Taking History to Town

18th Annual MA History Conference

Yoga in the museum, collecting community history, bringing history to school in a suitcase, collaborating with community organizations, organizing poetry slams. Around the Commonwealth, local and regional historical organizations are working hard to expand the boundaries of collecting, engaging, and connecting with different, new, and more diverse audiences. When we leave our buildings to become part of the community, we are inviting the community to be part of us. Exhibits are happening online or with guest curators, programs take a hike to the nearest park or pub.

Join us — live and in person — for the 18th annual Massachusetts History Conference as we explore programming, best practices and skills developed by our peers in the local and public history field in Massachusetts. Let’s all get back together and share the skills and information crucial to keeping our organizations and collections in good shape.

Schedule at a Glance

8:30AM-1:00PM

Registration

8:30AM-9:30AM

9:30AM-10:00AM

Welcome

10:00AM-11:00AM

Keynote Address

Delivered by Marieke Van Damme, History Cambridge

11:15AM-12:30PM

Teaching Disability History

Reese Hogan of Lesley University, Ross Newton of HEC Academy, Graham Warder of Keene State College

Collaborating for Inclusive History: Working With Volunteers to Develop Historic Programming

Katina Fontes of Athina Education, Inc., Suzanne Gall Marsh of the Boston Harbor Islands NHP, Lesley (Whispering Wind) Harris of the Mashpee Wampanoag, Journalist and Author Stephanie Schorow

Doing a Lot With a Little: The Future of Online Programming

Alison Horrocks and Mark Mello of Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park

Community Engagement: Yesterday’s History in Today’s World

Emily Donovan of Lowell National Historical Park, “One City, Many Cultures” Exhibition Co-Creators Laura Lamarre Anderson and Diego Leonardo-Garcia

Can You Change History? Responding to Perceptions of Racism at History Sites Through Local Stories

Presented by Mass Humanities

12:30PM-1:30PM

Lunch

1:00PM-1:30PM

Awards

1:30PM-2:45PM

Discovering Local History: Engaging Students in a Post-Pandemic World

Melissa Cybulski of The Longmeadow Historical Society, Bob Damon with the City of Quincy, Erin Wederbrook Yuskaitis of Yellow Room Consulting. Sponsored by the Pomeroy Foundation.

Seeing Like the State: Utilizing the Massachusetts State Archives Collections

With John Hannigan of the Mass State Archives

Preservation and Community Engagement

Roberta Cameron of The City of Somerville, Laurie Sanders and Betty Sharpe of Historic Northampton

Expanding Narratives Through Community Engagement at Industrial Sites

Sara Morin Barth of The Lawrence History Center, Eric Peterson of the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum

An Archival “Roadmap” for Your Institution: The Roving Archivist Program at Your Service!

Sarah-Jane Poindexter of MA-SHRAB, Roving Archivist Consultant Tom Doyle. Sponsored by MA-SHRAB

2:45PM-3:15PM

Break – Make Your Own Trail Mix!

Sponsored by Public History at UMass Boston

3:15PM-4:30PM

Developing Multisensory Exhibits

The Concord Museum

Workshop: Balancing Preservation and Progress: How Buildings Can Reflect the Past and Look to the Future

Journalist Carol Owens and author Carl Carlsen

Workshop: Processing a Complex Collection

With Roving Archivist Dan McCormick. Sponsored by MA-SHRAB

Workshop: Scalable Marketing: Best Practices for History Organizations

Julie Arrison-Bishop of MuseumTastic

Workshop: Engaging People With Disabilities in Your History Programming

Desiree Forte of Easter Seals and Kate Benson of The Belchertown State School Friends