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ALHFAM President’s Message

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What is it to be “woke” and why would someone be tired of it? According to the dictionary, it is the past tense of “wake”—to cease to sleep; to be brought into a state of awareness. My American Heritage Dictionary was published in 1982, so it was long before the current informal definition of “to be alert to injustice in society.” I, for one, am in no way tired of being woke. Why would you not want to be in a state of awareness? There is a moral imperative to call out injustice. All people have a right to dignity, and by claiming their dignity and their story, they do not lessen mine. They expand it.  

Le Grand Derangement: 250 Years of Acadian History in Louisiana

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In September of 1755, England, a political world power began one of history’s largest mass movements of people united by their Catholic faith. Acadians of Nova Scotia were dispersed throughout English lands without benefit of property, family ties or compassion. Their holdings were torched, as they were loaded on to barely seaworthy ships, on which… Continue reading Le Grand Derangement: 250 Years of Acadian History in Louisiana

On the Program Relevance of Slavery

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African culture was a particularly major component in the development of southern U.S. culture as well as American culture as a whole. In interpreting American and largely southern history, it is so easy to slip into saying how certain great and wealthy men built this and grew that, when in reality much of what is spoken of was not only done by the labor of enslaved African Americans, but were also accomplished through the skill and knowledge of these people. These skills were passed from generation to generation and have often carried forward to today.

It’s Not the Jewish Christmas: An Introduction to Jewish Holidays and Their Observance in North America, Part II

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For most non-Jews, Hanukkah along with Passover, is probably the most familiar of the Jewish holidays. Other than that Hanukkah is celebrated around the same time of year, it has absolutely no relationship to Christmas: it commemorates a great military victory and a great miracle.

It’s Not the Jewish Christmas: An Introduction to Jewish Holidays and Their Observance in North America, Part I

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On October 2, 1911, readers of the Annapolis Evening Capital opened their papers to find the following announcement: “Jew Stores Closed. Today all the Jew stores in town were closed, this being the Day of Atonement, one of the most solemn days in the Jewish calendar.[1]” It is doubtful that most non-Jewish residents of Annapolis… Continue reading It’s Not the Jewish Christmas: An Introduction to Jewish Holidays and Their Observance in North America, Part I

Exploring the Conference Theme: 2024 ALHFAM Annual Meeting and Conference

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When the staff at Howell Living History Farm were approached to host the 2024 ALHFAM Annual Meeting and Conference, the initial response was a resounding “NO WAY!” Not because we don’t value the amazing ways this conference connects the ALHFAMily, or shares knowledge otherwise inaccessible due to geographical distance, or even promotes a healthy level… Continue reading Exploring the Conference Theme: 2024 ALHFAM Annual Meeting and Conference

Message from the Chair of the IDEA Committee (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility)

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My name is Arlene Emmert, I work at ALHFAM member site Conner Prairie in Indiana and I am the current IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) committee chair. Today I want to take a bit of your time to talk over who we are and what we do! The ALHFAM IDEA committee was formed to… Continue reading Message from the Chair of the IDEA Committee (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility)

President’s Message April 2024

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Happy Spring ALHFAM Members! I am writing to you to share this quarterly report on the actions of the ALHFAM Board of Directors. The 2023-2025 ALHFAM Strategic Plan was adopted by the Board of Directors on February 13, 2024. It is standard operating procedure for the board to draft a strategic plan every couple of… Continue reading President’s Message April 2024

Curating Living History:  Preserving Skills and Intangible Culture

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The 2024 ALHFAM Annual Meeting and Conference  Howell Living History FarmJune 7-10 and September 9-10, 2024 Learning by actually doing. Sharing practical knowledge. That is what ALHFAM is all about, and this conference is focused on the important skills that ALHFAM preserves, both for future staff at our sites as well as for generations to… Continue reading Curating Living History:  Preserving Skills and Intangible Culture

Death, Racism, and Intemperance:

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A Social Historian's Perspective on Living History and the Interrelation of Controversial Issues Excerpt of an article written by David Vanderstel, Conner Prairie, Noblesville, Indiana. To read the entirety of this paper, join ALHFAM to explore the A.S.K. database, full of challenging insights and ideas, past and present, for our members. Join today! For decades,… Continue reading Death, Racism, and Intemperance:

Sauder Village to Host 2023 ALHFAM Conference

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Nestled in the fields of rural Northwest Ohio is Sauder Village, Ohio’s largest living history museum. Since opening in 1976, Sauder Village has grown to a 235-acre complex with more than 350 employees and 200 adult and youth volunteers. The Historic Village preserves more than 75 historic structures and over 50,000 artifacts, which allow us… Continue reading Sauder Village to Host 2023 ALHFAM Conference

Advocacy in Museums: Selecting a Powerful Object

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The Rosa Parks Bus                             From the Collections of The Henry Ford  Photo by Wayne Hsieh            [Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0)] In 1993 Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village (now The Henry Ford) adopted a new mission statement: “The Henry Ford provides unique educational experiences based on authentic objects, stories and lives from America’s traditions… Continue reading Advocacy in Museums: Selecting a Powerful Object