PreserveCast

For most of us – Thanksgiving is a time of reflection, communion and appreciation – shared around a table groaning under the weight of rich foods with family and friends. Central to the holiday is a story dating back to the 1620s – when our European forbearers gathered with native peoples and peacefully celebrated a harvest. Or, at least, that’s what legend, myth and selective memory would lead us to believe.

Today’s guest, Dr. David J. Silverman, has authored a powerful new history of Thanksgiving which explores the story from all angles – and makes the case that the way we remember and consider Thanksgiving requires thoughtful reconsideration as we endeavor to tell the full story of American history.

On this week’s PreserveCast, we’re exploring the untold story of Thanksgiving with an authority on the subject.

Hey, Nick here – and as we approach Thanksgiving – I want to say thank you to all of our listeners – you have made this podcast a huge success and have grown us to become one of the most listened to history and preservation podcasts in the nation – no small feat for a podcast produced on a shoestring. Speaking of that shoestring, and thanks, would you consider making a quick donation today to help us bring more content like this to you in the year ahead? Every bit helps and we greatly appreciate whatever you can provide! Now, let’s head back to the 1620s to get the full story of Thanksgiving.

Join us in exploring a new narrative of the American Revolutionary War from the eyes of hired German Soldiers, known as Hessians. On this week’s PreserveCast, we are talking with Friederike Baer about her book Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War. We’ll explore the untold stories of the Hessians and the profound impact they had in the American Revolution.

Friederike Baer is Associate Professor of History and Division Head for Arts and Humanities at Pennsylvania State University, Abington College. Originally from Germany, Baer holds a Ph.D. in early American history from Brown University. Her research, which has been supported by organizations such as the American Philosophical Society, University of Michigan Clements Library, German Historical Institute in Washington, D.C., and German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), focuses primarily on the experiences of German-speaking people in North America in the periods of the War for American Independence and Early Republic. Among her publications are the books The Trial of Frederick Eberle: Language, Patriotism and Citizenship in Philadelphia’s German Community, 1790-1830 (New York UP, 2008) and Hessians: German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War (Oxford UP, 2022).

Learn more: https://friederikebaer.com/

Book: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/hessians-9780190249632?lang=en&cc=us

Hold onto your steering wheel as we’re about to hit the road on this week’s PreserveCast as we talk with Evans Paull about Baltimore’s Stop the Road movement, the historic waterfront communities saved, and the Highway to Nowhere. Detailed in his recently released book, Stop the Road: Stories from The Trenches of Baltimore’s Road Wars, Paull will give us a glimpse into the up-close-and-personal account of Baltimore’s 40-year battle over highway plans.

 E. Evans Paull spent 45 years as a city planner working in Baltimore and nationally on urban redevelopment issues. He began his career in the Baltimore City Department of Planning as a generalist planner before specializing in the redevelopment of brownfields. 

After starting and managing Baltimore’s Brownfields Initiative, he tackled these same issues at a national level, working first for Northeast-Midwest Institute before becoming director of the National Brownfields Coalition and finally running his consulting business, Redevelopment Economics. Although now retired, many of his published articles and papers still appear on the Redevelopment Economics website.

Paull has won several awards, including: Brownfields Leadership Award, Phoenix Award (for brownfields redevelopment), Governor’s Smart Growth Award and Professional Achievement in Economic Development Award from the Maryland Chapter American Planning Association.

It’s time for The Great Maryland Recipe Hunt! Join us on this week’s PreserveCast as we talk with Joyce White from A Taste of History to discuss the upcoming anniversary of one of Maryland’s most iconic cookbooks, Maryland’s Way, The Hammond-Harwood House Cook Book. This cookbook included recipes found in historic handwritten journals as well as many that were donated from Marylanders across the state. The Hammond-Harwood House and the Maryland State Archives are teaming up to continue the search for recipes that fully represent Maryland’s evolving cuisine to honor this 60th anniversary.

Joyce White is a foodways historian operating A Taste of History with Joyce White, offering interactive food history presentations with tastings on a variety of topics. Joyce is also the foodways consultant to the c. 1801 Riversdale House Museum in Riverdale Park, Maryland, was the consultant for the restoration of the 18th century kitchen at Annapolis’ William Paca House, and was the guest curator for the Maryland State Exhibit for the Southern Food & Beverage Museum in New Orleans.

In a world where rational, scientific explanations are more available than ever, belief in the unprovable and irrational--in fringe--is on the rise: from Atlantis to aliens, from Flat Earth to the Loch Ness monster, the list goes on. Enter Colin Dickey, Cultural Historian and Tour Guide of the Weird. With the same curiosity and insight that made Ghostland a hit with readers and critics, Colin looks at what all fringe beliefs have in common, explaining that today's Illuminati is yesterday's Flat Earth: the attempt to find meaning in a world stripped of wonder. On this week’s PreserveCast things are about to get weird as we enter spooky season with The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained.

