the Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums
By Elizabeth Rudrud The Hudson’s Bay Company Fort Nisqually, originally established in what is now Dupont, Washington in 1833, has existed as a recreated and interpreted Fort in Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park since the 1930s. Since that time, Fort Nisqually Living History Museum has grown into a premier living history museum, has been accredited by… Continue reading From Recreating the Past to Creating the Future
By Daniel Cockrell Has the Virtual World of Programming in a Pandemic Changed the Way We View Our Audiences? Today’s audiences have vastly more content options available to them at this moment than even a few minutes ago. With the ability to call up almost anything, how do we hold the attention of such an… Continue reading Living History for Virtual Audiences
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.
The Board of Directors for the Association of Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums (ALHFAM) wishes to express our opposition to the recent events at James Madison’s Montpelier. The work done by the staff at Montpelier has set the standard in the field of museums and community engagement, inspiring countless museum professionals and organizations around… Continue reading Action Taken Against Staff at Montpelier
By Peggy Barchi Fort Nisqually Living History Museum invites you to join the fun at The Future of the Past, ALHFAM’s annual meeting and conference June 23-28, 2022! For those not familiar with the history of the site and its influence on Washington State, read on… Fort Nisqually, the first globally connected settlement on Puget… Continue reading The Future of The Past ALHFAM 2022
by: Jake Krumwiede The last eighteen months have been a challenge for all of us. Yeah, yeah, I know. Everyone knows that. As I typed it, even my own eyes rolled a little bit. We know that everyone has faced professional challenges in the last two years. We have adapted to remarkable circumstances. We have… Continue reading The Old Timers within Us All
With the approach of Thanksgiving and Christmas, thoughts often turn to the traditional centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal: turkey. To add a sense of history, as well as enjoy delightful flavors, you may wish to go to the extra effort to serve a heritage turkey. But what is a heritage turkey?
People from the past really weren’t that different at heart. Yes, they lived in another environment and therefore made choices that we find strange today. But when it comes to the things that really matter in life – love, loss, and how to deal with really obnoxious people – we can look across the gulf of time and think, “Yes, I completely understand.”
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
National polling data shows broad-spectrum support for museums. In the contentious political climate in the United States, one of the few things we agree on is the need for increased support for museums. This is worth mentioning to every elected official at every level.
ALHFAM 