From Idea to Digital Circulation: The Spirit of the Commonwealth Quarter

Amish buggies, Great Danes, Butterscotch Krimpets. All of these were nominated to be on the Pennsylvania state quarter in 1999 because someone thought they represented Pennsylvania. None of these were finalists for the Pennsylvania state quarter, though a ruffed grouse and eastern hemlock tree were. The official chosen quarter features the state outline, a keystone, … Continue reading From Idea to Digital Circulation: The Spirit of the Commonwealth Quarter

Researching Harrisburg’s Wildwood Zoological Park

As a current student in a Digital History class at Messiah University, I was tasked with creating a Story Map about an aspect of the history of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. For my Digital History Story Map, I chose the topic of the Wildwood Zoological Park that used to exist in the capital city. While the Zoological … Continue reading Researching Harrisburg’s Wildwood Zoological Park

Reflecting on Stories Retold

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

The Untold Tale of Fort Couch

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

Encountering History in the Digital Age 

 by Sam Erikson I have always had an interest in history and for as long as I can remember, I planned to major in History at college to someday become the person working at the museum rather than the curious visitor. Following my first year at Messiah University, I encountered frustration with the course work … Continue reading Encountering History in the Digital Age