Public History News

Have a story or a career path you want to share? Contact Michelle Hamilton at mhamilt3@uwo.ca.

"Victorian Tweets @ Eldon House," The Londoner, By Shobhita Sharma

Adrian Petry Eldon HouseCome January, the Harris family's ­history will be brought to life through an exhibit based on the popular social networking site Twitter.

"Victorian Tweets" is the brainchild of UWO master's student Adrian Petry, who believes it will make history more accessible and appealing to younger Londoners.

"Because the family's history is so extensive, it can be very overwhelming," Petry said. "(We wanted to) give visitors a snapshot of the Victorian way through the ­Harris family."

Petry is pulling together excerpts from various correspondence tools such as ­diaries, postcards, letters and even telegraph messages from the Harris family ­collection and presenting them in the form of "tweets."

"E-mail, Facebook and Twitter really dominate our lives," Petry said. "And for Victorians, correspondence was a big part of life, especially for the Harris (family), who were so prominent in London."

The exhibit will feature 140 character long tweets about personal, national and international events that were recorded by family members. About 10 tweets along with corresponding artifacts will be on ­display in the second-floor glass case at Eldon House.

"It will be like you are looking a computer screen, well almost," Petry said. " It will have the twitter handle with a photo (of the Harris family member tweeting.)"

Some interesting "tweets" to look out for include ones about Lincoln's assassination recorded in Amelia Harris' diary and a ­letter from the navy asking Gorge Harris to come to North America to help with the war of 1812.

"If the Harris' had Twitter, I think it would be something like this," Petry said.

"It's an interesting idea to connect ­history to a modern thing that everybody is so familiar with," added Hillary Gugan, a ­historical interpreter at Eldon House. "You can imagine how such an important social media tool today would function back then."

The exhibit opens January 7 and runs until April. For more information visit www.eldonhouse.ca

Heritage Designation in SoHo Exhibit

ARCC exhibit 2011The community south of Horton Street (SoHo) has been an urban working class neighbourhood in London for over 100 years. The heritage properties in this display represent the distinctive and modest architecture of the SoHo district and convey the social fabric of the working class society. The City of London's current interest in the re-gentrification of the SoHo region is directed toward the revitalization of iARCC exhibit 2011 2ts residential and commercial heritage. The Public History MA students have undertaken this research to aid in the heritage designation process. Visit this exhibit in the John A. Schweitzer Gallery in the Western Archives, Weldon Library, until the spring of 2012.

Christmas in Wartime Exhibit

Christmas in WartimeThe Weldon Library is hosting a new exhibit for the month of December called Christmas in Wartime. This exhibit draws from Professor Jonathan Vance's collection of Christmas card, letters and photos from the two world wars. Laura Piticco and Adriana Ayers arranged the exhibit. For more, see the Library website.

SoHo Designation Project

LACH presentations 2011

Students recently presented their research and recommendations for designation of twelve properties in London's south of Horton district to the London Advisory Committee on Heritage and delegates from the London Branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario. Their research is part of the SoHo Community Regeneration Plan.

Convocation 2011

Graduation
Congratulations to our recent grads! Front row, l-r: Craig Capacchione; Sarah Bennett; Terran Fader; Caitlin Dyer; Luvneet Rana; Jennifer Nelson. Back row, l-r: Joanna Dawson; Annique Sanche; Michelle Goodridge; Kira Westby; Pamela Pal. Missing: Adair Harper; Brent Wiancko; Jennifer Levin-Bonder.

The Value of Internships

In "All Work, No Pay," the Gazette explores the value of internships. Jenn Nelson, who interned this past summer at the National Museum of Scotland and the National Library of Scotland weighed in on the topic. Read more

Celebrating Medical History at Western

HomecomingThree new displays showcasing the practice and teaching of medicine at Western are now mounted in the Medical Sciences Building in conjunction with Western Homecoming 2011.  This year, the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry is celebrating the 130 anniversary of the medical school.  As part of this, Public History graduate students Adrianna Ayers, Alison Deplonty, Sarah Nagy, Heather Rivet and Lyndsay VanDyk as well as Professors Michelle Hamilton and Shelley McKellar seized the opportunity to showcase objects from the Medical Artifact Collection – including surgical sets, microscopes, toothkeys and a recently donated foot-pedal dental drill. These displays, entitled "Scalpels and Stethoscopes," "Teaching Anatomy and Microscopy at Western," and "Toothkeys and Forceps," are located in the lobby and outside room M146 of the Medical Sciences building – so please wander over for a look!

