Blog

Harrisburg’s Once “Lunatic Hospital” and Two Archive Visits Later…

Posted on by Sophia Snyder

One evening, in my excitement (and haste) to search for a placed-based digitization project, I came across the title “Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital.” Immediately, its history captivated me, and my research on Harrisburg State Hospital and its creation in Harrisburg thus began. For two days, I had the opportunity to practice careful research at the … Continue reading Harrisburg’s Once “Lunatic Hospital” and Two Archive Visits Later…

Stories of Resistance: Reflections on the Fall Semester

Posted on by J.T. Crocenzi

In my first semester as a Fellow at the Center of Public Humanities, I’m working on editing and finalizing previous students’ stories for Harrisburg Historical's website and mobile app and beginning to research my own story. Many of the stories for Harrisburg Historical were nearly ready to be published before I joined the CPH. My … Continue reading Stories of Resistance: Reflections on the Fall Semester

Bringing History to Life: Developing an Immersive Walking Tour for Downtown Harrisburg’s Civil Rights Legacy

Posted on by jk1641

Jake Kocher: October 17th, 2024 This semester I have the privilege of working with the Center for Public Humanities at Messiah University on a project to develop an immersive walking tour that brings to life significant historical places in Downtown Harrisburg.  The project I’m working on is Harrisburg Historical, a mobile and web app that … Continue reading Bringing History to Life: Developing an Immersive Walking Tour for Downtown Harrisburg’s Civil Rights Legacy

Social Media Semester Recap

Posted on by ht1222

Starting this semester-long journey working with Digital Harrisburg has been a fascinating experience that has improved my knowledge of the rich history of this city and sharpened my storytelling abilities on social media. Throughout the semester, my main emphasis was creating engaging content for Digital Harrisburg's Facebook and Instagram pages. I tried to capture the … Continue reading Social Media Semester Recap

Reflecting on Stories Retold

Posted on by dg1334

This semester as part of the Center for Public Humanities, I returned to the ongoing work of writing stories in place for the new Harrisburg Historical tour site which is the latest part of the Digital Harrisburg Initiative. More specifically, my work was on the story of the Black laborers who built Fort Couch during … Continue reading Reflecting on Stories Retold

Before Harrisburg: John Harris and Hercules

Posted on by Sophia Snyder

The Chester Way Tour project combines place-based, often forgotten, stories of Harrisburg's history from the 19th to the 20th century that illuminate the civil rights effort of the region. The first story of this tour, which I’m delighted to share, begins with the first European settler of Harrisburg, John Harris, a mulberry tree, and the rumored account … Continue reading Before Harrisburg: John Harris and Hercules

The Untold Tale of Fort Couch

Posted on by dg1334

Dominic Gomez This semester, I decided to return to the Center of Public Humanities to contribute another story once again. Roughly a year ago, I began my involvement with the Center as a Fellow working on a Curatescape story for the ongoing series of stories-in-place on the untold narratives of Black History in the Harrisburg … Continue reading The Untold Tale of Fort Couch

Revitilizing Social Media

Posted on by ht1222

In this current semester, I am engaging in a project as part of a humanities projects course, Humanities Projects 1, where I have taken on the responsibility of managing the Instagram and Facebook accounts for Digital Harrisburg. Digital Harrisburg is a website platform dedicated to preserving and showcasing the rich history of Harrisburg, focusing on … Continue reading Revitilizing Social Media