Making Meaning at Historic Places (2025-2026)
Background
Recent trends in interpreting historic landscapes and sites have become more expansive in at least two important ways. First, more sites are being considered worthy of active interpretation. Second, more emphasis is being placed on actively involving community stakeholders in making meaning at these sites. This is true of “official” historic sites, such as state-run monuments and historic houses, and also of sites whose meaning is being reclaimed or reinterpreted, such as neglected African American grave sites. One common thread running through this interpretative trend centers around interpreting historic places and landscapes based on social and environmental justice, along with closely related themes like reparative justice and reconciliation.
Project Description
The project team will examine the interrelationship between historical evidence, experience of place and social and environmental justice. What is distinctive about social and environmental justice in the experiential context of a place, building or landscape? How do these ideas function on the level of individual identity and community-building? In addition to the physical sites themselves, how can digital methods extend our understanding and recover environments that no longer exist?
Previous research in this area has focused on Bennett Place – an N.C. State Historic Site in Durham known for an important Civil War surrender – seeking to expand its stories and history to include Native Americans, environmental history and the development of Bennett Place as a memorial site. Over the past two years, students have worked with archival and digitized primary sources to create StoryMaps, a digital walking tour and a prototype pop-up traveling exhibit related to Bennett Place. They are also creating a dataset digitizing James Bennett’s early-19th-century account book.
This project will build on this knowledge, expanding the research focus to include two new historic places and a larger chronological focus. The team will conduct primary research at Duke Homestead, particularly on labor during the Reconstruction Era. The project will also involve Catawba Trail Farm, which is not a traditional historic site. Catawba Trail Farm is a non-profit organization that builds community and addresses food insecurity in Durham through community gardening. As part of their community-building efforts, they are interested in reclaiming the history of the enslaved people who lived and worked on the property.
Anticipated Outputs
Primary historical research on Duke Homestead and Catawba Train Farm; digital projects including StoryMaps and virtual walking tours for each site on the North Carolina Lives and Legacies website; “pop-up” public exhibit; new content for revised exhibitions in historic site visitor centers
Student Opportunities
Ideally, this project team will include 2 graduate students and 6 undergraduate students interested in history, anthropology, literature, sociology and/or computer science. Students should have interests or backgrounds in digital storytelling, public history and humanities, social and environmental justice or environmental history.
Team members will develop skills in group work, historical research and digital storytelling. Students will conduct historical research using primary and secondary sources, gain familiarity with digital storytelling methods and learn data management skills such as the importance of controlled vocabulary and data entry protocols. Team members will have the chance to engage with community organizations and stakeholders. Graduate students will have the opportunity to participate in project planning, lead subteams and produce historiographic essays and other content to further the goals of the project.
All students will have the opportunity to travel to field sites in North Carolina and Virginia.
Timing
Fall 2025 – Spring 2026
- Fall 2025: Discuss reading, syllabus, and introductory activities; introduce research process; travel to historic sites and library special collections; meet with historic site staff; work on individual and small group assignments; create preliminary progress reports
- Spring 2026: Review and adjust assignments; travel to historical sites of conscience in Virginia; prepare symposium materials, web page materials and project documentation
Crediting
Academic credit available for fall and spring semesters
Image: Bennett Place, courtesy of Carson Holloway