Prof. Bill Turkel in the New York Times

Bill Turkel's data mining project using the records of the Old Bailey, the central criminal court in London, England, garnered attention by the New York Times. Read more about this project, called "With Criminal Intent" here.

Metras Project to be Featured at the OMA Conference

Jordan Goldstein (2010), now the Museum Manager of the JP Metras Museum will present on the two-year connection between the Public History program and this campus institution at the upcoming annual conference of the Ontario Museums Association. His talk will be part of panel session called "On Campus Communities: Museums Working with Universities." Check out the session description here.

Recent Conference Presentation

Megan Arnott recently presented at 2011 International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University. Arnott presRead her presentation and see her powerpoint “'Viking' North America: The North American Public’s Understanding of Its Norse Heritage" here.

"Memories of the Cave," Banff Crag and Canyon
By Larissa Barlow

Parks
If you remember long summer days working as a lifeguard at the Cave and Basin pool, taking your first swimming lessons at the site, or even learning how to paddle a canoe in the safe confines of the calm water, then Parks Canada wants to hear from you. Parks has hired a summer research student to collect memories and stories people have of the days when you could swim at the national historic site to both record the history of the place, and hopefully rekindle some community spirit for the Cave and Basin. Graduate student Adair Harper wants to gather as many personal histories as possible this summer, as some of the stories will become part of the permanent exhibit at the Cave and Basin once it re-opens next year. "It could be as casual as jotting down on a poster their favourite memories or sitting down for a longer, more formal interview," Harper said. As part of the large-scale renovations at the Cave and Basin, which aim to reconnect Banffites both physically and emotionally to the site, this project is about rekindling some of the old feelings for the building that was once a hub of community activity. National historic sites manager Steve Malins said there is a wealth of amazing stories out there about time spent at the Cave's pool, from games played during the winter carnival, to the time the 1968 Summer Olympics Canadian swim team came to train there. "It's about really regaining that local sense of connect and regaining that enjoyment of the Cave and Basin," Malins said. "There are still a few former lifeguards out there and a number of staff members who continue to meet people who learned to swim at the Cave and Basin." Harper has already made connections with several local organizations to reach out and gather stories, but she'll also have a booth set up at the Whyte Museum's Back to Banff Day June 19 where she hopes to meet with locals who have memories of the Cave. Malins said any information not used for the new exhibit will be useful, as it's kept on file for any research projects Parks Canada might conduct in the future. In 1985 a project was done to build a photo inventory of images of the Cave and Basin, which show everything from waterslides heading into the pool, to synchronized swimming events. "You just never know what a project like Adair's will trigger in someone's memory," Malins said. "It's that personal connection to place we really want to get with this." Anyone who wants to contribute to the project can stop by the booth at Back to Banff Day or contact Harper at adair.harper@pc.gc.ca.

Interested in Our Students Internship Projects?

Follow Kira Westby this summer as she interns at the Peterborough Museum and Archives. Kira will be blogging about her experiences here. Jennifer Nelson, who is working at the National Library and the National Museum of Scotland, will share her experiences here. Joanna Dawson has begun to blog for Canada's National History Society in Winnipeg at Young Historians.

