Public History Commons^™

Governor Wise's War: Loose Lips (Part 2), John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

When last we left Ex-Governor Henry Wise, he was exceedingly impatient at the Virginia secession convention's failure to act immediately and swiftly after the firing on Fort Sumter. The power broker who had stared down John Brown now called upon personal loyalties to get the job done where politics had failed. An account by John Imboden has the Governor querying the future Brigadier General, asking whether he remembered the charge Wise made upon presenting two brass cannon to a Staunton militia unit. Imboden recalled the Governor had told him, "he was bound to obey the call of Wise for those …

Hymn To Freedom: Obama's 150th Proclamation, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

This post is about the President's proclamation on Tuesday. I was heartily pleased by this action from the White House. It phrasing brings to mind an intellectual fusion not unlike that crafted through Daniel Webster's 1830 pronouncement of, "Liberty and Union, Now and Forever, One and Inseparable." Certainly the 19th century conception of Liberty and our modern conception of the term, as adeptly pointed out in the most recent episode of Backstory with the American History Guys, are not the same. Still, Obama's proclamation keenly joins the two Northern war aims and war outcomes at the hip. "The meaning of …

Governor Wise's War: My Misconception (Part 1), John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

I worked in the living history branch at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park for three years, wearing old timey clothing and talking to visitors about the meanings of John Brown. Harpers Ferry is where I began to understand what the concept of interpretation means, and how it is such a radically different concept from academic history. [excerpt]

The Civil War Centennial: Inspiration For The Civil Rights Movement?, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

I read Richard Williams' Old Virginia Blog, not because I agree with what he has to say but explicitly because it gets me so corking mad. Interspersed with tea party rants and modern political diatribes, Williams is an interesting (and sometimes frightening) voice of modern Confederatism and Southern exceptionalism.

"...The Way Things Were Back Then": Why Making Excuses For Slavery Doesn't Work, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

Presentism. Aside from historical revisionism, it is perhaps the 'epithet' with which the modern historian find themselves branded the most. I've been reading again a series of screeds by Bill Vallante, a Confederate reenactor and SCV member from Commack, NY (thanks to John Hennessy). I've read these pages before, but this time around was struck by the abject vitriol which oozes from the language employed. A line in one piece in particular stood out to me as quite angry:

"Add a heavy dose of presentism (judging or interpreting the past according to the standards of the present), mix thoroughly and …

The Rebel Flag: Offputting Symbol Or Point Of Pride?, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

In 2004, Gettysburg College hosted an art exhibit by John Sims, a Florida based artist and ethnomathematician. The exhibit focused on varied recolored versions of the Confederate Flag. The press outrage was quick and damning. I should know, I was quoted in it (in the Civil War News).

Back in 2004, I called the exhibit, "sickening," and condemned the college for, "trying to distance itself from the town by rejecting the Civil War past in which it is steeped." I was wrong. I figured that out no sooner than passing through the doors of the art gallery and viewing …

On Dogs And Ponies And 'Three Days In July' Syndrome (Part 2), John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

What happened in Chambersburg and Fairfield in April of 1861? Certainly not events which were earth shattering for the nation as a whole. But to the citizens of the bustling southern Pennsylvania urban centers, it was their world. [excerpt]

Youtube Wednesday: Why I'M Celebrating The Civil War 150th (And Why You Should Too), John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

There's quite a bit of talk within the interpretive community about the word, "celebration." The word is tiptoed around and eschewed. Its use raised ire in Charleston Harbor this past December. These debates over commemoration versus celebration, no doubt, will crop up again and again over the next few years. We, as a community, are nearly afraid of one misstep. We catch our words as they escape our mouths, quickly correcting ourselves every time "celebration" accidentally emerges trips over our teeth. We seem afraid to say that we are celebrating an American bloodbath of biblical proportions. I can understand this …

On Dogs And Ponies And 'Three Days In July' Syndrome (Part 1), John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

In 1961, Gettysburg played host to a kick-off event for the Civil War Centennial. The town commemorated the sendoff of the Independent Blues, a militia company which marched off to war in the aftermath of the firing on Fort Sumter. The affair was huge. The Diamond was closed off to traffic as actors in old time clothes strutted through a political rally on the square. Spectators watched from the sidewalks as speakers mounted a wagon and gesticulated wildly at the crowd. Gettysburg College's students, wielding trumpet and drum as they did for Football games on Nixon Field, stood in for …

Montgomery: The Murals In The Dome, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

A broad sweeping portico looms behind the gay couple riding horses on a summer's afternoon. The man wears a brown coat and tall black top hat. The woman dresses in the finery of the turn-of-the-century. A hunting dog stands at attention as the horses stride across the plantation's spacious lawn. Back on the porch, a black "mammy" figure watches over a young girl. [excerpt]

Montgomery: Jeff Davis' Seal Of Solomon, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

Set into the marble steps of Alabama's Capitol building is a brass star. Gleaming against the white stone, the star stands at the top of the stairs on the Capitol's west face. The star reads, "Placed by Sophie Bibb Chapter Daughters of the Confederacy on the spot where Jefferson Davis stood when inaugurated President of C.S.A. Feb. 16. 1861." [excerpt]

Why It's Interpretive: Bid 'Em In, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

Browsing the provocative blog "Jubilo! The Emancipation Century" recently, I came upon a post featuring a curious YouTube video.

