Charlene Mires
Professor Emerita of History, Rutgers University
Education
Temple University, Ph.D., History, August 1997.
Graduate fields:
U.S. Culture and Material Culture, nineteenth and twentieth centuries
U.S. Social and Political History, 1820s-1880s
U.S. Popular Culture, twentieth century
World History (teaching and major themes)
University of Pennsylvania, Master of Liberal Arts, 1992.
Ball State University, Bachelor of Science, 1979. Majors: Journalism, Political Science.
Certifications:
Certified Tour Guide, Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides, 2024.
Certificate in Historic Preservation, 2024, Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities (MARCH) at Rutgers-Camden.
Museum Studies Certificate, in progress 2024-2025, Northwestern University.
Employment
Rutgers-Camden, Professor of History (2014-2024) and Director, Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities (September 2010-2023).
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Atwater Kent Museum Educator (part-time, temporary), September-December 2024.
Villanova University, Associate Professor of History (August 2003-August 2010); Assistant Professor of History (August 1997-August 2003).
Lasalle University, Fall 1996, Adjunct Instructor, History of Philadelphia.
Temple University, September 1992-August 1996.
Instructor, Russell Conwell Center Summer Bridge Program, July-August 1996.
Graduate Dean’s Teaching Assistant, History Department, 1995-96.
Staff Consultant, College of Arts and Sciences Teaching Improvement Center,
1995-96.
Teaching Assistant, History Department / University Writing Center, 1994-95.
Senior Mentor (Graduate Assistant), University Writing Center, 1992-94.
Philadelphia Inquirer, December 1984-August 1992.
Assistant National Editor, January 1989-August 1992.
Chester County (Pa.) Neighbors Editor, September 1986-December 1988.
Gloucester County (N.J.) Assistant Neighbors Editor, January-August 1986.
Metro News Copy Editor, December 1984-December 1985.
Free-lance Contributor, Sunday Travel Section, 1988-91.
Fort Wayne (Ind.) News-Sentinel, June 1980-December 1984.
Co-recipient of Pulitzer Prize for General Local Reporting (shared staff award), 1983, for coverage of flood in the city during March 1982.
Assistant Metropolitan Editor, 1983-84.
Assistant Metropolitan Editor/Neighbors, 1982-83.
State Legislative Reporter, 1982 session of Indiana General Assembly.
Politics/Special Projects Reporter, 1981-82.
Education Reporter, 1980-81.
Michigan City (Ind.) News-Dispatch, May 1979-June 1980, City Government / Politics Reporter.
Sweepstakes award (top writing award in state) and first-place community service award, Indiana Associated Press Managing Editors, 1980.First-place award for investigative reporting, Inland Daily Press Association, 1980.
Awards for “Prison Town,” series of articles about social, environmental, and economic impacts of Indiana State Prison on Michigan City, Indiana.
Publications
Work in Progress
The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia. Ongoing peer-reviewed digital publication, http://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org
Consulting Editor (2024-ongoing); Editor-in-Chief, 2012-2024; Co-Editor, 2009-12, with Howard Gillette and Randall Miller.
Sole author of peer-reviewed essays: Major topics: Civil Rights (Persons with Disabilities); Historic Preservation, Independence Hall; Independence National Historical Park; Postal Services; Tourism; Turnpikes. Minor topics: Columbus Day; Great Wagon Road; I’d Rather Be in Philadelphia; Lafayette’s Tour; LOVE (Sculpture); National Freedom Day; Main Line of Public Works; O Little Town of Bethlehem; Pennsylvania Emancipation Exposition; Philadelphia Cream Cheese; United Nations World Capital.
Co-author of peer-reviewed essays: Center City; Industrial Neighborhoods; Railroad Suburbs.
Learning From Cooper Street. Research and historic interpretation planning for the Cooper Street Historic District, Camden, in collaboration with students and community, 2011-present.
Digital archive: http://omeka.camden.rutgers.edu
Student project blog: http://cooperstreet.wordpress.com
Books
Greater Philadelphia and the Nation. Co-edited with Jean R. Soderlund. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, anticipated publication 2026.
Capital of the World: The Race to Host the United Nations. NYU Press, 2013. E-Book Excerpt: Absolutely Not New York: Finding a Home for the United Nations. NYU Press, 2014.
Independence Hall in American Memory. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002.
Teaching guides and public history case studies: http://independencehall-americanmemory.com
The American People: Creating a Nation and a Society, vol. 2 (New York: Pearson Longman). Revisions co-author for chapters covering 1877-1929, 8th edition (2016) and 7th brief edition (2010). Contributor to 7th edition (2006); 6th brief edition (2007); 1st Vango concise edition (2008).
Additional Edited Works
Facts on File Encyclopedia of American History, vol. 9, 1946-68, 2nd edition. New York: Facts on File, 2009. Revisions Editor for 2nd edition.
Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, October 2007 issue honoring 25th anniversary of Philadelphia: A 300-Year History, Russell F. Weigley, ed. Guest Editor.
“Philadelphia: The History of a History.” Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography (October 2007): 377-94. Edited Roundtable Interview.
Pennsylvania History Studies Series, Pennsylvania Historical Association, 2005-08. Editor.
Volumes edited: Women of Industry and Reform: Shaping the History of Pennsylvania, 1865-1940, by Marion Roydhouse (2006); Sports in Pennsylvania, by Karen Guenther (2007); Pivotal Pennsylvania: Presidential Politics from FDR to the Twenty-First Century, by G. Terry Madonna (2008).
Articles and Chapters (Peer-Reviewed)
“The Encyclopedia as a Process of Civic Engagement.” The Public Historian (May 2013): 14-23.
“Independence Hall.” In American Tourism: Constructing a National Tradition. Ed. Mark Souther and Nicholas Bloom. Chicago: Center for American Places, 2012.
“Sault Ste. Marie as the Capital of the World? Stellanova Osborn and the Pursuit of the United Nations, 1945.” Michigan Historical Review (Spring 2009): 61-82.
