United States History Commons^™

"Realize I Don't Want To Be A Miser": Giving Up Power, John M. Rudy

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

Oftentimes, 'the visitor is sovereign' is used as a crib notes version of, "the customer is always right." That's not what it was intended to mean. That is a gross bastardization of the concept, in fact. David Larsen in Meaningful Interpretation characterizes it succinctly: "it is the audience that will ultimately decide if they've had a meaningful experience, connected emotionally and intellectually, and believe the place is worth caring about and for." [excerpt]

Sit Down And Cry: Why Our Favorite Joke Is Demeaning, John M. Rudy

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

A family of visitors walks up to the information desk and smiles at the interpreter. "We have 15 minutes," the father says, "What should we do?"

The interpreter replies with a curt smile: "Sit down and cry." [excerpt]

Anniversaries, John M. Rudy

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

It has been one year since the birth of this blog. Not one year since our first post. If you run back in our roll, the first post was February 1st 2011. Still, this blog was born on this day one year ago, or at least the ethic which leads me to post week in, week out was. I didn't even realize that fact until a few weeks ago. [excerpt]

I Like Ike's Memorial: Who Owns A Legacy?, John M. Rudy

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

In 1963, former president Dwight D. Eisenhower spoke in the cemetery at Gettysburg to help celebrate the centennial of Lincoln's Address. His own speech was somewhat lackluster, largely skirting the issue of the war's legacy in the racially charged aftermath of freedom summer. [excerpt]

"...Of Shadow And Substance, Of Things And Ideas": Finding Inspiration In The Twilight Zone, John M. Rudy

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

"Tonight's story on The Twilight Zone is somewhat unique, and calls for a different kind of introduction. This, as you may recognize, is a map of the United States..."

Of all of the consummate storytellers of the 20th century, no other holds a candle to Rod Serling. In a half-hour, Serling and his corps of writers, directors and actors could weave a small tale into an epic. Serling could strike at the heart of the human soul. He could incisively cut to the core of social and political quandaries, injecting deep meaning through simple stories and fantastic everyday occurrences. [ …

A Century Of Brickmaking At Berlin Junction: A History Of The Alwine Brick Company, Duane F. Alwin

Adams County History

The Alwine family name had been associated with brickmaking in York and Adams Counties at least since the early 1850s, when Peter Samuel Alwine started his first brickyard on a farm in Paradise Township of York County.1 He learned the trade of brickmaking during his youth and by the age of seventeen had become a skilled artisan. He learned how to make bricks by working in the spring and summer months at a brickmaking operation in Peach Bottom Township, located in the southeastern corner of York County. He did not set up his own brickyard until later, and following his …

Hidden In Plain Sight: Remembering The Upbeat, Sarah E. Hayes

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

“He would tell us we were like a fat lady on a stool hanging over!” According to Barbara Tuceling, Gettysburg College Class of 1970, that was what Professor Parker B. Wagnild would say to the Gettysburg College Choir when they did not stop singing on his cue. It was one of many sayings that Professor Wagnild, affectionately known as “Wags,” used with the Choir. He founded the College’s premiere vocal ensemble in 1935 and directed it for forty-one years. During his long tenure, he also founded the Music Department and earned the respect of scores of students. His impact on …

Adams County History 2011-2012

Adams County History

No abstract provided.

Shedding New Light On A Pennsylvania Painter: Finding "R. Fibich" And His Graveyard, Judith S. Pyle

Adams County History

The painting that would become known as the “York Springs Graveyard” (see cover illustration) was sold to Connecticut folk-art collectors Jean and Howard Lipman in about 1939 by Joe Kindig, an antiques dealer from York, PA. The 18” x 24” oil painting on canvas, of mid-nineteenth-century people and carriages at a cemetery, with cattle in the middle distance, is signed “R. Fibich.” The New York State Historical Association, Cooperstown, NY, subsequently acquired the painting from the Lipmans. It was cleaned, documented, studied, and then exhibited at various venues including the Primitives Gallery of Harry Stone (1942); the Union College of …

Girl Abducted By Indians, Kevin L. Greenholt

Adams County History

Who was this girl? Why was this account not known to others who had researched Indian abductions in the Adams County area? A former volunteer at the Adams County Historical Society suggested that I look into these matters. Using the collections of the historical society, the Pennsylvania 27 State Archives, and the Daughters of the American Revolution Library in Washington, D.C., my search began.

