One of the great projects that our students have been working on is a newsletter for the Center for Public Humanities. Our long-time CPH Fellow, Sarah Meeks, who will graduate this semester, has just put the final touches on a fulsome overview of CPH activities of the fellows in spring 2026. In this issue, you'll … Continue reading The CPH Chronicles: Spring 2026
Editor’s note: This is the third in a series of posts of the Center for Public Humanities at Messiah University that highlights the voices of activists, educators, and community leaders in the Harrisburg area who are advancing civil rights and preserving history. The series, titled “The Lenwood Sloan Impact,” is named in honor of the late visionary, … Continue reading On Bryan Wade’s Underground Railroad Documentary: Preserving African American History Through Storytelling
On March 24, 1842, the well-known English writer and journalist Charles Dickens traveled through Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in his first American tour. Hannah Boes, History major at Messiah University, has just published an article on Dickens' visit at Harrisburg Historical. Here's a glimpse: "The celebrated English writer Charles Dickens, along with his wife, Catherine, and her … Continue reading Today in History: Charles Dickens Visits Harrisburg in 1842
Lenwood Sloan as Martin Delany (2022) Editor's note: this reflection is the second in a series of posts of the Center for Public Humanities at Messiah University that highlights the voices of activists, educators, and community leaders in the Harrisburg area who are advancing civil rights and preserving history. The series, titled "The Lenwood Sloan … Continue reading Reflections on Equity, Parity, and Justice: The Impact of Mr. Lenwood Sloan
My name is Sarah Onufer. I am a junior majoring in Public History at Messiah University. I am a work-study for the History Department and am currently doing an internship in the Messiah University and Brethren in Christ archives on campus.This semester I am enrolled in the Humanities Project course where I am working on … Continue reading A Spring Tour of the Women’s History Garden
This article is the first in a series of posts of the Center for Public Humanities at Messiah University that highlights the voices of activists, educators, and community leaders in the Harrisburg area who are advancing civil rights and preserving history. With this initial post, we honor the late visionary, Lenwood Sloan, whose partnership with … Continue reading Catalytic Agents: The Lenwood Sloan Impact
The winter snow and bitter cold are slowly receding in central Pennsylvania and giving us hope for the early arrival of spring. Our semester at Messiah University is rolling along in the sixth week. Our annual Humanities Symposium is upon us and the Center for Public Humanities student fellows are engaged in a range of … Continue reading Digital Harrisburg: A Winter 2026 Update
Throughout this semester, I have had the privilege to work on designing various yard signs for the “Gathering at the Crossroads” Monument in Harrisburg. In collaboration with Mr. Lenwood Sloan, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Monument Project, I worked on creating two yard signs, the first pertaining to the Old Eighth Ward/Look Up, Look … Continue reading New Yard Signs for the Commonwealth Monument (A Final Reflection)
Source of image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/governortomwolf/50273969193/ As a senior psychology major who is new to digital public humanities and the Digital Harrisburg initiative, I look forward to working with the Digital Harrisburg team and community partners in Harrisburg. Throughout the course of this semester, I will be working on two major digital public humanities projects. The first … Continue reading Joining the Digital Harrisburg Initiative
Fall semester 2025 at Messiah University began six weeks ago and our students have been busy working on a number of projects related to the history of Harrisburg. As the coordinator for digital humanities with Messiah University's Center for Public Humanities (CPH), I'm excited about what our students will accomplish this term in collaboration with … Continue reading The Digital Harrisburg Initiative in Fall 2025
Digital Harrisburg 