“Invisible House, Invisible Slavery: Struggles of Public History at Independence National Historical Park.” In Culture and Belonging: Symbolic Landscapes and Contested Identities in Divided Societies, ed. Marc H. Ross. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009.
“The Lure of New England and the Search for the Capital of the World.” New England Quarterly (March 2006): 37-64.
“Race, Place, and the Pennsylvania Emancipation Exposition of 1913.” Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography (July 2004): 257-78.
“Slavery, Nativism, and the Forgotten History of Independence Hall.” Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies (Autumn 2000): 481-502.
“In the Shadow of Independence Hall: Vernacular Activities and the Meanings of Historic Places,” The Public Historian (Spring 1999): 49-64.
Other Publications
“Independence Hall.” Grove Art Online, Oxford University Press. Invited essay, 2019.
“Capital of the World.” New York Archives. Invited essay, Fall 2014.
“A Monograph Goes Public.” History@Work, Public History Commons. June 2, 2014. http://publichistorycommons.org/a-monograph-goes-public/
“San Francisco: Shadows of the Capital of the World.” Zócalo Public Square http://www.zocalopublicsquare.org/. Invited essay, submitted May 5, 2013.
“Detroit’s Quixotic Bid to Host the United Nations.” Foreign Policy, http://www.foreignpolicy.com/. Invited essay published online, April 2, 2013. Featured in The Atlantic Cities Best Reads of the Week, April 6, 2013.
“Through Artifacts, Textures of Time and Space.” Visions of Camden Exhibition Booklet, Rutgers-Camden Stedman Gallery, January-February 2013.
Essays in The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 2010-12: “Independence Hall”; “Independence National Historical Park”; “National Freedom Day”; “Pennsylvania Emancipation Exposition.”
“In Search of the American Revolution.” Introduction for National Park Service Handbook of the American Revolution (National Park Service, 2008).
“A Bell With Many Meanings.” Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed essay, April 5, 2007.
Foreword, Honored Places: The National Park Service Teacher’s Guide to the American Revolution (National Park Service, 2007).
“The Search for the Capital of the World.” Research Reports from the Rockefeller Archive Center (Fall 2005), 1-3.
Book Review, Gail Lee Dubrow and Jennifer B. Goodman, eds., Restoring Women’s History through Historic Preservation (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003). Reviewed for Winterthur Portfolio 38:4 (Fall 2004): 263-66.
Book Review, Paul A. Shackel, ed., Myth, Memory, and the Making of the American Landscape (Gainesville, Fla.,: University Press of Florida, 2001). Reviewed for the Journal of Social History (Spring 2004): 812-14.
Book Review, Susan Crane, ed., Museums and Memory (Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2000). Reviewed for The Public Historian (Fall 2002): 151-53.
“Park Service’s Task: To Make History Accessible.” Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed essay, March 31, 2002.
“Object Lessons: Material Culture on the World Wide Web.” OAH Magazine of History (Summer 2001): 85-87.
“Independence Hall.” Encyclopedia of American Studies (Grolier Publishing Co., 2001).
“Constitution Center Site Bears Buried Links to the City’s Past.” Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed essay, June 26, 2000.
“Preservation and Conservation.” Annotated guide to World Wide Web sites, in History Highway 2000 (M.E. Sharpe, 2000).
Book Review, Alessandra Lorini, Rituals of Race: Public Culture and the Search for Racial Democracy (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1999). Reviewed for The Public Historian (Summer 2000): 162-64.
“The Difference This Day Makes” (African Americans in Philadelphia Commemorate the Thirteenth Amendment). Pennsylvania Heritage (Winter 1998): 4-11.
Awards: Scholarship and Teaching
Preservation Education Award (presented to Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities), Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, 2023.
Chancellor’s Award for Academic Civic Engagement (MARCH), 2022.
Chancellor’s Award for Community-Engaged Scholarship, 2018 (Cooper Street Historic District).
OAH Distinguished Lecturer, Appointed 2014.
Philadelphia Athenaeum Literary Award, co-winner, 2004, for Independence Hall in American Memory.
Wesley Johnson Prize, National Council on Public History, for outstanding article published in The Public Historian during 1999.
Certificate of Merit in Teaching, Temple University College of Arts and Sciences, 1994-95.
Kramer Award, Outstanding Student in American History, Temple University History Department, 1995.
Awards: Journalism
Pulitzer Prize for General Local Reporting, co-recipient as staff reporter at the Fort Wayne (Ind.) News-Sentinel, 1983, for coverage of flood in the city during March 1982.
Sweepstakes Award (top writing award in state) and first-place community service award, Indiana Associated Press Managing Editors; and first-place award for investigative reporting, Inland Daily Press Association, 1980, for “Prison Town,” series of articles in the Michigan City (Ind.) News-Dispatch about social, environmental, and economic impacts of Indiana State Prison.
Grants and Fellowships: Individual
Rutgers-Camden Digital Studies Center Fellowship, 2016-17, $3,000.
Rutgers Research Council Grant, 2017-18, $2,400.
Rutgers Research Council Grant, 2014-15, $1,200.
Rutgers-Camden Digital Teaching Fellow, 2014.
Rutgers Research Council Grant, 2012-13, $2,400.
Rutgers-Camden Office of Civic Engagement Grant for Perspectives on History course, Fall 2012.
Rutgers-Camden Civic Engagement Faculty Fellow, Spring 2012.
Mellon Regional Faculty Research Fellow, Penn Humanities Forum, 2008-09.
Research Grant, Rockefeller Archives Center, August 2004 (two weeks).
Research Grant, Harry S. Truman Presidential Library Institute, June 2004 (two weeks).
Research Grant, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, May 2004 (one week).
Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship, Massachusetts Historical Society, April 2004 (four weeks).
Villanova University Summer Research Fellowships and Research Support Grants, 2003 and 1999.
National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Stipend, 2000.
Villanova Institute for Teaching and Learning Mini-Grants:
“Digital Philadelphia,” 2009, for developing web-enhanced, thematic instructional units and teaching methods using laptop computers for History of Philadelphia course.