It should be noted before going any further that the 1765 date, which is repeated in various accounts of this abduction, is incorrect and will be examined later. Also incorrect is the fact that the Zimmerman/Carpenter …

War Gender And Dancing: Gettysburg College And The Uso During World War Ii, Erin E. Richards

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

Made up of women and the men who could not join the military, the home front was more than just victory gardens and factory jobs. Although factory work was seen as a way for women both to help the war effort and at the same time gain some independence outside the home, not every woman was ready to hang up her dress and start donning pants full time. There was a middle ground where women were able to break traditional feminine roles yet still keep their dresses and serve the servicemen fighting the war between victory gardens and factory jobs; …

Book Review: Lincoln And His Books, Allen C. Guelzo

Civil War Era Studies Faculty Publications

“I have found no one to speak of Lincoln as a man of either capacity or patriotism,” smirked Confederate general Lafayette McLaws, as the Army of Northern Virginia prepared to march into Pennsylvania on June 28, 1863. His was not, unhappily, an opinion limited to Abraham Lincoln’s enemies-in-arms. Henry Clay Whitney admitted that, at best, Lincoln “had the appearance of a rough intelligent farmer.” Elihu Washburne agreed: meeting Lincoln on the railroad platform in Washington, D.C., on February 23, 1861, Washburne could not help thinking that Lincoln “looked more like a well-to-do farmer from one of the back towns of …

Does Lincoln Still Belong To The Ages?, Allen C. Guelzo

Civil War Era Studies Faculty Publications

Edwin M. Stanton gets only a footnote in John Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, but the phrase is one that many know by heart, words this normally irascible and overbearing powder-keg of a man uttered at Abraham Lincoln’s deathbed: “Now he belongs to the ages.” That, at least, was how John Hay recorded Stanton’s words. Dr. Charles Sabin Taft, who had been boosted awkwardly from the stage to the presidential box in Ford’s Theatre and who accompanied the dying Lincoln across Tenth Street to the Petersen House’s back bedroom, thought that Stanton had said, “He now belongs to the ages.” James …

Lincoln And Leadership: An Afterword, Allen C. Guelzo

Civil War Era Studies Faculty Publications

Lincoln and Leadership offers fresh perspectives on the 16th president—making novel contributions to the scholarship of one of the more studied figures of American history. The book explores Lincoln’s leadership through essays focused, respectively, on Lincoln as commander-in-chief, deft political operator, and powerful theologian. Taken together, the essays suggest the interplay of military, political, and religious factors informing Lincoln’s thought and action and guiding the dynamics of his leadership. The contributors, all respected scholars of the Civil War era, focus on several critical moments in Lincoln’s presidency to understand the ways Lincoln understood and dealt with such issues and concerns …

First Step Toward Freedom: Women In Contraband Camps In And Around The District Of Columbia During The Civil War, Lauren H. Roedner

Student Publications

A white Quaker abolitionist woman from Rochester, New York was not a likely sight in occupied Alexandria, Virginia during the Civil War where violence, suffering, death and racial inequality were rampant just south of the nation’s capital. Julia Wilbur was used to a comfortable home, her loving family, an enjoyable profession as a teacher, and the familiar comfort of many, often like-minded, friends. However instead of continuing that “easy” life, Julia embarked on a great adventure as a missionary to work with “contrabands-of-war”. More commonly known as fugitive slaves, these refugees needed shelter, medicine, food, clothes, and many other necessities …