"Mustang History Gets Boost from History Program," Western News, by Jason Winders

Ask Michelle Hamilton and she’ll tell you sports history at The University of Western Ontario has been more a labour of love, than academic pursuit. But for the last two years, students in her public history program have set out to change that. For more than a century, much of Mustang sporting history has been tucked away in boxes, closets and rarely entered storerooms across campus and the country. Some parts found a way into the hands of Western archivists and volunteers; other parts were simply tossed out. All that’s not to mention the vast wealth of knowledge, the bulk of the institution’s sporting history, is committed not to paper, but only to the memories of those who played and coached the games. “People tend to underestimate the historic value of their own stories and memorabilia,” says Hamilton, director of the program in the Department of History. To preserve Mustang history, the J.P. Metras Sports Museum opened in Alumni Hall. Beginning in 1978, the university’s centennial year, the ‘W’ Club used this room to establish Western’s Sports Hall of Fame. Display cases and photos were mounted to help define the space, and coaches became curators, collecting pictures and changing displays. Today, roughly 148 Hall of Fame photos line the hallways leading to the museum, where more than 100 pictures are on display between the national championships wall and the Molson Wall of Fame that recognizes Western's Olympic and Common-wealth Games athletes. But limits to time and space have always kept the museum from being what the organizers hoped it would be. Enter Hamilton’s public history classes. Read the full article here.  

New Book from Sunnybrook Hospital Archives

Sunnybrook Hospital Our Veteran’s Legacy of Care, a Photographic Journey Through the Decades has been published by Dundurn Press. Edited by a team led by Dr. Peeter Poldre, the book captures the history of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre from its origins as a military hospital built for the care of Canadian veterans to the present as Canada's largest public, teaching hospital. It chronicles the contributions of the dedicated health care professionals, staff, volunteers and veterans whose tireless efforts have made the hospital what it has become today. Together they have established internationally recognized standards of excellence in patient care, teaching and research. This legacy honours in perpetuity those service men and women, past and present, who put heir lives on the line to protect our freedom. Phil Gold (2005) is Sunnybrook's Archivist and in the summer of 2010, Catherine Caughell (2010) conducted her internship at the institution. For a peek into the book, watch this YouTube video.

36th Annual Symposium on the Holocaust

In her new role as Education Coordinator for the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre, Catherine Caughell recently organized this event for over 1000 high school students. “Student feedback on the symposium overwhelmingly mentioned that the breakout sessions with survivor speakers was the most meaningful, inspiring part of the day’s program,” said Caughell. As I observed students listening to the survivors speak, it was clear from their body language and the hush in the room that they were actively engaged and hanging on every word. Many of them were visibly moved by their seminar experiences. Many more made a point to stay after the survivor was finished speaking and express admiration for the survivor’s courage and their gratitude for the opportunity to listen to them speak. I’m always amazed at the almost instantaneous bond that can form between a survivor and the group of students that they are sharing their story with. It’s difficult to describe, but incredibly touching to watch. Highlighting the value of the annual event, Caughell continued, The symposium program offers students in British Columbia unparalleled access to historians, experts and eyewitnesses to the Holocaust. I believe this program to be more valuable than ever, as students who attended this year’s symposium are part of the last generation of students that will have this opportunity hear from Holocaust survivors firsthand. It is an incredible privilege, but it’s also an incredible responsibility. It will be up to them to pass on these stories to future generations.” Read more from the article "Critical Message of Survival" from the Jewish Independent.

SPARK Conference Workshop

Joanna Dawson, Kira Westby and Jennifer Nelson led "'Stuff' Matters:  A Hands-on Historical Workshop" using the Medical Artifact Collection at the SPARK conference May 5th. Run by the Thames Valley District Board of Education for gifted high school students, this conference was hosted by King's College.

New Lambton County Blog

Dana Johnson, the former Lambton County Fellow at the Oil Museum of Canada, has established a new blog in her new position as Historian at the Lambton County Room. "Musings from the Archives" provides a peek into the holdings and research of this local archives.

J.P. Metras Sports Museum Virtual Exhibit Launched!

The 2010-11 Public History students have now launched their virtual exhibit which brings together the artifact and photographic collections of the Museum and the Western Archives to tell the story of over 100 years of sports at the university. The Museum itself was created by the W Club in 1978 and is located in Alumni Hall. A big thank you to our partners the W Club, the Women's Athletic Alumnae and the Archives and Research Collections Centre in the Weldon Library.