“Revitalizing the U.S. Survey Course: Investigative Approaches to Teaching and Learning,” 2001-02, for faculty visits to area archives and historic sites and development of “Investigating U.S. History” courses.
“Using the World Wide Web to Transform History Students Into Historians,” 1998, for development of undergraduate material culture course centered on Web-based project about the Centennial Exhibition.
Dissertation Completion Grant, Temple University, 1996-97.
Scholar in Residence, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Summer 1996.
Research Fellow, Henry F. DuPont Winterthur Museum, July 1995.
Grants: Collaborative Research Projects
New Jersey Council for the Humanities (principal investigator, application in collaboration with Mikaela Maria) to support Cooper Street engagement for interpretation planning, 2018-19, $4,800.
National Endowment for the Humanities (principal investigator, application in collaboration with Howard Gillette, Randall Miller, and Gary Nash) for Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 2014-17, $300,000.
Rutgers-Camden Digital Studies Center (project director) to implement Zotero bibliography tool, 2014, $2,000 for The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia.
William Penn Foundation (principal investigator, application in collaboration with Howard Gillette) for Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 2012-14, $81,000.
Pennsylvania Humanities Council (project director, awarded to fiscal agent Historical Society of Pennsylvania for Greater Philadelphia Roundtable public programs), 2010-12, two awards totaling $13,200.
Barra Foundation (co-applicant with co-editors Howard Gillette and Randall Miller, awarded to fiscal agent University of Pennsylvania Press for project planning), $21,300.
Conference Papers, Panels, and Exhibits
“Lawrence Street Revealed: A Working-Class History of Camden,” Faculty Research and Creative Activity Symposium, April 17, 2024.
Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia exhibits, Organization of American Historians, Philadelphia, April 4-17, 2019; and American Association for State and Local History, Philadelphia, August 30, 2019.
“Collaborative Research at MARCH: The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia and the Cooper Street Historic District,” Faculty Research and Creative Activity Symposium, Rutgers-Camden, November 28, 2018.
“Building Digital Bridges between Research and Teaching,” Rutgers-Camden e-Learning Conference, April 28, 2015.
“History on the Edge of Campus: The Cooper Street Historic District” (presenter and panel organizer), National Council on Public History, Nashville, Tenn., April 17, 2015.
“Adapting History to the Digital Era: The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia and the Reinvention of Community-Based Information” (panelist), Pennsylvania Historical Association, Philadelphia, Pa., November 7, 2014.
“Blogs and the Learning Process,” Rutgers-Camden e-Learning Conference, April 29, 2014.
“Working With the National Park Service: Perspectives of Academic Historians” (Invited Roundtable Panelist), Organization of American Historians, San Francisco, Calif., April 20, 2013.
“The Encyclopedia as a Process of Civic Engagement,” Organization of American Historians / National Council on Public History, Milwaukee, Wis., April 19, 2012.
“Imagining the Capital of the World,” Cultural Studies Association, LaJolla, Calif., March 30, 2012.
“Locating Greater Philadelphia in Time and Space: Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia Roundtable,” Pennsylvania Historical Association, Selinsgrove, Pa., October 16, 2010.
“American Historic Places, the United Nations, and the World in 1945-46,” National Council on Public History, Providence, R.I., April 4, 2009.
“Case Study Approaches to Public History Education,” case statement for working group, “Teaching in a Public History Program,” National Council on Public History, Providence, R.I., April 2, 2009.
“Imagining the City at the End of World War II: Intersections of Anti-Urbanism and Civic Boosterism at the United Nations,” Boston Seminar in Urban and Immigration History, Boston, Mass., November 20, 2008.
“Capitals of the World: The Booster Alternative to Urban Decline,” Urban History Association, Houston, Texas, November 7, 2008.
“Urban History, Public History,” panelist for roundtable discussion, Urban History Association, Houston, Texas, November 6, 2008.
“Changing Views of Space and Place: The Search for the Capital of the World,” Penn Humanities Forum, Philadelphia, October 7, 2008.
“Reinterpreting Our Heritage: The President’s House, Philadelphia,” Organization of American Historians, San Jose, Calif., April 2, 2005.
“Conflict or Convergence? Forging New Narratives of Freedom and Slavery,” George Wright Society, Philadelphia, Pa., March 18, 2005.
“Invisible House, Invisible Slavery: Struggles of Public History and the Memory of George Washington at Independence National Historical Park,” Contesting Culture Conference, Bryn Mawr College, February 26, 2005.
“The Lure of New England and the Search for the Capital of the World,” Global New England Conference, New England American Studies Association, Salem, Mass., April 17, 2004.
“The National Museum in Philadelphia: A View of the Nation in 1876,” Deerfield / Wellesley Symposium on American Culture, Deerfield, Mass., Nov. 1, 2002.
“Consensus Landscape: A Secure Home for Cold War America,” Middle-Atlantic American Studies Association, Philadelphia, Pa., March 23, 2002.
“Forgotten Fair: Race, Place, and Philadelphia’s Emancipation Proclamation Exhibition of 1913,” for “Crossroads: Intersections of Race, Place, Ethnicity and Life Histories” conference, Chesapeake American Studies Association, University of Maryland, College Park, March 9, 2002.
“Whose History Is It? Archives, Memory, and Culture,” Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, Philadelphia, Pa., May 4, 2001.
“Object Lessons: Material Culture on the World Wide Web,” co-presenter with student Kathleen Cohrs, American Association for History and Computing, Philadelphia, Pa., April 24, 1999.
“The Centennial in Cyberspace,” co-presenter with students Nicholas Biello and John Keigher, Middle-Atlantic American Studies Association, Harrisburg, Pa., April 17, 1999.
“The Centennial Exhibition: Student-Based and Cyber-Spaced,” Nineteenth Century Studies Association, Philadelphia, Pa., March 19, 1999.
“Independence Hall: Memories Lost and Found,” Pennsylvania Historical Association, Philadelphia, Pa., November 8, 1997.