The Minority Experience At Gettysburg College: The Hanson Years (1961-1977), Joshua W. Poorman, John W. Nelson

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

The years of C. Arnold Hanson’s term as president at Gettysburg College were years of turbulence, change, and challenge. Rising to the position of president in 1961, in the dawning of a dynamic era of modern American history, C. A. Hanson served well into the middle of the next decade, during which time he helped guide Gettysburg College through some of its most trying and vital changes. This was the era of the hippie and the free thinker, the era of the Women’s and Civil Rights Movements, the era of Vietnam and anti-war protests, the era that shaped modern American …

Rebuilding The "Special Relationship:" Ambassador Sir Harold Caccia And The Reconstruction Of Relations Between The United States And The United Kingdom, Elizabeth D. Amrhein

Student Publications

This paper focuses on the rejuvenation of the 'special relationship' between the United States and Great Britain during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower. Relations between the two nations suffered after the Suez Canal Crisis of 1956, and the next two years were devoted to repairing the necessary close relationship between the two allies. The research highlights the role of United Kingdom Ambassador to Washington, Sir Harold Caccia, during the time of rebuilding the close relations.

Fish Or Cut Bait? Dwight D. Eisenhower And The Creation Of The St. Lawrence Seaway, Austin W. Clark

Student Publications

“Our relations with Canada, happily always close, involve more and more the unbreakable ties of strategic interdependence. Both nations now need the St. Lawrence Seaway for security as well as for economic reasons. I urge the Congress promptly to approve our participation and construction.” When President Dwight D. Eisenhower included these sentences in his State of the Union Address in January of 1954, there must have been an almost audible sigh of relief from the thousands of Seaway activists, Congressmen, and lobbyists across the country. The previous year had not been an easy one for supporters of the St. Lawrence …

Merry Christmas From A Land Of Hope And Sorrow, John M. Rudy

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

I was driving home from work a few weeks ago, flipping through the radio stations and I came upon one of those dedicated progressive/modern/pop holiday formats you hear so often this time of year. I tarried, only planning to spend a moment there. It was a cover version of "O Holy Night" performed by Josh Groban. I'm not the biggest fan of Groban, so my hand instinctively went back to the dial when I stopped. [excerpt]

Saturday Extra: Guerilla Civic Engagement On The Landscape, John M. Rudy

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

Over at Civil War Memory, Kevin Levin brought the community's attention to some installations placed on the fences surrounding a few of the statues along Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. The signs are a redress of sorts to the Confederate narrative told through granite, marble and bronze on the massive monuments. They highlight black citizens of Virginia who challenged the racist establishment of the state throughout its history. [excerpt]

The Past Is A Foreign Country: But They Still Eat Ketchup There, John M. Rudy

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

Earlier this week, the folks over at the Gettysburg National Military Park Facebook page posted a link to their Gettysburg School Bus blog highlighting a post on integrating the Civil War into a language arts curriculum. I love the concept. I think in the current educational environment, which seems to be spurning history and social studies in primary classrooms, anywhere we can integrate the stories of the past into the state's standards, sneaking the history back in, is awesome.

"The Wrong Shall Fail, The Right Prevail, With Peace On Earth, Good-Will To Men!", John M. Rudy

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

This past Saturday night, I was standing in one of my old haunts. The Dry Goods Store at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is perhaps my favorite place to be an interpreter, especially at night. Low wattage lightbulbs (simulating whale oil or tallow lamps) and the darkness outside the windows make that building a perfect time machine. Near the end of the night, a family came in with two enthusiastic sons. One wearing a toy kepi and carrying a brand new souvenir envelope of Confederate money rushed around the store asking if he could, “buy that with this.” His excitement …

