the Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums
“From the President’s Pen” An unexpected weather change brought gloriously cooler temperatures to the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States in late August. Like flipping a switch, the air became crisper, the shadows cast by a sun lower in sky become longer, and the sky a richer blue. Miraculously, fall seems to have arrived early… Continue reading ALHFAM President’s Fall 2025 Message
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)
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.
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
Excerpt of an article written in 2006 by Martha B. Katz-Hyman, Independent Scholar ALHFAM members can access the full text of this article and thousands more though the A.S.K. database. Not a member? Join today! For many historic sites and living history museums, making collections more relevant to cultures and peoples not usually associated with… Continue reading Who Knew? Finding Multicultural Stories in Your Own Attic
The end of the nineteenth century and first few decades of the twentieth century are considered by many to be the "Golden Age" of Halloween celebrations in the United States. Before the advent of trick-or-treating as we know it, the Victorians and their successors enjoyed hosting and attending Halloween parties, complete with seasonal decorations, festive foods, homemade costumes and a variety of games and stunts. Learn how to turn this bit of history into a fun event at a museum or historic sites.
by Del Taylor Putting together an ALHFAM annual meeting and conference begins long before the members show up. I recalled how great it was to be at my first ALHFAM conference in 2000. One of the many memories I have was being in contact with conference chair Edward Baker. I’d never been to a conference… Continue reading Rendezvous in Time ALHFAM 2019 Sainte Marie among the Hurons
by Jessica Michonski Monticello Gardens, photo by the author To visit the home of a historical figure is always an experience to be partaken…especially for a historian. In July 2019, I had the privilege to visit Monticello – Jefferson’s estate in the mountains of Virginia – while on vacation with my family. I was enthralled… Continue reading Farmer Tom…Forgotten?
As one of those rapidly aging Baby Boomers, inventing and building things were staples of my childhood. Sure, we had TV (but only one), but Mom would throw us out of the house after a couple of hours of Saturday morning cartoons with instructions to “Go do something.” We had grand adventures exploring the creek,… Continue reading Making the Most of the Maker Movement
While ALHFAM is not an exhibit-oriented organization, some of its members deal with collections on a daily basis whether it is storage, care, loan or exhibition. Pieces from collections are used as patterns to reproduce that item so that it might, in some sense, provide an “up close and personal” experience for visitors when the… Continue reading Ideas on Preserving and Sharing Collections
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