“Historic Preservation and Collective Memory: The Case of Independence Hall,” National Council on Public History, Albany, N.Y., May 3, 1997.
“We the People: Defining Citizenship in the Shadow of Independence Hall,” Organization of American Historians, San Francisco, Calif., April 17, 1997.
“The Limits of Collective Memory: Philadelphia’s Campaign to Host the United Nations,” History and Memory Interdisciplinary Graduate Student Conference, Cornell University, April 12, 1996.
“Evidence and Argument in Survey Courses,” Organization of American Historians, Focus on Teaching Day, Chicago, Ill., March 30, 1996.
“Preservation and Politics: Nineteenth-Century Debates about Independence Hall,” Graduate Lectures, Presbyterian Historical Society/Temple University, November 16, 1995.
Conference Panel Chair / Commentator
Chair, “Civic Image and Identity in the Struggle Against Urban Decline,” Urban History Association, New York, N.Y., October 26, 2012.
Chair and Session Organizer, “Who Do We Think We Are? Philadelphia’s Civic Identity” and “Help Plan the Popular Culture Contents for The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia,” Mid-Atlantic Popular/American Culture Association, Philadelphia, Pa., November 4, 2011.
Chair and Session Organizer, “In Search of a Mid-Atlantic Culture,” Mid-Atlantic Popular/American Culture Association, Philadelphia, Pa., November 3, 2011.
Chair and Session Organizer, “Museums and Scholarship: Creating Collaborations for Cutting-Edge Content,” Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, Baltimore, Md., October 10, 2011.
Facilitator and Session Organizer, “Help Envision a Digital Encyclopedia for the Twenty-First Century,” THATCamp Philly, Philadelphia, Pa., September 23, 2011.
Chair and Session Organizer, “The Bicentennial Impact: Legacies of Commemoration,” American Association for State and Local History, Richmond, Va., September 17, 2011.
Chair and Session Organizer, “Bicentennial Heritage: The History and Memory of 1976,” Joint Conference of Middle Atlantic American Studies Association, Middle Atlantic Folklife Association, and Pennsylvania Political Science Association, Harrisburg, Pa., April 9, 2011.
Chair, “Preserving History in the New Nation,” Society of Early Americanists, Philadelphia, Pa., March 3, 2011.
Co-Facilitator, “Finding Common Ground between Interpreters and Historians” Working Group, National Council on Public History, Louisville, Ky., April 12, 2008.
Moderator, “100 Years of Political History in Pennsylvania,” Pennsylvania Capitol Centennial Commemoration, October 2, 2006.
Facilitator, “Reinterpreting Our Heritage” roundtable, Organization of American Historians, San Jose, Calif., April 2, 2005.
Facilitator, “Independence Hall and Cultural Identity,” International Workshop on UNESCO’s World Heritage Education Program, Philadelphia, January 28, 2005.
Co-Facilitator, “Research, Communications, and Marketing” Working Group, “Beyond the Liberty Bell: Charting Future Cultural Practice in the Greater Philadelphia Area,” Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities conference, Philadelphia, May 16, 2003.
Chair and Commentator, “War Memorials in the City: The Dynamics of Memory,” Urban History Association, Pittsburgh, Pa., September 28, 2002.
Chair and Commentator, “Reenactment as Social Memory,” National Council on Public History, Lowell, Mass., April 1999.
Chair and Commentator, “The Landscape of Urban Memory: Interpreting Ethnicity in Chicago,” National Council on Public History, Austin, Texas, April 1998.
Invited Lectures / Public Presentations
“R is for Rockefeller: How Philadelphia Lost the Campaign to Host the United Nations,” Free Library of Philadelphia, September 6, 2024.
“How to Hunt for Hidden Histories,” Delaware County (Pa.) Heritage Commission Seminar, October 23, 2021.
“Hidden Histories of Historic Districts,” Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia Lecture Series, April 20, 2021.
Moderator, “Immigration in Philadelphia,” public program at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia in partnership with The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, November 2, 2016.
Guest Speaker, Internship Seminar at New York University, March 11, 2014.
Moderator, “Leaving the Emerald Isle: Trials and Tribulations of Irish Immigrants in Nineteenth-Century Philadelphia,” public program, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, November 11, 2014.
“Philadelphia, Early Capital to Athens of America,” Philadelphia Association of Tour Guides training and lecture series, February 24, 2014.
“Capital of the World: The Race to Host the United Nations,” Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, scheduled for October 15, 2013.
“Capital of the World: The Race to Host the United Nations,” Mid-Manhattan Library, New York City, July 3, 2013.
Annual Meeting Speaker, United Nations Association of Greater Philadelphia, June 20, 2013.
“Chicago’s Race to Host the United Nations,” Newberry Library, Chicago, June 13, 2013.
Invited Speaker, Printer’s Row Lit Fest, Chicago, June 9, 2013.
“Philadelphia’s Race to Host the United Nations,” Philadelphia History Museum (co-sponsored by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania), April 3, 2013.
“Philadelphia in Time and Place: The Nineteenth Century,” Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides certification training series, February 27, 2013; March 26, 2012; and March 22, 2011.
“Philadelphia, Capital of the American Revolution and Capital of the Nation,” Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides certification training series, February 20, 2013.
“In Search of Philadelphia: Multiple Personalities of an American City,” Annual American Studies Lecture, La Salle University, February 28, 2012.
Facilitator, “Philadelphia, the Place that Loves You Back,” Greater Philadelphia Roundtable, Independence Visitor Center, February 22, 2012.
“Building Lives in Camden: The Architecture and People of 427-29 Cooper Street,” Rutgers-Camden, November 10, 2011.
“Independence Hall in American Memory,” featured speaker for annual meeting of Friends of Independence, October 5, 2009.
Panelist, “Symposium of Past Athenaeum Literary Award Winners,” Athenaeum of Philadelphia, April 22, 2009.
“The Promise and Paradox of Liberty: Fugitive Slave Hearings at Independence Hall,” Independence National Historical Park training workshops for park rangers, March 12 and 14, 2008.
