The Untold Tale of Fort Couch

Dominic Gomez

This semester, I decided to return to the Center of Public Humanities to contribute another story once again. Roughly a year ago, I began my involvement with the Center as a Fellow working on a Curatescape story for the ongoing series of stories-in-place on the untold narratives of Black History in the Harrisburg area. Now, I am returning to the project (not in the capacity of a Fellow) to add another story to the Harrisburg Curatescape project. More specifically, I am working on a story about the experiences of Black soldiers in Fort Couch in the defense of Harrisburg against the Confederate offensive during the American Civil War. Fort Couch was an earthwork defense made primarily by Black troops and volunteers located on Washington Heights in Lemoyne. This story will be a part of the series of historical narratives found on the Harrisburg Historical Curatescape Site to be available for public engagement and information.

This project will serve a great benefit to the community, providing a needed historical background of the city that is often overlooked. Using primary resources and work by other scholars, I hope to create a story in place that is both informative and approachable to the wider public. This would also bring attention to the local history spurring greater interest in the city, especially because my retelling will bring to light the contributions of Black laborers to Fort Couch which is often overlooked. For the second time contributing to the Curatescape project, I hope to further refine my research and writing abilities. These skills have been of use for this project and especially for the next stages of my career, and I am grateful for my involvement in the Center for Public Humanities for strengthening my communication skills. Under the guidance of Dr. David Pettegrew, myself and my colleagues have been able to tell the stories of the subaltern in Harrisburg and bring them to the public in exciting and accessible ways.