Getting Out The Vote at Messiah University

As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the 15th amendment and the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, the Center for Public Humanities has partnered with the Student Government Association as well as the MU Democrats and MU Conservatives for a voting drive across campus

Closing Out an Eventful Year

The year has finally come to a close, and I have learned a tremendous amount. When I first began this year, I was but a lowly English major searching for something to diversify my degree a little bit. I stumbled upon Digital Humanities and this led me to several new experiences involving the use of … Continue reading Closing Out an Eventful Year

Employment Options for African American Residents of Harrisburg from 1900-1930

Although present day Harrisburg's African American population accounts for 48% of its citizens, from 1900 to 1930 these residents were a vast minority. Despite being a progressive, fast-growing city, for most of the minority population, employment options remained very limited during the time period. While similar jobs were filled by the majority of both populations … Continue reading Employment Options for African American Residents of Harrisburg from 1900-1930

Digital Harrisburg in a State of Quarantine

In mid-march, as skepticism and minimal concern over the impending Coronavirus epidemic began to mount, Digital Harrisburg began to develop plans to carry our work into remote-work context. I was never doubtful of the seriousness of the matter, but I was surprised all the same when Messiah announced that our date of return to campus … Continue reading Digital Harrisburg in a State of Quarantine

Research at the PA State Archives: My Last Hands on Experience for a Long Time

I went in to my experience at the archives somewhat daunted, because I didn't have an extremely concrete idea of what I was going to be looking for. Initially interested in researching restrictive covenants, I soon found that the archives would not be much help in that area. I decided to look at arrest records … Continue reading Research at the PA State Archives: My Last Hands on Experience for a Long Time

“Voices of the Eighth” is Historical Theater at Its Finest

The first thing that strikes you about Sankofa Theatre Company's latest production is its music. The play opens with an old-fashioned piano riff as we look at a picture of a Harrisburg building from the early 1900s. As the image shifts to an image of the same building in the present day, the soundtrack fades … Continue reading “Voices of the Eighth” is Historical Theater at Its Finest

Learning to Uncover Truth in Digital History

I began working with Digital Harrisburg in September of last year and I was quickly immersed in the world of Digital History. Though I was able to adjust and become acquainted with the work I was doing, as an English major, the practices of digital history were skills that I mostly learned on the fly. … Continue reading Learning to Uncover Truth in Digital History

Reflecting on a Semester Spent With Digital Harrisburg

Unbelievably, it seems to be the end of the 2019 fall semester. September seems to have turned into December at a whirlwind pace. As the year comes to a close, I'd like to take a moment and reflect on my time on the Digital Harrisburg working group. The first thing that I quickly realized was … Continue reading Reflecting on a Semester Spent With Digital Harrisburg

Story Mapping Harrisburg’s Old Eighth Ward with ArcGIS

Last Sunday my friend Andre Frueh and I jumped in the car and drove twenty minutes from Messiah to the steps of the Harrisburg Capitol. We parked on the street by a meter, where parking is free on Sunday. We may be budding historians, but that doesn't mean we aren't on a budget. Our reason … Continue reading Story Mapping Harrisburg’s Old Eighth Ward with ArcGIS