Students Present at Annual CMA Conference

This year, the annual conference of the Canadian Museums Association was held in London. Four Public History students presented papers. Jennifer Levin-Bonder was part of a panel entitled "Rethinking Museums: Beyond Gallery Walls" and Jennifer Nelson presented in the session "How Do you Dramatize History?" Brent Wiancko and Terran Fader discussed the creation of a virtual exhibit for the JP Metras Museum using Omeka, the Public  History students' group project.  Students Annique Sanche and Joanna Dawson also interviewed several presenters for Canada's National History Society. Watch their video interviews here.  The Program wishes to thank the London Heritage Council, the London Arts Council, and the CMA for the waived registration fees so that all Public History students could attend the annual conference.

Archives Conservation Workshop

In celebration of Archives Awareness Week, the Elgin County Archives hosted a paper conservation workshop in mid-April. Students Brent Wiancko, Jennifer Nelson and Terran Fader, all of whom will intern at archival institutions this summer, attended.

Jennifer Nelson Wins Internship Support

Nelson, who will complete a joint internship at the National Museum and National Library of Scotland this summer has won support for her work. Both the United Empire Scholarship and the Agnes Cole Dark grant will support her research which includes Scottish immigration to Canada and the participation of Scottish regiments in the First World War. Nelson is the first Public History student to win an international internship.

New Exhibit at the Museum of Ontario Archaeology

Michelle Goodridge and Dr. Robert Pearce have curated a new exhibit entitled "Big Jobs, Big Tools: Pre-contact First Nations Use of Ground Stone Tools." This exhibit was part of Michelle's Research Assistantship placement at the Museum during the academic year.  

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood -- New Exhibit at ARCC

Public History students have curated a new exhibit for the Schweitzer Gallery at Western Archives in the Weldon Library. This exhibit, which explores heritage properties in London's Old South, stemmed from their research on 14 homes and recommendations for designation under the Ontario Heritage Act. This research was conducted for the City of London Heritage Planner and the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario. This exhibit will be on display throughout the spring and summer.

New Book by Claire Campbell - A Century of Parks Canada, 1911-2011
From the University of Calgary Press

When Canada created a Dominion Parks Branch in 1911, it became the first country in the world to establish an agency devoted to managing its national parks. Over the past century this agency, now Parks Canada, has been at the centre of important debates about the place of nature in Canadian nationhood, and relationships between Canada's diverse ecosystems and its communities. Today, Parks Canada manages over forty parks and reserves totalling over 200,000 square kilometres and featuring a dazzling variety of landscapes, and is recognized as a global leader in the environmental challenges of protected places. Its history is a rich repository of experience, of lessons learned - critical for making informed decisions about how to sustain the environmental and social health of our national parks. A Century of Parks Canada is published in partnership with NiCHE (Network in Canadian History and Environment). http://niche-canada.org/

On Display - Objects from the UWO Medical Artifact Collection

An artificial leg, a French surgical set, a fetal stethoscope, homeopathic drugs and more ... are now on display at Weldon Library!  "Instruments and Devices: The Material Culture of Medicine" is a 5-case display mounted by graduate students Caitlyn Dyer, Kira Westby, Jennifer Bonder, Brent Wiancko, Adair Harper, Joanna Dawson, and Jessica Dubinsky that showcases the material culture of medicine -- or the "things" used by practitioners in the practice of medicine.  These objects are taken from the UWO Medical Artifact Collection, which contains over 1,000 objects, ranging from bloodletting instruments and surgical sets to microscopes and pharmaceuticals, representative of late 19th- and early to mid-20th century practice and teaching of health and medicine in southwestern Ontario.  

Alumnus Featured in Heritage Profile Series

Krista McCracken (2008-09), currently an Archives Technician at the Residential School Research and Archive Centre at Algoma University was recently interviewed by Kayla Jones, an Ontario Heritage Planning Specialist for her series on new professionals.

London Heritage Portal Launch

After 3 years, London Heritage Council launched its Heritage Portal in January of 2011. Meaghan Nelligan (2008-09) acted as the first Portal Coordinator and Annique Sanche (2010-11) has also worked towards the launch as part of her Research Assistantship.

