"So this is Christmas and what have you done? Another year over, a new one just begun... A very merry Christmas and a happy new year, let's hope it's a good one without any fear." These lyrics feel especially apt as we get ready to head into 2021 after a difficult year facing a global…
Tag: History
Black Museums in North Carolina
Museum lovers, below is a list of some of the Black museums in North Carolina that preserve and present the history, culture, and voices of the Black community. Check them out, follow them on social media, plan visits once they reopen after COVID-19, and consider donating to support their work. I know I will be…
15 Social Media Tips for Museums and Historic Sites
Now more than ever possibly digital engagement is necessary and important for museums of all sizes. I compiled the below tips before the corona virus pandemic, but they hold true even in these strange times. I know these are trying times, but I believe museums have a lot to offer the public now as always…
Questions of Baking, Women, History & the Present: A Research Narrative
A Return to Domesticity? Over the last few years, I've taken up baking as a hobby and as a historian this brought me to questions of why and how home baking has historically been gendered female. As research often does, especially when starting with a broad topic, my look into questions of the history of…
Women’s History & Public History
In the field of public history, the interpretation of women’s history has become a hot topic with increasing attention and emphasis being placed on including women's perspectives in museum exhibits and other public history initiatives. This post is a literature review and essay on how women's history has historically been presented via museums and historic…
Women for Abolition
The long road to freedom and the abolition of slavery was paved by many people working towards that goal, including men and women, black and white, Northerners & Southerners. Many African American abolitionists were former slaves, who had either gained freedom through "official" means (were emancipated by those who enslaved them) or had escaped slavery.…
Why Are Our Heroines Hidden?
Lucy Burns (L) and Ida B. Wells (R). Images are in the public domain. I did a lot of brainstorming and soul searching trying to decide which woman from the past, who is often overlooked, I should devote my attention to. Because of the anniversary of women's suffrage I thought of Lucy Burns, the suffragist…
Mercy Hospital & the History of Segregated Healthcare in Wilson, NC
In honor of Black History Month I have been visiting local historical sites with strong ties to Black history and sharing my experiences. I have already written about Boyette Slave House in Kenly, NC, the Freeman Round House Museum in downtown Wilson, NC and St. John AME Zion Church in downtown Wilson, NC. The last…
St. John’s AME Zion Church – Downtown Wilson, NC
I am continuing to celebrate Black History Month by sharing photos and information from my recent visits to local historical sites with ties to African American history. St. John AME Zion Church is one of several historic Black churches in Wilson, North Carolina. I chose it to visit before I visited the Freeman Round House…
Boyette Slave House & Slavery in 19th Century Eastern North Carolina
Boyette Slave House in Kenly, North Carolina, Photos by author. In honor of Black History Month I am sharing several local historical sites with significant connections to local Black history. First up is the Boyette Slave House. A lesser-known site, the house is located in rural Kenly, but not far off Hwy 222. I visited…