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
Digital History and online learning have taken on a whole new meaning for me and many other students across the county and the world in the past few weeks. Last Thursday we visited the PA state archives and sorted through materials left behind from those living in Harrisburg a hundred years ago. I was looking … Continue reading Digitization and the Demolition of the Eighth Ward
Cities hold history in various forms. Some cities utilize murals to capture their past, others may use walking tours, but most city histories resides in archives and with local residents. Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania, does not have the most accessible history. Due to my work with the Digital Harrisburg Initiative, I have spent an … Continue reading Mystery of McFarland
I have been working on a project regarding the soldiers of the Spanish American War who lived in Harrisburg both before and after the war. My goal is to chart out the soldiers' places of residence, jobs, and marital status. The idea is to see if the soldiers were able to assimilate back into the … Continue reading Harrisburg History, Copyright, and My Research on Spanish American War Veterans in Harrisburg
It has been a hectic past few weeks. You'll probably learn from my classmates how the college has shut down the campus and moved all classes online (not a serious handicap for a Digital History class) due to the COVID-19 outbreak, so I'll spare you the details. Fortunately, we were able to spend our last … Continue reading Deserters and Digitization
The Silenced Voices of Harrisburg's Old Eighth Ward Before coming to Messiah I knew nothing about Harrisburg or the City Beautiful Movement. When I took Pennsylvania History during my junior year, I began to learn about the fascinating and devastating history of Harrisburg and specifically the Old Eighth Ward. I learned how the City Beautiful … Continue reading The Silenced Voices of Harrisburg’s Old Eighth Ward
In the fall of 2018, author and journalist Thomas Friedman came to Messiah College and spoke on the rapid transformations occurring globally initiated by technology. It is 2020 and it cannot be denied that fast-paced is often the speed set for society. One of my main take-aways from Friedman’s lecture was how impactful 2007 was … Continue reading Studying History Online
Hello, I am David and I am a Junior Digital History Student from Messiah College. My major is history and my love for history lies primarily in military history and the World War II era. I am also fascinated by ancient Greek and Roman history as well. As part of my history experience, I enjoy … Continue reading My Encounter with History In this Digital Age
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
Digital technologies are increasingly becoming a part of our world today. These technologies translate into history in so many ways. In my public history class last semester, we talked about the pros and cons of digital technologies such as virtual reality. I had the opportunity during a week celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. to try … Continue reading History and its connections through the Digital World
Digital Harrisburg 