

This project consists of a Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan created for the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, located at Whitefish Point, 11 miles north of Paradise, MI, prefaced with a methodological report of its drafting and creation and recommendations for its implementation. Disaster Preparedness and Response Plans are a core document for museums and cultural institutions. As is best practice according to guidelines from the American Alliance of Museums and International Council on Museums, this plan is tailored for the specific needs, location, collection, and personnel of the museum. It contains procedures, policies, and institutional information in a ready-to-use format …

Aray Women Clothes Analysis, Cassandra Mitchell

Historic Preservation Final Projects

Many clothing artifacts we find in museums or archives have been saved because of how special and precious they were. It is rare that there are everyday clothes that have survived generations. This final project examines three articles of clothing from the prominent African American Aray family of Ypsilanti held at the Ypsilanti Historical Society: a pair of gloves, a shirtwaist, and a skirt. Through material culture analysis, they reveal common everyday clothing trends with personalized touches. The research identified which Aray women wore these items, the mid to late 1800s clothing trends, how common these clothing items were, and …

Modernizing The Arab American National Museum: Enhancing Cultural Representation And Community Engagement, Mariam Ktiri

Historic Preservation Final Projects

With a global Arab population of 646 million and 3.7 million Arabs in the United States, the presence of only one Arab-American-focused museum is a matter of concern. The Arab American National Museum (AANM) in Dearborn, Michigan, was established in 2005 in response to post-9/11 discrimination, violent racism, and xenophobia. AANM became a pivotal touchstone for connecting communities to pan-Arab American culture. While its permanent exhibits span the historical narrative of Arab Americans, they remain outdated, especially in the face of ongoing issues such as the Liberation of Palestine movement. This essay analyzes the AANM’s role as a cultural bridge-builder, …

"The End Of Learning Is Gracious Living": A Centennial Of Life In Mary Trowbridge Hall, Kalmazoo College, Hunter Lorain Magrum

Historic Preservation Final Projects

No abstract provided.

Robert X House Collection, Dan Bonenberger, Brooke Boyst, Franklin Haywood, Carrie Malas, Jaclyn Panter, Ian Tomashik, Laura Waskiwicz, Taylor Williams, Austin Martin

Digital Heritage Preservation Collection

This collection examines the Robert X House at 18827 Keystone Street in Detroit, Michigan, a significant site in the history of the Nation of Islam and the broader narrative of Black empowerment and civil rights in mid-20th century America. Originally built in 1951 as a modest Federal Housing Administration (FHA) minimum ranch-style home, the property was purchased by Robert Davenport (later known as Robert X), an influential leader in the Nation of Islam. The house became a hub for religious instruction, community-building, and activism.

Robert X, a former boxer and musician, became a prominent figure in Detroit’s Nation of Islam …

Traveling Trunks And The Benefits Of Museum Programming In Traditional Classrooms, Katherine Ann St. Amand

Historic Preservation Final Projects

This project is the creation of blueprints for a second and a fifth grade traveling trunk for the North Berrien Historical Society (NBHS). These blueprints will be utilized by the museum to construct two traveling trunk educational programs offered by the museum to supplement classroom curriculum. This project also includes a review and revision of the loaning policy for these trunks for NBHS. This details the procedure for schools who want to use these trunks, as well as outline rules, responsibilities, and an explanation of the logistics of the traveling trunks program for NBHS. This collaborative process was accomplished in …

A Handbook On Brick Masonry: Use, Characteristics, Deterioration, Conservation, And Repair, Troy Masserant

Historic Preservation Final Projects

No abstract provided.

32580 Grand River Avenue Farmington, Michigan 48336 Preliminary Historic Structure Report, Katie Delahoyde

Historic Preservation Final Projects

No abstract provided.

Designing A Virtual Driving Tour Using Mapping Programs: A Case Study Of West Virginia’S Northern Panhandle, Abigail Ayers

Historic Preservation Final Projects

No abstract provided.

Linus Babcock, Oral History Interview, 2022, Cellach Allen

COVID-19 Oral Histories

In October and November of 2022, You Li's Journalism 313 students conducted oral history interviews with one another to document the student experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this interview, EMU undergraduate Linus Babcock describes the early days of COVID, the initial shutdown of the university and the experience of moving back home with family and siblings.

The National Register Of Historic Places Nomination Process For The Dow House (Ypsilanti Historical Society) Ypsilanti, Mi, Tim Sabo

Historic Preservation Final Projects

No abstract provided.

