Posts Tagged ‘Maryland’
Proposed visitor center for the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park, designed by GWWO, Inc./Architects. Courtesy GWWO, Inc.
By Barbara Tagger
I was a conductor on the Underground Railroad for eight years, and I can say what most conductors can’t say – I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger (Harriet Tubman, 1896).
On March 25, 2013, President Barack Obama established by proclamation the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument in Tubman’s native Dorchester County, Maryland. Encompassing some 25,000 acres of federal, state, and private lands, including large segments of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, the Tubman memorial honors the life and legacy of one of the United States’ most outstanding human rights advocates and freedom fighters best known for her role as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad. It is the 399th unit of the National Park Service (NPS), one of thirty-six focusing on African American themes and one of three recognizing African American women. Read more.
The Society for History in the Federal Government (SHFG) and Oral History in the Mid-Atlantic Region (OHMAR) have announced a joint conference to be held April 4-5, 2013 at the National Archives II in College Park, Maryland.
The program committee invites participants to broadly interpret the conference theme, “Public History in the Digital Age.” Topics might include the historiography of oral history practice and theory; the impact of technology on the practice and sharing of public history; the challenges of managing and distributing data in the digital age; the evolving relationship between public history and the web; oral history programs in federal history offices; and research in the history of the federal government. This expansive conference theme is intended to encourage a lively conversation among oral historians, archivists, and public historians.
The program committee invites entire panels and roundtables, as well as individual papers. We encourage presentations that include audio/visual components. We welcome proposals from graduate students, federal historians, public historians, archivists, oral historians, information technology professionals, enterprise architects, and scholars from other disciplines. We encourage panels composed of practitioners with a variety of backgrounds and experiences in these topics.
Paper proposals should include a brief abstract of 250-500 words, a biographical paragraph about the author, and contact information. Panel proposals should include brief abstracts for each paper as well as biographical paragraphs and contact information for each presenter.
Deadline for proposals is January 18, 2013.
Please send all correspondence, including questions and proposals, to ShfgOhmar2013@gmail.com
From H-Material Culture:
The Pioneer America Society: Association for the Preservation of Artifacts & Landscapes (PAS: APAL) announced the recipients of its 2012 Awards. We would like to extend special congratulations to the Mid-Atlantic recipients; Cathy A. Wilson of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania received the newly instituted W. Frank Ainsley Outstanding Service Award; Ryan and Eric Berley recieved an Historic Preservation Award for their restoration of the Shane Candies Confectionery in Philadelphia, PA; Temple University received an Historic Preservation Certificate of Merit for its rehabilitation of the North Broad Street Baptist Temple; and Kristen L. Britanik, a recent graduate of the Historic Preservation program at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, received the Wilhelm-Keiffer Student Research Award. More information on all the Pioneer America Society: Association for the Preservation of Artifacts & Landscapes awards below. Read more.
From Morgan State University:
The Middle-Atlantic Writer’s Association is holding its 26th Annual Conference, New Voices in African-American Literature and Popular Culture, on Friday, October 26, 9:00 am-6:00pm at the University Student Center at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Conference features novelist Daniel Omotosho Black, author of They Tell Me of a Home, The Sacred Place, Perfect Peace and Twelve Gates to the City; and poet and filmmaker M.K. Asante, author of Like Water Running off My Back and It’s Bigger than Hip-Hop and producer of 500 Years and Black Candle.
Registration for MAWA members is free with paid current membership ($35), $20 for non-members and free for students with institutional I.D. Registration closes on October 19. Download the registration form by clicking here (PDF).
The
Middle-Atlantic Writers Association, Inc. (MAWA) is a non-profit organization with a membership of creative writers, scholars, critics, and literature enthusiasts who share a common mission: the preservation, the perpetuation, and the study of the literary tradition of the Americas, the African Diaspora, and especially the Middle-Atlantic Region.
From The Institute of Museum and Library Services:
The IMLS recently announced more than 150 awards totaling $18,113,376 for Museums for America Grants. Mid-Atlantic recipients are listed after the break:
Read more.
From H-DC:
Encompassing a 500 mile land and water route, the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail tells the story of the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake Bay region. Its purpose is to protect the sites that help contextualize the War of 1812 and the writing of the National Anthem. It is hoped the trail will help bring the history of the War of 1812 forward and connect it American culture today. Additionally, the trail will provide spaces for land and water based recreation.
In Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, more than 25 visitor centers have Star-Spangled Banner orientation kiosks, with plans for additional locations through 2013. The Star-Spangled National Historic Trail was established by Congress in 2008 and is administered by the National Parks Service. It was made possible through the cooperation of multiple local, state, and federal agencies and regional non-profit partners in the Chesapeake Bay area.
The trail is well served by its accompanying website, starspangledtrail.net . An interactive map helps visitors plan their visit by allowing them to construct maps that include—or don’t— water trails, land trails, information centers, and historic places, parks and monuments. By clicking on specific locations visitors can discover more information and even add it to “My Adventure Planner,” a customizable guide that brings addresses, hours and fees together in to one easily printable screen.
From the National Endowment for the Humanities:
The National Endowment for the Humanities announced $17M in grants for 208 humanities projects. The funding will support projects, fellowships for scholarly research, the creation of exhibits, digital tools and the preservation of humanities collections and reference resources. Institutions and independent scholars from 42 states and the District of Columbia will receive NEH support.
A list of the Mid-Atlantic region’s 57 recipients after the jump, full list of recipients available here.
Read more.
2012 marks the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. In honor of this event, we offer a list of War of 1812 events, exhibits, and news items. This list is by no means complete, but will hopefully offer a number of entry points into the bicentennial celebrations.
Maryland
Running now until April 13, 2012 is the War of 1812 Portrait Exhibit at the Maryland House of Delegates in Annapolis, Maryland. The exhibit features portraits rendered by Ann Monro Wood.
The Maryland Historical Society’s ongoing exhibit, With Broad Stripes and Bright Stars includes the original manuscript of the Star Spangled Banner, which has been incorporated into a new exhibit on Baltimore’s role in the War of 1812. Another exhibit, In Full Glory Reflected: Maryland During the War of 1812, opens June 10, 2012.
On April 15th, the Maryland Historical Society presents Silver & Gold for War of 1812 Officers, an installment of the Francis Scott Key Lecture Series (PDF). Ann Wagner, Associate Curator of Decorative Arts at Winterthur Museum will speak at 6:00 p.m at the Society.
Other upcoming speakers in the Francis Scott Key series include, Edward C. Papenfuse, Ph.D., Maryland State Archivist and Commissioner of Land Patents at the Maryland State Archives, and Carol Stoltis, Project Associate Curator, Center for American Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art. Dr. Papenfuse, Ph.D., will present his lecture Mapping Baltimore During the Era of the War of 1812 begins at 6:00 p.m. on October 4, 2012. Stoltis’ lecture, A Pacifist and the Defenders: Rembrandt Peale and His Portraits of Baltimore’s Heroes of the War of 1812, will be held November 1A, at 6:00 p.m.
From June 13-19, 2012, Baltimore will host The Star-Spangled Sailabration. An international parade of ships will sail into the Inner Harbor to launch the U.S. Bicentennial commemoration of the War of 1812. The ships will start passing by Fort McHenry on June 12.
Currently on view at Philadelphia’s Independence Seaport Museum is Home of the Brave: The War of 1812 in Art, Story & Song. The exhibit runs through December 31, 2012:
Comprised of objects from the collection of Independence Seaport Museum, as well as loans from the Dietrich American Foundation and other private collectors, the exhibition explores the naval aspect of the War of 1812 through the lenses of art, material and popular culture, as well as first-hand accounts of participants and on-lookers.
New York Humanities Council Events:
On April 14, 2012, at 2:00 p.m. Tom Shanahan will present a lecture, 1812: Uncle Sam’s First War at the New York State Library in Albany, New York.
Raya Lee offers a lecture, War of 1812: Fury, Frenzy and Honor at the Wood Library in Canadaigua, New York on April 18, 2012 at 6:30 p.m.
On April 19th, Dave Ruch offers a lecture/concert entitled The War of 1812: Songs and Stories from New York and Beyond. The event will be held at the Sardinia Meeting House in Sardinia, New York, starting at 7:00 p.m.
On April 23rd, at 6:00 p.m., Alfred Ronzoni will present From Battleground to Empire State: New York and the War of 1812 at York College, the City University of New York.
Robert W. Arnold III will present 1812: New York’s War, New York’s Impetus on April 25 at 7:00 p.m. at Herkimer County Community College.