“The Stories We Cannot See,” Once Upon a Nation “Benstitute” Staff Training Seminar, Philadelphia, Pa., May 7, 2007.
“The Father of Our Controversy: The President’s House Site and Slavery in Philadelphia,” Villanova University Quarterly Club, February 28, 2006.
Panelist, “The National Park Service and Civic Reflection,” National Park Service Advisory Board Scholars Forum, Philadelphia, Pa., January 14, 2006.
“Independence Hall in History and Memory,” talk and tour for visiting teachers from Brown County, Indiana, June 14, 2005.
“Liberty Bell Images, Myths, and Realities,” Independence National Historical Park training workshops for park rangers, March 23 and 25, 2005.
“Fugitive Slave Hearings at Independence Hall,” Independence National Historical Park training workshops for park rangers, December 16 and 20, 2004.
Panelist, “Slavery, Precedents, and Presidents in the 1790s: A Public Gathering at Independence National Historical Park,” October 30, 2004.
“Independence Square, Public Space,” Society Hill Civic Association, September 22, 2004.
“Independence Hall: Where the City Meets the Nation,” Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia, June 21, 2003.
“Why Should We Care: Making the American Revolution Relevant,” National Park Service American Revolution Roundtable, Philadelphia, Pa., March 11, 2003.
“Upstairs at Independence Hall,” Villanova University “Things” Symposium, January 30, 2003.
“The Liberty Bell: From Relic to Symbol” (Pennsylvania Humanities Council, Commonwealth Speakers Program): Springfield Township Seniors Organization, Oreland, Pa., May 6, 2003; Friends of Independence Lecture Series, Philadelphia, Pa., October 22, 2002; Lafayette-Redeemer Nursing Home, Northeast Philadelphia, July 31, 2002.
“Valley Forge Over Time: Symbolic Meanings and Commemorations,” Scholars Roundtable on Valley Forge, Philadelphia, Pa., October 17, 2002.
“Independence Hall and the Architecture of Memory,” University of Pennsylvania College of General Studies, October 8, 2002.
“Independence Hall,” National Building Museum, Washington, D.C., September 23, 2002.
“Independence Hall in American Memory,” Dare County Library at Kill Devil Hills, N.C., August 22, 2002.
“Independence Hall: A Multicultural History” (Pennsylvania Humanities Council, Commonwealth Speakers Program): Quadrangle Retirement Community, Haverford, Pa., June 29, 2002.
“Independence Hall: From Lafayette to the New Millennium” and “The Liberty Bell: From Relic to Symbol,” Alumni College, Lafayette College, Easton, Pa., June 7, 2002.
“The Making of Icons,” Heritage Investment Program workshop, “The President’s House: Strategies for Interpretation,” May 2002.
“1900: Becoming American (Or Not),” Upper Merion High School Social Studies Forum, April 2002.
“Covering the War: The Role of Mass Media at the Time of Olympia and Today,” Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia, March 2002.
“The Contested Memory of the American Revolution,” Cliveden Institute on “Beyond the Uniforms: African-Americans, Women, Quakers and Loyalists in the American Revolution,” Philadelphia, Pa., March 2002.
“The Incredible Exploding Liberty Bell: Symbolism, Nationalism, and Why I Should Have Listened to Allen Davis in the First Place,” Lectures to Honor Retirement of Allen F. Davis, April 2000.
“The Architecture of Memory: A View From Eighteenth-Century Philadelphia,” Birmingham Colloquia Series, Core Humanities Program, Villanova University, March 2000.
“The Centennial Exhibition: Celebrating Past, Present, and Future in 1876,” Friends of Independence Lunchtime Learning Series, March 2000.
“1900: What Should We Do About the Philippines?,” Upper Merion High School Social Studies Forum, March 2000.
“African American Views of Independence Hall,” Independence National Historical Park Fiftieth Anniversary Lecture Series, August 1998; Villanova University Africana Studies Series, October 1998.
“Historic Sites as Memory Sites,” Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Staff Seminar, August 1996.
“Cooperative and Collaborative Learning” (panel member), Temple University College of Arts and Sciences, Teaching Improvement Center brown-bag lunch series, October 26, 1995.
Teaching
Courses offered at Rutgers
Undergraduate: Cities and Suburbs in American History; Introduction to Public History; Perspectives on History; World’s Fairs and Empire; Public History Practice (individualized experiential learning/General Education).
Graduate: Issues in Public History; American Material Culture; Urban History; Historic Interpretation; Topics in Historic Preservation (cultural landscapes; independent study).
Co-teaching projects/presentations:
Cooper Street research/tour project, HIS 101 (“What Is History?”), 2019, 2021, 2022.
Training in encyclopedia fact-checking, research, and editing for English Department graduate seminar Publishing and Editing taught by Carol Singley, Fall 2019 and Spring 2018. Led portions of three classes each semester and supervised a total of seven student projects.
Discussion of Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia for English Department undergraduate course Writing Wikipedia taught by Travis DuBose, Spring 2019.
Digital/public humanities presentation, English Department graduate proseminar taught by Holly Blackford, Fall 2019 and Fall 2018.
Museum and public relations writing guest teaching for Museum Studies II taught by Cyril Reade, Spring 2018.
Other teaching:
Ongoing mentorship of graduate and undergraduate students and recent alumni employed on MARCH projects and History Department Fellows assigned to MARCH.
Volunteer instruction in MARCH Continuing Education Program in Historic Preservation Program: Make the Most of Your Historic District (co-instructor, 2016); Hidden Histories of Historic Districts (2021); Histories of Tourism and Preservation (2022); Preservation Context: The Suburbs (2023).
Public History Service and Consulting
Cooper Street Gateway Interpretive Planning Guide (property research, narrative history, and interpretation options), for Rutgers-Camden Dean of Arts and Sciences, completed June 2024.
“Camden’s Cooper Street Historic District,” walking tour, Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, June 17, 2023, and August 10, 2024.
