Digital Harrisburg: Fall 2024

It’s hard to believe that we’ve just finished fall break here at Messiah University and will soon be sprinting to the end of the term. I think my last general update about our work on the Digital Harrisburg Initiative was fall 2022 (read that here), which makes this update well overdue.

While we’ve been silent on this page, the engines have been churning in meaningful collaborative humanities projects.

This semester I’m pleased to work with another talented group of students on significant projects related to Harrisburg history. As we move into the second half of the term, these students will be posting short essays about their activities–statements of works in progress and, perhaps, toward the end of the term, conclusions of projects. As in past years, some of my students are pursuing work through my Digital History class, whereas others are participating as student fellows of the Center for Public Humanities, now under the direction of Dr. Pete Powers, director of our Center for Public Humanities.

Students in Digital History digitize documents related to Harrisburg history at the new Pennsylvania State Archives building (photo courtesy of Tyler Stump).

I won’t steal the thunder of the students, who will report on their own activities, but let me say that the work they’re doing this semester (in some cases collaboratively with other institutions and community partners) is wonderful. Expect some interesting stories and reports on projects that speak deeply to questions of historical reconciliation, restoration, and justice in Pennsylvania’s capital region.

This term we’re not only developing new projects that will make Harrisburg’s history more accessible, but we’re also working to improve our workflows and communication channels. I’m working with students to revamp this website in small ways to make it more intuitive to navigate and find information. We’re also working to bring a little more life into our social media presence. We started this Digital Harrisburg Facebook Page in addition to this Eighth Ward page and Digital Harrisburg Instagram account: follow us there if you use those channels.

Thanks for following our work. We’re grateful that you share our interest in the significant, often forgotten stories of Pennsylvania’s capital region. Feel free to interact with our students by commenting directly to our essays. To make connections, contact me at digitalharrisburg@messiah.edu.

David Pettegrew is a professor of history and archaeology, and coordinator of digital public humanities at Messiah University. You can read more about his teaching and research interests through his profile page.