So why did Bid 'Em In speak so deeply to me? I think it's because it places you in the shoes of the 15 year old slave woman being auctioned. It's not an intellectual investigation of slavery. It's not an historical narrative written after the fact of a particular event. It's visceral. [excerpt]

Lee Chapel: Lost Cause Artifact And Culture Shock, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

I had the privilege to accompany a group of undergraduate students recently on a whirlwind tour of the Wilderness, Richmond and Appomattox. Our tour took us along the I-81 corridor on the way back to Gettysburg, so why not stop in Lexington for a Civil War two-fer. [excerpt]

"And You May Ask Yourself: Am I Right? Am I Wrong?", John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

This blogging endeavour is dangerous. Blogging, I believe, should be a personal medium, where you wear your heart on your sleeve and let the real "you" hang out. That's scary. [excerpt]

Glatfelter Hall: A Colorful History, Kaitlyn Roman

Hidden in Plain Sight Projects

"I had facilities paint over the ugly pink leafy border that went all around my office." With that statement it seemed as though my lead had hit a dead end. But what Professor Ben Bruce, the current head of the Management department, had just told me was just the beginning of a puzzle waiting to be pieced together. Professor Dan DeNicola of the Philosophy department had shared with me a story describing a stenciled artwork located on the fourth floor of Glatfelter Hall with roots stemming in a secret literary society. Immediately this story captivated my interest and that afternoon …

Breidenbaugh To Zinn: The Evolution Of Chemistry At Gettysburg College, Rachel F. Surmick

Hidden in Plain Sight Projects

For students at Gettysburg College, there are many departments from which one can chose to make their major course of study. Included among these courses of study is the chemistry department. Though the chemistry department might seem like a stagnant, fixed part of the Gettysburg curriculum, it has not always been that way. For about the past 125 years, the chemistry department has seen a world of change from the time that it finally separated from the physical sciences and became its own department to the changing of omnipresent faculty, the chemistry department has evolved over time to become what …

The Old Tin Cup, Nicholas T. Scerbo

Hidden in Plain Sight Projects

The world of college football, always colorful and exciting, is perhaps at its best on chilly October Saturdays, with the stands packed for Homecoming. There is a grand parade, a Homecoming Queen, an exciting game between gridiron rivals prompting the large crowd to roar with delight as the hometown heroes march dramatically down the field to victory, or perhaps dig in to preserve the lead with time running out and their backs to their own goal. Perhaps a coveted trophy will be awarded to the winning team. Ceremonies will follow the game: a trophy presentation at midfield, in full view …

"Under God": The Story Of Gettysburg In India, Daniel J. Willever

Hidden in Plain Sight Projects

At Gettysburg College, any student who strolls through Pennsylvania Hall, Musselman Library, and the College Union Building cannot help but notice the colorful retro-style posters highlighting the accomplished alumni of this historical institution. Some students dream and joke of being included among these men and women, a television star, a children’s author, and a Civil Rights activist among them. Sadly, for every pop culture icon and Nobel Prize winner, there are those who go unnoticed. Pictures of founders and theologians such as Samuel Simon Schmucker and Henry Baugher remain, but there could not be more of a general disinterest in …

George Croll Baum: Building A Greater Gettysburg, Abraham M. Apfel

Hidden in Plain Sight Projects

On November 16th, 1926 George Croll Baum died. In Gettysburg, Pennsylvania the local newspaper covered his death. The Gettysburgian, the paper for Gettysburg College reported that Henry W.A. Hanson, the college president, was “deeply distressed and further noted that Baum's death 'touched the hearts of all that knew him with deep regret.'" Within a month Dr. Hanson had already ordered three memorial plaques to be placed on the campus. Baum's family tried to help pay for them. Hanson refused the money. In a correspondence with Baum‟s brother about the plaques, Hanson told him, “What I did for your brother …

Original Pennsylvania College Building, Robert S. Kellert

Hidden in Plain Sight Projects

At the corner of Washington and High Streets in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania stands a modest old house—an anachronism that somehow seems so fitting in a town of such rich history. In the foreground lies a fairly inconspicuous plaque with condensed text—easy to miss on a leisurely car ride past the antiquated structure. Casually passing by, residents and tourists alike might not give the house a second thought or reflect on its origins. Yet, were they to merely glance over the building‘s historic plaque, they would discover a building whose significance can hardly be overstated. This was the site of the original …

Ivy And The Class Of 1933, Elizabeth M. Ungemach

Hidden in Plain Sight Projects

Plaques are curious items. According to MSN Encarta, a plaque is “a small flat piece of metal, stone, or other hard material that has an inscription or decoration on it and is fixed to a wall or other surface, often to commemorate somebody or something.” They can be found in a variety of places, celebrate a number of events, and vary in complexity from a single sentence to lengthy paragraphs. Many go unnoticed, but if one looks hard enough, they appear fairly frequently. This oddity is especially true at Gettysburg, where plaques on campus celebrate events and people on buildings, …