Echoes and Reflections: A Multimedia Curriculum on the Holocaust, by Catherine Caughell from ActiveHistory.ca

As teachers, we constantly strive to engage the students in our classrooms both emotionally and intellectually; we choose learning materials we hope will resonant with them and initiate discussions aimed at inspiring their intellectual curiosity and critical thinking. If we’re very lucky, what we do in the classroom ultimately leads to personal reflection, growth and a life-long passion for learning. In the social sciences, study around the Holocaust gives us, as educators, an amazing opportunity to enter into discussions with our students about topics such as stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, and what can happen when fundamental human and civil rights are denied to individuals or groups of people. That said, because of both the nature of the material and the sheer depth of research surrounding the Holocaust, it is possible for teachers approaching the subject to feel overwhelmed when trying to develop lesson and/or unit plans.Read more...

Accessibility of Canadian History, by Krista McCracken from ActiveHistory.ca

The desire to make Canadian history more accessible to the general public is nothing new. Accessibility takes many forms: educational programming, the use of photographs to spur interest in a subject, opening archives to the general public, and the use of technology to bring history resources to a wider audience. Technology is used widely in the heritage field to increase accessibility. Technology has facilitated the creation of publicly available history databases, an increased digital presence of heritage institutions, and the development of heritage specific digital tools. There has been a rise in history databases designed for the general public. These databases often contain images and primary sources which were previously restricted to academics. Increased accessibility of primary sources assists academic research, genealogy, and the work of amateur historians. Increasingly, digital archival holdings are open to everyone regardless of professional qualifications. Read more...

Smithsonian Curator Visits UWO

Public History and Material Culture students welcomed Judy Chelnick, Associate Curator, Division of Medicine and Science, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution on February 7th. Chelnick led a two part day-long workshop on collections management and care, and the use of artifacts in the study of medical history.

Students to Present at the Canadian Museums Association Annual Conference

The annual CMA meeting, themed "Evolve or Die!" will be held in London this coming spring and four of the 2010-11 Public History students will be presenting their research on Thursday, April 14. Jennifer Levin-Bonder is part of a panel exploring the use of technology in the engagement of Gen Y with museums. Jennifer Nelson will present on her work to dramatize the nineteenth-century Hendershott murder in St. Thomas. Brent Wiancko and Terran Fader will discuss the Public History group project which uses the open-source software Omeka to create a virtual exhibit for the J.P. Metras Museum.  For the full CMA program and to register, see here..

Heritage Designation Research

On December 1, 2010, Public History students presented their heritage designation research on selected homes in High Street area of Old South in London to the London Advisory Committee on Heritage. This research will be used by the City in their deliberations to designate houses as heritage properties under the Ontario Heritage Act, and by the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario in their annual summer historic homes walk.

October Convocation

Congratulations to the 2009-10 Public History grads who convocated last week on October 29th!

New Twitter Feed

The UWO Medical Artifact Collection has a new Twitter account here. Follow us to see the research and collections management tasks we are working on.

Rogers TV to Profile Public History at UWO

Director Michelle Hamilton, and students Caitlin Dyer, Jennifer Nelson and Michelle Goodridge spoke about the Public History program with Fanshawe journalism student Sarah Shore in October. The segment will air on Rogers TV in early December.

Environmental History in the Classroom, by Adam Crymble, August 20, 2010

Every year thousands of university students write thousands of exams to prove they have learned something. Each year, a groups of UWO Master's students in the Public History program opt instead for something more practical. Just in time for Earth Day -- April 22nd -- this year's students are putting the finishing touches on a series of historical lesson plans that engage elementary school students with environmental problems for our past. Read more from the NiCHE website.

Now Far From Home, by Shelagh Staunton Now Available!

For more about this book, see Shelagh's blog. Please contact Director Michelle Hamilton if you would like a copy at mhamilt3@uwo.ca.

Memories of L'Anse Aux Meadows, from ActiveHistory.ca

Megan Arnott writes about some of her experiences during her internship at this national historic site in Newfoundland.

Oil Legend Debunked? From the Sarnia Observer

Dana Johnson talks about some of the social history research she conducted during her Lambton County Fellowship internship at the Oil Museum of Canada.