On this week’s PreserveCast, we are talking we are talking with Carissa Demore from Historic New England about the Historic New England Summit (2022) happing this Thursday, October 13th through Friday, October 14th. This 2-day event will be full of conversations exploring how 21st-century challenges and opportunities are transforming the fields of historic preservation, architecture, urban planning, conservation, arts & culture, museum studies, collections management, public history, and education. If you are interested, you can still participate! Join the Summit virtually via livestream for both daytime sessions. Grab your tickets now!

Carissa Demore joined Historic New England in 2013 and became the Team Leader of Preservation Services in 2017. In her current role, she is responsible for the overall planning and implementation of a variety of preservation programs and initiatives, including management of the Preservation Easement Program, direction of public programs to raise visibility and awareness of historic preservation issues, administration of Historic New England’s two grant programs, and leadership and support of partner agencies and organizations advocating for historic resources and sound preservation policies across the region. Carissa has a Bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Colorado State University and a Master’s degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Maryland. Prior to joining Historic New England, Carissa was the Program Coordinator for the City of Annapolis Main Street Program.

Learn more: https://www.historicnewengland.org/

Historic New England Summit: https://summit.historicnewengland.org/register/

Hop off the bus with us on this week’s PreserveCast as we talk with Diego Bleifuss Prados, artist from @busstoppaintings, who paints a reflection of original communities within Chicago’s historic neighborhoods from their bus stops. Bleifuss Prados will share how he started painting bus stops and his rush to preserve images of these historic areas before rapid gentrification.

Diego Bleifuss Prados is a painter based in Chicago, Illinois. Born and raised in Chicago, Diego first began painting watercolors while living in Denver, Colorado and then in Marfa, Texas. His paintings try to capture and celebrate the vernacular architecture and design of older commercial buildings, such as corner stores plastered with years of beer advertisements, chipped and faded hand-painted signs, and closed shops fallen into disrepair. Many of his paintings' subjects are holdouts in rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods, and still reflect the original community that built and patronized these spots. Diego's paintings can be found on his Instagram @busstoppaintings. 

Learn more: https://www.busstoppaintings.com/

On this week’s PreserveCast, take a look back at one of the bloodiest days in American history and the battle’s horrendous toll on the area’s civilians. We are talking with Steve Cowie, author of When Hell Came to Sharpsburg: The Battle of Antietam and Its Impact on the Civilians Who Called It Home about the Battle of Antietam and how it impacted civilians. Cowie will share the process of writing his book, researching the lives of Sharpsburg civilians, and how they dealt with the emotional, physical, and financial havoc.

Steven Cowie earned a degree from California State University, Long Beach. As part of the Los Angeles film industry, he penned spec screenplays and sold his award-winning short film to the Sundance Channel. A lifelong student of the Civil War, Cowie dedicated fifteen years to exclusively researching the Battle of Antietam. When Hell Came to Sharpsburg is his first book.

Learn more: https://www.stevencowie.com/when-hell-came-to-sharpsburg

Purchase When Hell came to Sharpsburg: https://www.amazon.com/When-Hell-Came-Sharpsburg-Civilians/dp/1611215900/ref=zg_bsnr_465224_30?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=97YC6K1GH6E8F31VA8B4

Today we’re joined by Seth Clark, Executive Director of The Ocmulgee National Park and Preserve Initiative (ONPPI). ONPPI is a community based group of Middle Georgia and Muscogee (Creek) citizens working together to expand the current site of the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park into Georgia’s first National Park and Preserve. With growing national attention focused upon the necessity of preservation of our public lands, ONPPI is committed to being the driving force behind local conservation efforts. Seth, born and raised in rural Georgia, is leading the effort to create Georgia’s first national park “on the land that raised me.”

160 year ago, on Sept. 17, 1862, America saw the bloodiest day of the American Civil War with more than 23,000 casualties. Today, on the anniversary of the battle, we are re-releasing an episode with award-winning historical fiction and non-fiction author Kathleen Ernst.

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The battle at Antietam Creek has gone down in history as the bloodiest day of the American Civil War. But as too often happens in significant military moments, people tend to overlook what this battle meant for the local civilian population. That's why this week's guest, the award-winning author Kathleen Ernst, decided to do exactly that. Join us as Kathleen discusses her non-fiction history of the Civil War and the Antietam campaign, as well as her fictional mystery series and books for American Girl, which have sold over 1.7 million copies combined. This is PreserveCast.

Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/06/26/kathleen-ernst-too-afraid-to-cry-maryland-civilians-in-the-antietam-campaign/