Preserving The Memory: An Examination Of The Masters Fountain Plaque, Donated By J. William Warehime, Victoria A. Shepard

Hidden in Plain Sight Projects

It is crucial not to underestimate your surroundings, for every place embraces a story. My story unfolds two years ago during a perfect day in late summer of 2007, a day to witness the beauty of Gettysburg College at its prime. Merely a skittish freshman, I remember walking hurriedly to my first Astronomy class in Masters Hall while simultaneously attempting to soak in the pristine condition of the surrounding brick buildings and picturesque landscape. I could not help but feel intimidated by the upperclassmen, already accustomed to the Gettysburg lifestyle. Quickening my pace, I finally reached Masters Hall and paused …

Discovering History: The History Of The Ice House Complex, Elizabeth D. Amrhein

Hidden in Plain Sight Projects

A gift to Gettysburg College in 1990 from George W. Olinger and Mae E. Olinger, life long residents of Gettysburg, zestful supporters of local history, common sense preservationists and quiet humanitarians. Their gift of these historic buildings and land underscores the Olingers' lasting love for the town of Gettysburg and the College.

Between 1786 and 1990, this area housed a Presbyterian Church and a cemetery, a livery, shirt factory, carriage making complex, blacksmith shop, a wood-works plant, a cutlery, a bottlery, two brewing companies, an ice cream factory, an ice and cold storage facility, a roofing business, personal residences and …

Adams County History 2007

Adams County History

No abstract provided.

Distinguished Gallantry In Action, Ashley N. Towle

Hidden in Plain Sight Projects

Among the many paintings of Abraham Lincoln hanging in the Civil War Institute, there is one face that may not be as familiar. Peering out from a small wooden frame in the main office sits Philip Goettel, a Civil War soldier. His posture is relaxed as he sits in a chair proudly displaying his Union uniform. A caption with the mere word “Father” appears below him, along with a significant date: 1863. Truly, the year 1863 would be a pivotal year in Philip Goettel’s life. He would be wounded, scale a mountain under fire, and earn a Medal of Honor. …

“Passages” Mural On College Union Building, Elizabeth A. Ryan

Hidden in Plain Sight Projects

The mural “Passages” in the back of the Ballroom in the College Union Building may seem to be another painting on the wall to add to the décor of the room, but it can be found to be a case of “history in plain sight.” The mural depicts the history of Gettysburg College through the art work of Ellen Elmes on four separate panels. But the mural is more than a visual reminder of Gettysburg College’s past. It was donated by Luther Ritter, Class of 1933, and as such is a reminder of all the great Alumni who have passed …

Silent Doorway To The Past: “Vigil” Painting In Weidensall Hall, Elizabeth A. Appenzeller

Hidden in Plain Sight Projects

Every object has a story waiting to be told. There is one such artifact that hangs boldly on the mantle of the fireplace in Weidensall Hall its presence large and demanding. The plaque reads “‘The Vigil’ Presented in honor of Mrs. H.W.A. Hanson by the Altoona League.” The artist’s signature is absent from the painting. The painting acts as a window into the history of Gettysburg College. One cannot understand the history of “The Vigil” without knowing the story of the Woman’s League of Gettysburg College, or of Robert Weidensall and the Young Men’s Christian Association. “The Vigil” that hangs …

Eisenhower Statue, Jamie L. Kessler

Hidden in Plain Sight Projects

Every day thousands of students walk across the Gettysburg College campus. They are distracted by thinking about class, or homework, or the latest happenings in their social lives. Whether or not they think about it daily the students are aware of the historical place in which they are present, the battlefields which surround the campus and the Civil War re-enactors who are reminders of the historical significance of this area. But what is much less obvious to the students is that on their walks to and from classes and to meals or to check their mail they pass what is …

An Astronomical Account: A History Of Hatter Planetarium From 1966-2006, Jonathan D. Neu

Hidden in Plain Sight Projects

When most individuals stare up at the vast dome of Hatter Planetarium, they often gaze upon the projected stars appearing on its surface, listening to an astronomical story told by one of its operators. However, there is a second story told by the planetarium itself. This story is the history of Hatter Planetarium, which spans five decades and includes the events in the lives of several individuals who have played a critical role in its existence at Gettysburg College. Its history has encompassed several phases of Gettysburg College traditions but is in danger of passing permanently and fixedly into the …

Rocks In Gettysburg College History, Harold J. Stevens

Hidden in Plain Sight Projects

The glittering stones fill the cases in the lower lobby of the science center. Each one is has a tag saying where it was collected and what kind of rock formation it is. The cases themselves add to the feeling of being in a museum. Each rock is in pristine order and in good condition, very professional. While it is still not the most noticed of all collections on campus (located as it is on the bottom floor of the Science Center), it is still more obvious than it was just a few years ago. The rock collection is actually …