Walking tours, ongoing: Colonial Philadelphia (Context Travel); Mural Arts Philadelphia.
Consultant, Camden High School exhibit texts, Camden County Historical Society, June 2021.
Consultant, “The Fugitive Slave Hearings,” Independence National Historical Park video, posted online May 9, 2020.
Organizer, Cooper Street Showcase (community engagement and interpretation planning event), Rutgers-Camden with community partners, October 10, 2019.
Jane’s Walk Leader, “Camden from Countryside to City,” in partnership with Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, May 5, 2019.
Convener of Cooper Street Interpretation Advisory Committee, 2017-present.
Tour leader for Discover Cooper Street event, Camden County History Week, October 20, 2018.
Historical Society of Pennsylvania – Planning committee for program series “Created Equal?” sponsored by National Endowment for the Humanities, February-March 2015.
Host and Co-Organizer, “Scholarship and Partnerships: The State of History in the National Parks,” held at Rutgers-Camden November 6, 2013, attended by approximately 100 NPS personnel including Chief Historian of the National Park Service.
National Park Service / Organization of American Historians – Member of site review team for Charlestown Navy Yard (Boston National Historical Park), May 14-15, 2012.
The Greater Philadelphia Roundtable, project director for public discussion series; partnership with the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and numerous additional civic partners (associated with The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia), 2010-12.
Fredric Miller Memorial Lecture, organizer annually, 2011-15.
National Park Service / Organization of American Historians – Member of site review team for Boston National Historical Park, June 20-23, 2011.
Public History Community Forum, co-organizer with Seth Bruggeman and Robert Kodosky, roundtable discussion forum for graduate students, professionals, and faculty in the Philadelphia region, April 29, 2011; continuing annually.
City of Philadelphia Department of Records and Azavea Inc., Augmented Reality Project, assistance with photograph selection and text creation for enhancement of phillyhistory.org (associated with The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia), December 2010-February 2011.
City of Philadelphia Oversight Committee for the President’s House/Slavery Commemoration Project, October 2005-December 2010.
Philadelphia Ad Hoc Historians Group – Advocacy related to President’s House and associated sites in Independence National Historical Park, March 2002-December 2010.
Independence National Historical Park and Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site – Coordinator for graduate student research on fugitive slave hearings and other judicial proceedings affecting African Americans, 1820s-1840s (Public History Practicum), Spring 2009.
Once Upon a Nation – “Speaking Out for Freedom” (Frederick Douglass in Independence Square), script for history story-telling project, performed beginning Summer 2007.
Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site – Coordinator for graduate student research for restoration and interpretation of Catholic Chaplain’s Office (Public History Practicum), Spring 2007.
Valley Forge National Historical Park – Coordinator for graduate and undergraduate research for interpretation of monuments (Public History Practicum), Spring 2007.
National Park Service – External reviewer for Honored Places: The National Park Service Teacher’s Guide to the American Revolution, 2006.
Independence National Historical Park – External reviewer for President’s House Site Bulletin, 2005.
Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia – Adviser for exhibit on Centennial Exhibition, August 2004.
Independence National Historical Park – External reviewer for Liberty Bell Center film, 2003.
Philadelphia Inquirer – Consulted on historical graphics about Liberty Bell Center, October 2003.
Atwater Kent Museum of Philadelphia – Guest Curator, “The Living Landmark: Philadelphia’s Independence Hall,” June 21-December 29, 2003.
National Park Service / Organization of American Historians – Member of site review team for General Management Plan development process at Valley Forge National Historical Park, December 2002.
Independence National Historical Park – Participant in Interpretive Planning Workshop for Deshler-Morris House, September 26, 2002.
Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia – Core Exhibit Planning Team, May-August 2002.
Friends of Independence – Twilight tours volunteer, summer 2002.
Pennsylvania Humanities Council – Commonwealth Speaker, 2002-04.
Center for History Now, Haddonfield, N.J. – Interpretive Planning Consultant, Liberty Bell Center project, 1999-2000.
Atwater Kent Museum – Volunteer curatorial assistant, 1990-91.
Earthwatch – Archaeological project volunteer, Easter Island, September 1987.
Independence National Historical Park – Historic interpretation volunteer, 1986-87.
Teachers’ Workshops (Presentations and Planning)
Scholar in Residence and Co-Director with Beth Twiss Houting, “Cultures of Independence,” National Endowment for the Humanities Teacher Institute, June 21-26 and July 26-31, 2015.
Educators’ Workshops associated with The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia project, planning committee and co-facilitator: “William Penn’s Vision for Philadelphia,” National Constitution Center, June 23, 2011; “Workshop of the World,” November 9, 2011.
“Historic Places as Touchstones of Memory,” presentation for “History’s Mysteries,” Valley Forge and Independence National Historical Park summer teachers’ workshop, July 13 and July 20, 2009.
“Artifacts, Political Culture, and the Centennial Celebration of 1876,” presentation for “Presidential Elections and American Culture,” Penn Legacy Institute graduate course for teachers, Millersville University and National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, Pa., July 18, 2007.
“It’s Everyone’s Revolution: People and Places of Valley Forge,” Valley Forge National Historical Park (2007, planning group).
“The Revolution’s Hard Choices: Leadership, Liberty, and Loyalties during the Philadelphia Campaign,” Valley Forge National Historical Park (2006, planning group and faculty).
“The American Revolution: New Perspectives on an Enduring Legacy,” National Center for the American Revolution, New-York Historical Society, and National Park Service (2005, planning group and faculty).
“History Through Discovery,” Villanova University Summer Teachers Institute (2002, sole faculty member).
“Struggles for Freedom,” Independence Park Institute (2000 and 2001, planning group and faculty; curriculum director in 2001).
“History Through Discovery,” Independence Park Institute (1997, project director).
Professional Development and Continuing Education Seminars (participant)
Editing Wikipedia, Robeson Library Workshop, Rutgers-Camden, October 21, 2019.
