Blog

Mystery of McFarland

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

Harrisburg History, Copyright, and My Research on Spanish American War Veterans in Harrisburg

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

Deserters and Digitization

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

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

My Encounter with History In this Digital Age

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

“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

History and its connections through the Digital World

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

History and the Digital Revolution: A Reflection on the New Collectiveness of Historical Knowledge

The effect of the digital revolution on the study of history. A cutting edge device in a Renaissance style painting of Clio, the muse of history; new technology with old ways of thinking. From https://earlyamericanists.com/2017/01/26/reflecting-on-digital-history/ Hello, everyone. My name is Christopher Mundis and I am a sophomore history major at Messiah College, with concentrations in … Continue reading History and the Digital Revolution: A Reflection on the New Collectiveness of Historical Knowledge

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