A Ray Of Light For The Black Community: Preserving The Aray Family Legacy Through Museum And Archival Practice, Rebecca Murphy

Historic Preservation Final Projects

This project applied museum and archival theory and practice in order to document and preserve the Aray Collection according to best practice. The Aray Collection is an important Black history collection found at the Ypsilanti Historical Society. The Aray Collection belonged to an affluent, free-black, farming family in Pittsfield Township and is made up of textiles, decorative arts, culinary instruments, tools, photographs, and archival documents. Tasks performed included artifact tracking which aided in the identification of unmarked collection pieces. Photographing, cataloging, labeling, and preservation were performed on the existing and newly located collection artifacts. The photographs and other archival material …

"Who Were They?": Interpreting The Lives Of Victorian Servants In The Ford-Macnichol Home, Audrey Wicklander

Historic Preservation Final Projects

The Ford-MacNichol Home in Wyandotte, Michigan is a public historic house museum which interprets and exhibits the lives of the lavish Ford-MacNichol family who lived there from 1896 to 1903. Since 1977, the museum has been detailing the lives of the rich and powerful and my question for some time has been: what about ‘the help?’ Domestic employees were needed to make powerful Victorian households’ function properly and visitors and volunteers have expressed interest in knowing more about the house’s servants. In this project, I will be writing an addition to the interpretive manual which will discuss the daily tasks …

The Pitfalls Of Donor-Centricity: Mission-Based Fundraising For A New Era, Natalie Giannos

Historic Preservation Final Projects

As the role of arts nonprofits shift to increasingly serve communities, away from the Wunderkammer model of decades past, fundraising has remained the same. The time is now to assess the implications of the sector’s current model, in which fundraisers rely on a small number of big donations to keep organizations afloat. This paper considers the current state of fundraising for American arts nonprofits: outdated, exclusionary, and above all else, limitative. It offers three case studies that illustrate the ramifications of the major gifts model. Finally, it proposes some solutions, unravelling the commonly held belief that organizations today have little …

Washington Square Branch Library National Register Of Historic Places Preliminary Questionnaire, Luis Antonio Pena

Historic Preservation Final Projects

This document covers the textual portions of the National Register Preliminary Questionnaire (NRPQ, herein), a statement of significance and a statement of property integrity, for the Washington Square Branch of the Kalamazoo Public Library property at 1244 Portage Street in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Washington Square branch of the Kalamazoo Public Library, designed by Kalamazoo architect M.C.J Billingham and built by the Kalamazoo based O.F. Miller contracting company is notable for aligning with the early twentieth century American trend of women and women’s social groups advocating for the establishment and erection of libraries. Additionally, the Library is considered a fine example …

Rosenwald Practice School Conditions Assessment, Mary Bindas

Historic Preservation Final Projects

This project will result in a conditions assessment report of the historic Practice School on the campus of Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina. The conditions assessment report will analyze current building conditions and provide recommendations for the building rehabilitation. Recommendations will align with The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties Guidelines. The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties Guidelines are principles set forth by the United States Department of Interior. The guidelines aim to educate on appropriate methods to preserve historic architectural materials to retain defining architectural features. …

The Living Object: Repurposing An X Dollhouse To Increase Visitor Engagement At A Historic House Museum, Lindsay Zaremski

Historic Preservation Final Projects

Kempf House tells the story of a middle-class, German American family from the late 1800s to the middle of the next century and reinforces the story with objects, many of which belonged to the Kempfs. The Kempf House has a dollhouse which is not original to the house or family; it was not enhancing the tour as it could have because of its poor condition and sparse furnishings. This paper documents Kempf House dollhouse restoration project, in which the author repaired and augmented the dollhouse to resemble one an 1890s middle-class family may have owned. She researched the history of …

Improving The Usage And Practice Of Traditional Handicrafts And Industries In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia Through Tourism, Mohammed Ibn Humudh

Historic Preservation Final Projects

No abstract provided.

Historic American Landscapes Survey: Old Saint Patrick's Cemetery, Kristin Rheinheimer

Historic Preservation Final Projects

No abstract provided.

Inside An Internship At Yosemite National Park Museum, Sherry M. Sidick

Historic Preservation Final Projects

No abstract provided.

Garden Peninsula Cultural Byway, Lori Taylor-Blitz

Historic Preservation Final Projects

The natural beauty of the Garden Peninsula and proximity on the Great Lakes has attracted people to its shores for thousands of years. The peninsula holds many intrinsic qualities: cultural, historic, natural and recreational. The Anishinabeg native peoples historically occupied the peninsula during warm fishing months and established seasonal camps here. The French Missionaries followed in the seventeenth century traveling along the sound between islands in Green Bay and following the Niagara Escarpment northward to the Garden Peninsula. In the nineteenth century, a breakthrough in iron smelting technology aided rapid industrial development across the United States and the peninsula experienced …

Gm Technical Center Architectural Records Inventory, Stefanie Turner

Historic Preservation Final Projects

No abstract provided.

Orlie J. Munson, Architect, Bethany Berdes

Historic Preservation Final Projects

No abstract provided.

Old Leelanau County Jail Initial Conditions Assessment, Megan Blaha

Historic Preservation Final Projects

In the winter 2015 term, Eastern Michigan University’s Historic Preservation Program partnered with the Leelanau Historical Society to initiate the development of a Conditions Assessment for the historic former Leelanau County Jail, located on land where the county seat had stood prior to its move to Suttons Bay Township in 2008. The purpose of this joint effort was to continue the efforts already begun by the Historical Society to save the jail. Since interest in development of the property the jail currently resides on persists, it has become imperative to create an assessment so that if the jail needs to …