ARIS Mobile Computing Training Workshop, International Society of the Learning Sciences, Philadelphia, June 18, 2017.
Database Design for Visualization and Analysis, HILT (Humanities Intensive Learning and Teaching), Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, June 13-16, 2016.
MARCH Historic Preservation Courses, 2016-present: Student in Introduction to Historic Preservation; History of American Architecture; Archaeology and Preservation; Materials and Techniques of Restoration; Architectural Sketching.
The Humanities and Technology Camps (THATCamps, one day each): National Council on Public History, Ottawa, 2013; Organization of American Historians/National Council on Public History, Milwaukee, 2012; Philadelphia, 2011 and 2012.
NEH Summer Institute, “American Material Culture: Nineteenth-Century New York,” Bard Graduate Center, New York, N.Y., July 2011. Digital Media Lab Training: Omeka, Zotero, Prezi.
NEH Summer Institute, “The Built Environment of the American Metropolis,” University of Illinois at Chicago, July 1999.
Teaching With Technology Workshop, American Studies Association, June 1998.
Newsroom Management Seminars, American Newspaper Publishers Association, 1988, and Knight-Ridder Institute of Training, 1984.
Historic Interpretation Training for Volunteers, National Park Service (Independence National Historic Park), 1987.
Graduate courses in English literature, Indiana University at Fort Wayne, 1982-83.
Editorial Boards and Manuscript Reviews
The Journal of American History, member of editorial board, 2007-10.
The Public Historian, member of editorial board, 2003-09.
Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, member of editorial board, 2005-09.
Manuscript reviews for: Oxford University Press, University of Pennsylvania Press, University of Massachusetts Press, NYU Press, Temple University Press; Bedford / St. Martin’s, McGraw-Hill, and CQ Press / Sage Publications.
Other Professional Service
Hiring of Co-Editors for The Public Historian, in collaboration with National Council on Public History (Mary Rizzo, Tamara Gaskell, Nicole Belolan).
Reviewer for Tenure Case at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, 2013, repeated 2014.
Publications Coordinating Group, National Council on Public History, January 2013-15.
Convener, Public History Educators Group (Philadelphia Region), 2010-12.
Mid-Atlantic Popular/American Culture Association, Chair for Mid-Atlantic proposals and Co-Chair for Philadelphia proposals for 2011 annual meeting, Philadelphia, Pa., Nov. 3-5, 2011.
National Archives, Mid-Atlantic Region, Review Committee for research fellowship applications, 2011.
Pennsylvania Humanities Council, Program Review Panelist, 2011.
National Endowment for the Humanities, Review Panelist, summer teachers institute proposals, 2009.
Pennsylvania Historical Association, Council Member, 2002-05.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Scholar-in-Residence Grants Review Committee, 2005 and 2008.
National Council on Public History, Committee Co-Chair, History and National Parks Collaboration, 2002-03.
Mid-Atlantic American Studies Association, Executive Board Member, April 1999-2002.
University and Departmental Service
Rutgers:
Participant in Big Ideas Symposium Poster Session, October 4, 2019.
Internal Reviewer for New Directions Fellowship Applications, 2018.
Humanities Task Force, 2015-17.
Historical Documentation Committee for Rutgers 250 Commemoration, Spring 2013.
Rutgers-Camden:
Centennial Planning Committee, 2024-ongoing.
Dean’s Steering Committee, 2019-2022.
Committee on Plaques, Major Markers, Monuments, and Artwork, 2021-2023.
Committee on Public Art and History: Representing Equity, Diversity, and Racial Justice on the Grounds of Rutgers-Camden (Buildings and Grounds Subcommittee), 2020-21.
Rutgers Giving Day, Fund-Raising for Student Employment at MARCH, 2021, 2019, 2018, and 2016.
Panelist, “Faculty/Student Research Pairs,” Research Week 2021.
Reviewer of Presidential Fellowship Applicants, Graduate School, 2021.
Appointments and Promotions Committee: ad hoc, Fall 2019; alternate, 2012-13, Fall 2011.
Committee for Implementation of Civic Engagement Certificate, 2018-19.
Organizer, “In Search of the Underground Railroad” event and lecture for Rutgers Reads, April 2, 2019.
Participant in Honors College Activities Fair, 2019, 2018, and 2017.
Ethics Bowl Judge, Spring 2018.
Host for Visiting Editors from Encyclopedia of Vietnam, November 29, 2017.
Reviewer for Promotion Cases (3), Fine Arts, 2018-19 and 2017-18.
Participant in Rutgers-Camden Student Jobs Fair, 2018 and 2017.
Participant in Rutgers-Camden Internship Fair, 2017.
Committee to Develop Criteria for Writing Courses (Gen Ed), Spring 2017.
Cuba-Rutgers Collaboration Research Committee, 2017-18.
Organizer of Public Programs (2) in Collaboration with Honors College, 2018 and 2017.
Rutgers Day Activity Sponsor and Participant, 2016 and 2017.
Digital Studies Center Advisory Committee, 2014-16.
Evaluator for Promotion Candidate for Robeson Library (1), 2014.
Reviewer for Promotion Case (1), Political Science, 2013-14.
Digital Studies Director Search Committee, 2013-14.
Co-Curator Visions of Camden exhibit, Stedman Gallery, January-February 2013, and Facilitator for two related Roundtable Programs.
New Media Committee, Fall 2011; Co-Chair 2012-13.
Panelist for National Endowment for the Humanities Grants Workshop, Spring 2012.
Civic Engagement Committee, 2011-13.
Education Initiative Committee, Spring 2011.
History Department:
Search Committee, African American History (applications review, Fall 2019).
Co-author (with Rick Demirjian) of Experiential Learning Grant Application, 2018.
Discover Rutgers Day Representative, 2017.
National History Day Judge, 2017.
Graduate Student Orientation Representative, 2015 and 2010.
Public History Program Review, Winter 2014-15: Recruited and pre-interviewed public history professionals; facilitated meeting; initiated Public History Certificate option and new History Practicum course listing.
Administrator/Secured Funds for Swan Foundation Scholarship, 2014-18.
