Pennsylvania and the Underground Railroad: Chautauqua Workshop, (April 20)

Posted on by David Pettegrew

Join the Commonwealth Monument Project this coming Saturday for the next Chautauqua Workshop (on previous workshops, see this post). WHO: IIPT-TFEC Harrisburg Peace Promenade: The Commonwealth Monument Project WHAT: CHAUTAUQUA: Pennsylvania and the Underground Railroad: The Road to Harrisburg: a "Live and Learn" workshop WHEN: Saturday, April 20, 2019 Noon-2 p WHERE: McCormick Public Library, … Continue reading Pennsylvania and the Underground Railroad: Chautauqua Workshop, (April 20)

Do You Know ME? Help us find descendants of 100 important Harrisburgers

Posted on by David Pettegrew

In partnership with the Commonwealth Monument Project, we are launching a campaign via Facebook, Twitter, and this blog to track down direct descendants of 100 influential African-American citizens who called Harrisburg their home in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Our collaborators in the project, history detectives Mr. Calobe Jackson, Lenwood Sloan, and Jeb … Continue reading Do You Know ME? Help us find descendants of 100 important Harrisburgers

Pieces of the Puzzle (The Burg Article on the Old Eighth Ward)

Posted on by David Pettegrew

M. Diane McCormick published a recent piece on the Commonwealth Monument Project at The Burg. Titled Pieces of the Puzzle, the essay details the project and also includes a video interview with Mr. Lenwood Sloan. Here's a taste of the article: "The stories lurk in half-forgotten memories. The images hide in boxes stashed in attics. … Continue reading Pieces of the Puzzle (The Burg Article on the Old Eighth Ward)

Reimagining the Old Eighth Ward: A Reflection on the First Chautauqua Lecture

Posted on by David Pettegrew

We recently kicked off the Commonwealth Monument Project with the first of six “Chautauqua Series” lectures at the McCormick Public Library. Close to 40 people came in and out during a two hour session. The library staff were supportive and helpful throughout. Mr. Lenwood Sloan facilitated an excellent series of presentations and conversations about the … Continue reading Reimagining the Old Eighth Ward: A Reflection on the First Chautauqua Lecture

Rethinking Harrisburg, the City Beautiful: Call for Contributions

Posted on by David Pettegrew

A call for contributions to a special issue of Pennsylvania History: "Harrisburg, The City Beautiful: Rethinking Urban Improvement in the Pennsylvania State Capital" edited by James B. LaGrand and David K. Pettegrew Abstract: Harrisburg’s City Beautiful Movement has an important place in the history of urban reform in America. Among the very earliest progressive reform movements, … Continue reading Rethinking Harrisburg, the City Beautiful: Call for Contributions

Harrisburg University Maps out Harrisburg’s History

Posted on by David Pettegrew

There's a nice little public relations piece at the website of Harrisburg University of Science and Technology about HU's role in the Digital Harrisburg Initiative. The good news is that an internal grant will continue to fund the completion of digitization of 1900 and 1929 maps. Read the piece here. Here's an excerpt from the … Continue reading Harrisburg University Maps out Harrisburg’s History

Digital Harrisburg Initiative: A New Year Update

Posted on by David Pettegrew

While this website has generated only a few posts over the last year, our team has been hard at work in developing datasets and researching the history and culture of Harrisburg. Beginning next week, I will be teaching a three-week intensive course in Digital History, which will focus on Harrisburg. As our 9 students explore … Continue reading Digital Harrisburg Initiative: A New Year Update

Digital Harrisburg at the American Historical Association Conference

Posted on by David Pettegrew

If you're attending the American Historical Association conference in D.C., come see our session "Placing the American Community: Lessons from the Digital Harrisburg Project," in the Hampton Room (Omni Shoreham, East Lobby). The session is scheduled for January 5, 8:30-10:00 AM. You'll see appearances by Messiah College professors John Fea, Jim LaGrand, David Owen. The forces … Continue reading Digital Harrisburg at the American Historical Association Conference

Digital Harrisburg: Winter 2017 Update

Posted on by David Pettegrew

It has been a long time since our last update on the work of the Digital Harrisburg Initiative, so long that visitors may have concluded this is a dead project. Our work in fact has continued on a number of fronts and has continued to expand in ways we could not have anticipated when we initiated these projects in … Continue reading Digital Harrisburg: Winter 2017 Update