Ridout/Talbot Heritage Research Project Featured on FM106.9

Director Michelle Hamilton was interviewed by Bill Paul, on "Straight Talk," about the 2009-10 students' heritage research and designation project. The piece was broadcast on Sunday, July 25.

Public History Student Wins Accelerate Canada Internship Grant

Congratulations to Dana Johnson, who has recently been awarded an Accelerate Canada matching grant for her summer 2010 internship at the Oil Museum of Canada. Dana, also funded by the Lambton County Fellowship, is researching the social aspects of the oil booms of 1858 and 1863 to determine their impact on the community of Oil Springs and the rest of Canada.

 Now Far From Home: a World War One Letters Project, by Shelagh Staunton

As historians, we seek to be objective in our understanding and representation of the past. But at the same time we strive for this goal, we acknowledge the obstacles in our way. Can the past ever be separated from our present perceptions? Our own life experiences? Does how we represent history tell us more about ourselves than the past we try to capture? These questions have often been the focal point of class discussions in my Public History program this year, but I have also asked them of myself as I work towards completing a project that is more personal than any essay I have ever completed for school. This past winter I approached Dr. Jonathan Vance, my Social Memory professor and the Canada Research Chair in Conflict and Culture, about a collection of family letters from the First World War. They were written to my great-grandmother, Kathleen Jones, from her fiancée who was serving overseas. Dr. Vance was kind enough to allow me to compile and edit the letters for my class project, and the product of five long but incredibly rewarding months of transcribing, scanning, researching, and editing will soon culminate in a book that will be published this summer. I have titled it Now Far From Home: the First World War Letters of Captain Gerald Edward Blake. Read more on the Young Historians blog, from Canada's National History Society.

International Museum Day at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, by Tasha Diloreto, June 24, 2010

Since 1977,International Museum Day has taken place across the world on, or around, the 18th of May. This day is meant raise public awareness towards some of the daily challenges that museums face and allows members of the public a glimpse into the way a museum operates. Each year the International Council of Museums (ICOM) chooses a theme that it encourages participating museums to work with, and the theme for 2010 was Museums for Social Harmony. According to ICOM’s Theme Statement, museums “are in a position to address the urgent need for safe-guarding cultural diversity and bio-diversity as the common heritage of humanity.” Read more at http://activehistory.ca/.

Public History Alumni Speak at Recent Conferences

Sarah Maloney (2008-09) recently presented her work with the 1812history.com project with Brock University, Our Ontario and numerous museums in the Niagara region at the annual Archives of Association Annual Conference. Tim Compeau 2005-06), Devon Elliott (2007-08) and Erin Semande (2003-04) all spoke at the Ontario Heritage Conference in June. Tim presented "Crowd-Sourcing Your Collections: Using Wikis in Small Museums," and Devon's talk was entitled "Digital Tools and Media to Protect and Publicise Historic Buildings." 

Banting Beaker Finds a More Public Home, by Sara Sirianni, May 27, 2010

At the start of next summer The University of Western Ontario's Medical Artifact collection and the Department of History will be moving to the building formerly known as Stevenson-Lawson.  One item not making the move is a very average-looking beaker that belonged to Sir Frederick Banting. Read more of Sara Sirianni's article in the Western News. Sara is interning at the Banting House National Historic Site this summer.

Architectural Conservancy of Ontario Uses Public History Research

The London Branch of the ACO will incorporate the research of the 2010-11 Public History students in their 37th annual Geranium Heritage House Tour. The 2010 tour will be held on June 6 and will feature houses in the historic Ridout and Talbot street area. Read more about the project in the ACO newsletter on page 2.

Lessons from the 36th Congress on Party Rigidity Today

Public History student Jordan Goldstein writes about partisan politics for the History News Network. Read more.

Environmental History in the Classroom:  EcoKids, NiCHE and The University of Western Ontario, by Dana Johnson and Megan Arnott, May 5, 2010

Graduate students in the M.A. in Public History program at the University of Western Ontario are trained to apply their skills to projects outside the realm of academia. In the fall semester of 2009 we received an exciting opportunity to work in conjunction with two outside partners in the preparation of environmentally-focused lesson plans for educators across Canada.Read more 

From Eek to Chic:  A Look at Maternity Wear

Nowadays, celebrities pose on the red carpet looking glamorous, while showing off their rounded bellies. Fashion designers have caught on to this trend and are now competing to offer expectant mothers clothes that will accentuate their womanly curves. But has this always been the case? Here is a look at the evolution of maternity wear... with many surprising fashion twists! Read more about the research on and collecting of maternity wear by Krista Cooke and Andrea Melvin at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.  