Search Committee, Chair, Public/Digital History, 2012-13.
Search Committee, U.S. in the World, 2010-11.
Graduate Public History Internships supervisor (summer as well as academic year), 2010-11; Fall 2011; 2012-13.
Represented department at Graduate Programs Fair, 2012.
Villanova University:
Villanova Institute for Teaching and Learning, Mini-Grants Selection Committee, 1999-2010.
College of Arts and Sciences, Task Force on Physical Learning Environment, 2008.
Department of Humanities, Tenure Review Committee, 2006-07.
Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, NEH Summer Stipend Nominating Comm., 2005.
Department of Political Science, Internal Review Committee, 2005.
College of Arts and Sciences, Liberal Arts Technology Committee, 2000-01.
College of Arts and Sciences, General Liberal Arts Committee, 1999-2001.
History Department:
Internships Coordinator, 2001-10
U.S. History Committee, co-chair, 2001-10
Writing Workshop for Incoming Graduate Students, annually 2004-10
Chair, Search Committee for Latin American history position (suspended), 2008-09
Public History Jobs and Opportunities Survey, 2008-09
Public History @ Villanova Blog, established 2009: http://vuhistory.wordpress.com
Graduate Program Committee/Task Force, 1997-2008
Search Committees for U.S. history positions, 2003-04 and 2004-05
Graduate Forum Invited Speaker, 2009, 2006, 2002, and 1998
Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, 2004-06
Faculty Evaluation Committee (teaching observation and peer review), 2004-07
Budget Committee, 2002-03
Speaker, Phi Alpha Theta Induction Ceremony, 2002
Carroll and Procko Essay Prize Committees, 1999-2001
Webmaster, 1998-2004
Graduate Newsletter Editor, 1998-99
World History Committee, 1997-2000
History Club Adviser, 1997-99
History Careers Program Organizer, 1997
Media
Pertaining to teaching and projects at Rutgers-Camden:
Sam Starnes, “Hallowed History: Research and photography by Rutgers University–Camden students leads to a historic designation for a 145-year-old Camden County mansion,” Rutgers-Camden Magazine, Fall 2019. https://magazine.camden.rutgers.edu/2019/10/hallowed-history/
Asia Kittles, “Graduate Students Contribute to Cooper Street History Archives,” Camden College of Arts and Sciences Faculty News, November 14, 2018. https://fas.camden.rutgers.edu/2018/11/14/graduate-students-contribute-to-cooper-street-history-archives/
Kevin Riordan, “How Far Can the Revival of Camden’s Cooper Street Go?” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 3, 2017. https://www.inquirer.com/philly/columnists/kevin_riordan/much-of-camdens-cooper-street-escaped-urban-renewal-but-how-far-can-its-revival-go-20171003.html
Pertaining to Capital of the World: The Race to Host the United Nations:
PassBlue: Covering the UN (http://passblue.com): “Why the UN Was Built in New York and not South Dakota,” feature and review by Lucia Mouat, July 18, 2013.
WAMC Northeast Public Radio, Albany, N.Y., interviewed on The Roundtable Program, July 19, 2013.
KMOX radio, St. Louis, Mo., live interview on the Charlie Brennan Show, May 2, 2013.
C-Span Book TV, broadcast of presentation at Philadelphia History Museum, aired April 14, 21, and 28, 2013, and posted for online viewing.
WXYZ-TV, Detroit, “The United Nations Placed on Belle Isle? It Could Have Happened,” story derived from essay published on Foreign Policy web site, aired April 7, 2013.
Atlantic City Press, “Working to Bring World Leaders to Southern New Jersey,” interview and feature story, March 17, 2013.
WAMC radio, Albany, N.Y., interview March 19, 2013, taped for future broadcast.
Syrius Satellite Radio, live interview on the Michelangelo Signoreli show, March 19, 2013.
KERA radio, Dallas, Texas, hour-long live interview on the “Think” program hosted by Krys Boyd, March 13, 2013.
Public Radio International, “Capital of the World: The Race to Host the United Nations,” feature and interview, February 13, 2013.
Pertaining to The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia:
American Scholar, quoted in “City of Scholarly Love,” by Chloe Taft, Autumn 2011.
WHYY radio, interviewed for news report on Civic Partnership and Planning Workshop, April 18, 2009.
Philadelphia Inquirer, quoted in “Gathering History of Philadelphia,” by Edward Colimore, April 17, 2009.
Pertaining to issues related to Independence National Historical Park:
Philadelphia Inquirer, quoted in “Changing Skyline: For Tourists and City, Not Created Equal,” by Inga Saffron, December 26, 2011.
WHYY, Radio Times, guest on opening day for Liberty Bell Center, October 9, 2003.
Charleston (W.Va.) Daily Mail, quoted in “Hidden Passage for Slaves Found in President’s House,” by Rubina Madan, June 8, 2007.
Philadelphia Inquirer, quoted in “Should President’s House Findings Stay on View?” by Stephan Salisbury, June 5, 2007.
Associated Press, quoted in “Security Plan: Independence Square May Get Roped Off,” August 6, 2004.
Philadelphia Inquirer, quoted in “Bell’s Crack Arrived Early, Iconic Status Came Later,” by Michael D. Shaffer, October 5, 2003.
Preservation Magazine, quoted in “Letting Freedom Ring True,” by Julia M. Klein, September/October 2003.
Philadelphia Inquirer, quoted in “Liberty Bell’s Symbolism Rings Hollow for Some,” by Stephan Salisbury, May 26, 2002.
Philadelphia Inquirer, quoted in “Street: Let Pavilion Work Proceed,” by Inga Saffron, March 26, 2002.
Pertaining to Independence Hall in American Memory:
Philadelphia Inquirer, “Where Liberty Rang Out, Slaves Were Also Jailed,” feature and interview by Dianna Marder, August 22, 2002.
Philadelphia Tribune, “Biography Enriches History of Hall,” feature and interview by Linn Washington Jr., August 20, 2002.