On this week’s PreserveCast, join us as we talk with Annie Polland, President of the Tenement Museum, about their new exhibit A Union of Hope. Annie will take us through how they discovered the story of Joseph and Rachel Moore, Black New Yorkers who lived in the tenement in the 1860s – 1870s, and how they recreated their apartment in the Tenement Museum while navigating historic preservation and interpretation.

Today we're joined by two of Preservation Maryland's own (the organization that powers PreserveCast!), Christiana Limniatis and Maggie Pelta-Pauls, to discuss the process of researching a historic property - why people conduct the research, the hidden histories that can be uncovered, and how researching a historic property has real-world impact today. 

Check out Christiana and Maggie's work here: https://www.preservationmaryland.org/researching-the-history-of-the-berlin-house/

and Preservation Maryland’s Property Research Guide here: https://www.preservationmaryland.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/PresMD-Property-Research-Guide.pdf

On this week's episode we're talking with Natalie Henshaw, Director of The Campaign for Historic Trades. You may recognize Natalie's name (and voice!) as she hosts PreserveCast's Trades Takeover episodes, some of our most downloaded conversations here on PreserveCast. 

Listen in to learn about the value of historic trades, apprenticeship programs, the impact they're having, and how you can get involved to make sure trades training happens in your community. 

*March 3-9th is also Women in Construction Week - a perfect time for the head of a national historic trades program to share her knowledge about the industry and discuss equitable opportunities in the trades. 

Join us as we talk with Daniel Gagnon about his book A Salem Witch: The Trial, Execution, and Exoneration of Rebecca Nurse. Dan will take us on a deep dive into the world of the Salem Witch Trials and how one story stuck out and just had to be told. We cover everything from the accusations to the legacy, and how witchcraft themed tourism impacts modern storytelling. 

Dan is the author of A Salem Witch: The Trial, Execution, and Exoneration of Rebecca Nurse. He is a high school history teacher on the North Shore of Massachusetts, serves on the board of directors of the Rebecca Nurse Homestead Museum, and serves as Chairman of the Town of Danvers’ Salem Village Historic District Commission. He has shared his research through many in-person and online programs, including C-SPAN’s television program American History TV, and has served as a subject-matter expert for local media.

Learn more: https://danielgagnonhistory.com/

As we continue to recognize Black History Month, honoring the triumphs and struggles of African Americans throughout U.S. history, we're revisiting a conversation with Candacy Taylor, an award-winning author, photographer and cultural documentarian working on a multidisciplinary project based on the Green Book. In Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America, Taylor has masterfully pulled together this story of resilience and segregation in a way that elevates and memorializes this history – a history still rooted in countless towns and cities across America. 

Join us on this week's PreserveCast episode as we talk with Bob Jaeger, President at the Partners for Sacred Places. Partners for Sacred Places, founded in 1989, is the only national, non-sectarian, non-profit organization focused on building the capacity of congregations of historic sacred places to better serve their communities. 

Bob co-founded Partners for Sacred Places in 1989. Previously, Bob worked with the Philadelphia Historic Preservation Corporation as Senior Vice President for the Historic Religious Properties Program. He is the co-author of Sacred Places at Risk (1998) and Strategies for Stewardship and Active Use of Older and Historic Religious Properties(1996), author of Sacred Places in Transition (1994), and editor (from 1985 to 1989) of Inspired, a bi-monthly magazine with news and technical articles on religious property preservation. Bob holds a master’s degree in preservation planning from Cornell University and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Learn More: https://sacredplaces.org/

On this week’s PreserveCast we are talking with Elicia Garske, a 2022 recipient of the Harrison Goodall Fellowship. Elicia shares her project, a summer program to connect skilled preservation contractors with young adults interested in learning more about this line of work. Join us to hear how her project unfolded and what lessons she learned along the way.

BIO: Elicia Garske manages preservation projects for H.G. Christman Construction in South Bend. In her previous role as the historic preservation administrator for the City of South Bend, Elicia observed firsthand the challenge of locating skilled craftspeople who repaired vintage windows and that specialized in historic preservation. At home in La Porte, Elicia is the grounds superintendent for her neighborhood the Pine Lake Assembly–a historic lake retreat founded by settlers in the 1890s. Elicia’s honed her skills as an interior designer and a sustainable building advisor with each of the three personal houses she has renovated. Dedicated to educating people on the importance of historic preservation, Elicia is a founding board member of South Bend TradeWorks, a non-profit group that rescues historic buildings and materials by reclaiming and selling architectural salvage and providing training on historic building renovation best practices. 

Learn More: https://historictrades.org/project/elicia-garske/

Interview with Harrison Goodall: https://www.preservecast.org/2020/05/11/building-a-legacy-in-the-preservation-trades-with-dr-harrison-goodall/

2021 Fellows Selected: https://www.preservationmaryland.org/2021-harrison-goodall-fellows-selected/

2022 Fellows Selected: https://www.preservationmaryland.org/2022-harrison-goodall-preservation-fellow-selected/

Join us as we talk with Dr. Shirley Green about her book Revolutionary Blacks: Discovering the Frank Brothers, Freeborn Men of Color, Soldiers of Independence. Shirley’s book follows William and Benjamin Frank through their military service in the Continental Army, their experience as free Black soldiers, and the paths they travelled.

Join us on this week’s PreserveCast - our 300th episode! - as we talk with Alyssa Lozupone and Kris Turgeon about preservation training opportunities at Newport Restoration Foundation. Alyssa and Kris will provide us with background on this legacy preservation organization and the work they’ve done to establish a robust and successful Preservation Trades Specialist Training program and what lessons were learned along the way that could help other efforts like it around the country. 

In 2023 The Campaign for Historic Trades partnered with Newport Restoration Foundation (NRF) to create a customized training program focused on providing participants with an introduction to the preservation trades. The 12-week program is comprised of 60 contact hours of instruction including lectures, in-class activities, demonstrations, site visits, and shop tours. 

Learn More: https://www.newportrestoration.org/preservation/

On the last Monday before Christmas Day, the PreserveCast team brings you a special release on the history of Santa Claus. You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen . . . but what about the jolly old elf holding the reins? St. Nicholas, Old St. Nick, Sinterklaas, or simply Santa Claus. He’s gone by many names – but where does this rich and seemingly timeless tradition come from? On this special edition of PreserveCast, we’re headed down a winding reindeer path to uncover the rich history of Santa Claus and how he came to define the modern celebration of Christmas.