UWO Public History on YouTube

Following the lead of the National Council on Public History initiative, we now have a YouTube channel to feature the work of our students and graduates. If you have a piece you would like to share, please email Michelle Hamilton at mhamilt3@uwo.ca

Public History Bloggers

Many of our former students are in demand as bloggers. Jenna Leifso (2008-09), Archives Assistant at the Stratford Festival Archives, has begun a blog featuring the unique artifacts and documents held there.  Canada’s National History Society invited Vicky Tran (2008-09) to be the new BC blogger for Canada’s History, their re-named magazine formerly known as the Beaver. See her first piece at http://www.canadashistory.ca/Education/Young-Historians/History-Vinhgnettes.aspx. Dana Johnson has also guest-blogged for the Society at http://www.canadashistory.ca/Education/Young-Historians/Public-History-Blog.aspx. Adam Crymble (2007-08) and Krista McCracken (2008-09) have joined the bloggers at ActiveHistory.ca. Tim O'Grady (2009-10) has guest-blogged for ActiveHistory about his Digital History project. Check out their thoughts here. 

Shingwauk Project Launched at Algoma University

As Library Director at Algoma, Ken Hernden (1997-98) has been recently involved in the Shingwauk Project which makes accessible to the public three decades of archival material related to Indian Residential Schools in Canada. Thousands of documents, photographs, publications, and audio and video recordings will be digitized for public access. For more information, click here and here.

1812History.com Website Launched

In celebration of the upcoming bicentennial of the War of 1812, this new website features photographs, documents and objects from Niagara region heritage, cultural and educational institutions, including the Brock University Archives, the Niagara Historical Society, the Jordan Historical Museum, the Grimsby Museum, the Niagara Falls History Museum, the Port Colborne Historical Museum, and the RiverBrink Art Museum. It also offers educational plans for teachers. Sarah Maloney, a 2008-09 Public History graduate, was one of the team members for this exciting new resource.

The Maternity Clothing History Project

Andrea Melvin, a 2007-08 graduate, is researching the history of maternity clothing, including collecting objects for the Canadian Museum of Civilization. If you are interested in contributing, see the project page here.

A Walk Down Memory Lane:  Historic Homes of the Talbot Street Area

The 2009-10 Public History students recently curated an exhibit stemming from their research on historic homes in the Talbot and Ridout streets area.  The students evaluated their findings for local heritage significance based on the London Built Heritage Resource Evaluation, and presented the results to the Stewardship Committee for the London Advisory Committee on Heritage (LACH) this past fall.  The City of London will use these reports in the creation of a heritage conservation district in the Talbot and Ridout streets area.  This exhibit will be on display until March 2010 in the John A. Schweitzer Gallery in the University Archives.

Website Launched

The 2008-09 Public History web exhibit Restoring Perspectives: Life and Treatment at the London Asylum has been launched at http://www.lib.uwo.ca/archives/virtual exhibits/londonasylum/.

Public History Student Publishes Book

Public History student Natalie Dyck recently published The Diary and Memoir of Private Raymond Duval. Duval enlisted with the 244th Infantry Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1916 and served on the Western Front in battles such as Passchendaele and Amiens. Determined to preserve his memories of the First World War, he maintained a daily record of his experiences in the diary provided to him by the army upon enlistment. After returning to Canada, he wrote several articles recounting his experience in the local newspaper. With the intention to create a public record of what he called “the brighter side” of combat duty, Raymond Duval wrote a memoir in 1954, which provides a more detailed account of his experiences during the war. Natalie's edited version was completed as an assignment in Jonathan Vance's Canada and the First World War class.