Huck Finn, Robot Jim And John Denver: Language, Young Man!, John M. Rudy

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

I'll be teaching a section of Civil War Era Studies 205, Intro to the Civil War Era at Gettysburg College this spring. I had been puzzling over my book list for the past month or two, trying to decide which tomes to assign to students who need an overview of the era and a firm grounding in the four Civil War historical schools: social, military, political and memory. While Drew Gilpin Faust and Charles Dew have drifted onto and off of and back onto my list as I've been planning, one firm holdout has always been Adventures of Huckleberry Finn …

Forever Free: The Dakota People's Civil War, John M. Rudy

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

As I mentioned last week, I left Fort Snelling after our tour as part of the National Association for Interpretation annual conference unfulfilled. The potential for high-drama and deeply meaningful connections was palpable on that landscape. The audience, a crowd of interpreters, were begging for meanings. One African American woman in the group, after the site administrator mentioned in passing Dred and Harriet Scott being held at the site, asked about the nature of the labor used to build the fort. I was sitting in the row behind her. I could not see her face. But from the inflection in …

Walking Out On The Meaning: Dedication Day 2011, John M. Rudy

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

I am a nerd. Last year on November 19th I was stuck in Las Vegas, attending the NAI conference (the same one Jake and I have been grousing about for the last two weeks). This was the first Dedication Day event I had missed since first coming to Gettysburg in 2003. I was upset. I was disconsolate. I trudged the strip dejected. I toured the Atomic Testing Museum, which was fascinating but unfulfilling. I am one of those dorks who doesn't understand how anyone can schedule anything other than a trip to Gettysburg on November the 19th. The glitz of …

Just Interpret To Me: Reflecting On Nai 2011, John M. Rudy

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

Last week saw Jake and I in St. Paul, Minnesota for the annual National Association for Interpretation workshop, a week long gathering of professional interpreters from around the nation. I'll guarantee that the next couple of weeks will be filled with recaps from both of us on what struck us the most during the conference. Our reactions ranged from "meh..." to "Dude!" [excerpt]

Last Prisoners At Gettysburg: A Gift For Kind Hearts, John M. Rudy

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

I have been digging quite heavily into the history of Pennsylvania (Gettysburg) College and the American Civil War these past few months, trying to fill a gaping hole in the scholarship not only of the college but of the local civilian story in the war. This has meant long Thursday nights at Adams County Historical Society culling through every random mention of the college and the complex relationship which the students and faculty had with both the citizens of the borough and the armies which invaded it. It has also meant that I've had the opportunity to revisit Gettysburg College's …

"Sit Down Together At A Table Of Brotherhood": Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, John M. Rudy

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

As we walked along the tidal basin back toward the Smithsonian Metro Station, I began to cry. Just a few tears, here and there, welled in my eyes. It wasn't the monument or the quotes. It wasn't the deep feelings I had looking at his face. It was overhearing a simple conversation. Two 30-something black women in a group of tourists were talking to one another about photos.

"You need to get your picture taken, girl," one asks the other.

"Why?" she responds, "I've got plenty of pictures."

"To prove you were here," the first woman responds. [excerpt]

Wittingly Effaced For Too Long: Hidden In Plain Sight, John M. Rudy

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

A few years ago, Gettysburg College changed their wordmark. The previous college logo featured the words "Gettysburg College" topped with a line art version of the flag flying from the cupola of Pennsylvania Hall. The logo explicitly acknowledged the sense of place, referencing the 34-star flag which flies above the Civil War era field hospital both night and day. The logo acknowledged the Civil War inherently. [excerpt]

The Race Of The Interpreter: "I'M Not Going To Spend My Life Being A Color...", John M. Rudy

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

I am often put into an interesting place when recounting the tales of history. My passion is the history of race and abolition, the Civil War and the development of Civil Rights in the wake of the memory of our great fratricidal conflict. I'm white. Yet I am never afraid to broach the subject of race. Stephen Colbert's character on The Colbert Report often mentions that he doesn't, "see color." I would never be that bold. But I will say that I try to ignore color when I am interpreting to an audience. Put an audience of white visitors in …