From July 20, 2012 – July 21, 2012, the Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site will host President Monroe Looks Back on the War of 1812. First-person interpreter Dennis Bigelow will portray Mr. Monroe in this unique event. http://www.nyhumanities.org/events/event.php?event_id=5066
Please note that a number of the New York Humanities Council events will be held in multiple locations in the next six months. Please see their events calendar for details.
From June 15, 2012 – January 27, 2013, the Smithsonian will host 1812: A Nation Emerges in the Portrait Gallery:
This exhibition tells the story of the war that one historian called, “the second American Revolution.” Through portraits and objects, it explores key people who influenced the turn of events, including President James Madison and Dolley Madison, General Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and the powerful Indian leader Tecumseh. The exhibition also follows the stories of soldiers, slaves, financiers, industrialists, artists, architects, Native Americans, and women. The victory at New Orleans became a national holiday and added to a growing sense of American nationalism. The epic battles and the aftermath known as “the era of good feelings” are central elements of this story, linked by the biographies of the extraordinary and colorful leaders whose lives shaped its direction.
The New York Humanities Council is accepting War of 1812 Mini Grants from now until September 20, 2012. Grants of up to $3,000 are available to present humanities-based public programs exploring the legacy of the War of 1812 in New York State. Eligibility requirements and application procedures are available online.
Last summer, an archaeological dig at the Plattsburgh Air Force Base uncovered military artifacts which indicated that the site was a winter encampment for soldiers during the War of 1812. Uniform buttons bearing the number 15 were uncovered, indicating that the U.S. Army’s 15th Regiment had occupied the site. More excavations are planned at the site this summer.
The National Park Service at the National Heritage Area in Baltimore, Maryland has developed a War of 1812 traveling exhibit. The exhibit is free and available to museums, libraries, and historical sites.
On the web:
Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission
Maryland Humanities Council War of 1812 Bicentennial: For information on special events, organizations, and media and archives collections.
The Official War of 1812 Bicentennial: a binational site with an events calendar covering events in Canada and the United States.
From Maryland Institute of Technology in the Humanities:
On Tuesday, April 3, 12:30-1:45 pm, the Maryland Institute of Technology in the Humanities is hosting “Historical Interactive Visualization: Coaxing Data to Tell Stories,” as part of its Digital Dialogue series. The speaker, Bill Ferster, directs the VisualEyes Project at the University of Virginia. His talk will look at interactive visualization projects done using the visualization authoring tool, VisualEyes, developed at UVa.
VisualEyes enables scholars to present selected primary source materials and research findings while encouraging active inquiry and hands-on learning among general and targeted audiences. It communicates through the use of dynamic displays that organize and present meaningful information in both traditional and multimedia formats, such as audio-video, animation, charts, maps, data, and interactive timelines.
The talk will be held in the Human Computer Interaction Lab, 2117 Hornbake Library (South). It is free and open to the public. MITH archives podcasts of their events for those unable to attend. They also encourage you to access their Digital Dialogues Twitter account, @digdialog (#mithdd) as a means of following the conversation.
On January 31, 2012, the Maryland Historical Trust awarded its Preservation Awards for 2012. The awards are presented annually by MHT’s Board of Trustees and represents the highest level of recognition for historic preservation and heritage education project in Maryland. Fourteen awards across nine categories were awarded to individuals and organizations across Maryland. Full descriptions of each project and its partners is available at the MTH press release (PDF).
Excellence in Media and Publications:
Annapolis: City on the Severn, A History
The War of 1812 in Charles County’s Backyard: A Virtual Tour
Montgomery County Historic Preservation Interactive Mapping Initiative
Excellence in Community Engagement:
Cambridge City Hall Renovation Plans
Community Impact:
Rehabilitation of the Most Precious Blood Church for use as the Betterton Community Center
Frederick Visitor Center
Preservation Partnerships:
Rehabilitation of the Old Towson Jail
Rehabilitation of the Ridgeley Rosenwald School
Excellence in Commercial Rehabilitation:
La Banque de Fleuve
Outstanding Stewardship of Historic Properties by a Government Agency:
C&O Canal National Historical Park
Outstanding Stewardship of MHT Easement Properties:
Holly Hill
Outstanding Organizational Leadership at the Local Level:
Four Rivers Heritage Area; Carol Benson, Pat Barland, Donna Ware, Donna Hole
Outstanding Individual Leadership at the Local Level:
Louis S. Diggs
Elizabeth Scott Shatto
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