Diversity Week and Black History

Melissa Robinson recently created an exhibit on the nineteenth century history of Black communities in Ontario for Huron University College’s Diversity Week in March, a part of the Promised Land project, a SSHRC funded research alliance lead by Dr. Nina Reid-Mahoney. Melissa will continue her work with the project during her internship this summer.

Marketing the History of Baseball, Fall 2008

Rogers Television recently interviewed Meaghan Nelligan and Lois Fenton about the baseball heritage tourism marketing package produced by the Public History students. This project is part of city of London's effort to promote tourism to Labatt Park, the oldest continuously used baseball park in North America according to the Guiness Book of World Records, and the Roy MacKay Clubhouse, a 1930s heritage building designated by the province.

"Western Helps Museum London Go Digital," Western News, by Adam Crymble (10 Apr 2008)

Adam, a public history MA student, describes the students' History 500/501 SMARTBoard project with Eldon House.

New Exhibit Mounted

Drop by the John A. Schweitzer Gallery in the Archives and Research Collections Centre at Weldon Library to see a new 4-case display curated by Adam Crymble and mounted by Public History graduate students. Entitled "Canada's Best Student Experience a Century Ago: Life in UWO's Medical School," the display examines student life based around the subthemes of "study," "play," "practice," and "redemption." Curator Crymble asks "thought-provoking questions of the viewer about what it was like to be a medical student at the turn of the century, and whether or not these students were really that much different from students today." This display utilizes images, documents, books and artifacts from the UWO History of Medicine archival collection, the UWO Medical Artifact Collection, and the UWO Hannah Collection on the History of Science and Museum. The exhibit will remain mounted until the end of April.

Exhibits, November 2007

Public History M.A. students recently mounted two new displays utilizing the UWO Medical Artifact Collection. An engaging display on Electrotherapeutics - or the use of electricity in medicine through such devices as Violet Ray machines - can be seen in the Medical Sciences hallway, outside room M148. Another intriguing case display, located in the library of the Department of the History of Medicine (HSA 041), showcases an early x-ray tube and glass plate image, a cautery transformer, a bone drill, and more. Both are attractive and informative displays that use historical objects or the material culture of medicine to highlight past practices in health and medicine. All are encouraged to view these displays as well as visit the UWO Medical Artifact Collection website at www.medicalhistory.uwo.ca

Vimy Revisited

Congratulations to Joel Ralph, for his publication "Vimy Revisited" in The Beaver (April/May 2007). Joel graduated from the Western Public History MA program in 2006, and is now the education and outreach program coordinator for Canada's National History Society.

Cliopatria Awards 2006

At the recent meeting of the American Historical Association, members of the UWO History Department won two of sixCliopatria Awards, for History-related blogs. Professor William Turkel won best new blog for Digital History Hacks. MA student John Jordan's "For a Canadian Wikipedia"won best post. Congratulations to both of them!

"A Witness to History," Rob Aldred Western News (15 Feb 2007)

Torture, rape, genocide - the unimaginable became real during the Balkan war. And Public History graduate student Diana Dicklich heard it all. [MORE]

Work Begins on Collection, Anne Craig, Gananoque Reporter (11 Oct 2006)

"To put it bluntly, the collection of Gananoque artifacts is a mess." Read about Tim Compeau's efforts to sort out the artifacts in his blog Collection Resurrection. Tim graduated from the Western Public History MA program this year.

"Community Becoming the New Classroom," Paul Mayne, Western News (28 Sep 2006)

Ever heard of place-based computing? If you haven't, it won't be long before you do." [MORE]

UWO Medical Artifact Collection (Jul 2006)

The UWO Medical Artifact Collection team, led by Dr. Shelley McKellar, is pleased to announce that their website is now live. Features of interest include a searchable database of artifacts and a collection of teaching modules. [WEBSITE

"Early Medical Artifacts Uncovered at Western," Karmen Dowling, Western News (24 Jun 2004)

This year's Fellowship in Teaching Innovation award will provide students and the community with a unique look at London's medical history. [MORE]

"Western Digs into the Past," Chantall van Raay, Western News (21 Jun 2001)

Western will help dig up the past by documenting and researching the industrial remains of Lambton County, where the North American oil boom began in 1858.[MORE]

 

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