Middle school me is very excited about this.

Super excited to be partnering with Steamtown National Historic Site for my first official National Park Service program! This upcoming Friday I’ll be hopping aboard their “Scranton Limited” yard shuttle and discussing Civil War Scranton. Pumped.

“…the longor you keep my Child from me the longor you will have to burn in hell and the qwicer youll get their…” Spotswood Rice, a Black soldier in the US Army, to a Missouri woman who held his daughter in slavery, #otd 1864

Found an interesting local 1857 article titled “SLAVERY ABOLISHING ITSELF IN VIRGINIA.” It makes the claim that the Underground Railroad was so successful in helping slaves escape bondage that enslavers were selling their “property” in order to not take a loss.

I’m doing some more research about Civil War era Binghamton and found this short article reporting on the fact that during the 1864 presidential election every town in Broome County, including Binghamton, gave a majority for Lincoln. “We call this a clean-sweeping Broome.”

Books of the day.

This is my all-time favorite take on a potential McClellan administration, from the Pittston Gazette. “Worse than Buchanan Times.”

Once again.

THIS.

I don’t know how I functioned before double screen life.

New job means new office which means having to choose which books make the office cut. Right now, this is what I got.

Had a chance to swing by our local PBS affiliate this morning for a preview of Ken Burns’ upcoming Revolutionary War documentary and to meet with local organizations & community leaders to help plan events for America250PA up here in the northeast. WVIA’s updated facility is incredible.

from chandra manning's wonderful book "what this cruel war was over"

“Slavery was bad.” - me to tour groups & lecture attendees “We will support…such men & measures, only…most likely to bring about the immediate emancipation of every slave…and…we will favor the extension of the elective franchise…to other than ‘white male citizens.’” - local Liberty Party, 1845

Had some time to revisit this one today, courtesy of Smithsonian Books. A great collection of essays that dive into the history and myths surrounding the Underground Railroad.

We have one of these extremely large maps for each day of the Battle of Gettysburg and I have no idea what to do with them. My gallery doesn’t have room for them and there’s nowhere to put them anywhere else in the building. Shame they’re just collecting dust.

After 12+ years of working in education I am making the shift to working full time in public history & non-profit work as the Director of Advancement & Historical Programs at the Waverly Community House. I’ll get to grow our Underground Railroad program & work w/ amazing partners! Pumped.

This has once again proven to be very useful as of late. Even though it was published in 2018 it still holds up, imo.

I'm not worried about the likes, just gonna do a thread of Civil War opinions.

A few snags from this weekend in Gettysburg. I grabbed copies of T. Morris Chester’s dispatches and @jgiesber.bsky.social’s study on formerly enslaved families searching for lost family members for the work library. Grabbed @irishacw.bsky.social and Jonathan Lande’s new books for me. Pumped.

Hiked “Pickett’s” Charge from the Virginia Monument to the Angle yesterday. Not my first time making the hike. I couldn’t help but think, “Lee was stupid.”

For those remembering Gettysburg: take a minute to reflect on the kidnapping of Black Pennsylvanians by the Confederate army. “Such are the sad fruits of Slavery and Rebellion, which do no good, but do incalculable harm to souls & body of both guilty and innocent.” - Lewisburg Chronicle, 7/7/1863

When millennials hear another once in a generation crisis is coming

This week I have a few indoor lectures scheduled and (so far) don’t have any pre-scheduled tours. I’m not upset about the lack of tours.

Playing these on repeat all day.

Just wrapped up with my talk/walking tour of Montrose, done in partnership with the great folks at the Susquehanna Co. Historical Society. Here’s the Susquehanna Co. Courthouse where on April 3, 1865, the same day as the fall of Richmond, JJ Wright gave my favorite speech ever.

Local news stopped by during my tour yesterday and caught me quoting a Towanda anti-slavery meeting… “Resolved, That before we will submit to be dragged into Southern bondage by the man-stealers of the South, we will die in the defence of our right to liberty.” www.wnep.com/article/news...

Marker, dedicated. Not only did we get to unveil the signage to a great crowd, but I was amazed by how many people braved the heat/humidity for the walking tour. Always a good day when you get to talk about the 22nd USCT, even if dripping sweat. Happy Juneteenth, everybody.

Thinking of a military demonstration that I’m actually all about.

Happy Dad’s Day, dad. Go Pack.

Let’s not mince words on exactly what the MAGA movement is.

Met up with @veghistory.bsky.social at the No Kings rally at Courthouse Square in downtown Scranton. He had a John Brown shirt on and I was rocking my 22nd USCT shirt. We understood the assignment.

Document of the day: Robert E. Lee’s October 2, 1865 amnesty oath.

“Even when treason had flaunted its banner full in your faces; when your flag had been insulted and your capital was menaced by an armed foe, even then there might have been found among you those who would have given them whatever they asked, even to the nation’s death…”

I’m not letting today pass without sharing a victory. For the past several years, the Pioneers Museum in Colorado Springs has been working with the three Ute tribes (Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, & Ute of the Uintah & Ouray Reservation) to create a permanent Ute exhibit. It opened today. 1/

Hey, it’s @ejmurphy.bsky.social ! With more info on his incredible Destination Freedom program in the article.

This was a timely arrival.

For presentation purposes, which version of Harper’s Weekly prints do you prefer? “THE TRUE DEFENDERS OF THE CONSTITUTION” At first I preferred the first one but I’m starting to lean toward the black and white print.

“JEFFERSON DAVIS AS AN UNPROTECTED FEMALE! ‘He is one of those rare types of humanity born to control destiny, or to accept, without murmur, annihilation as the natural consequence of failure.’ - N.Y. Daily News, May 15, 1865.”

Thanks to @civilwarmemory.bsky.social for this thoughtful piece. “It is not the job of NPS employees or public historians in general to present the past as a neat morality play, where everyone leaves feeling patriotic. That’s not ‘sanity,’ it’s state-sanctioned ideology masquerading as history.”

On May 1st, 1865 residents of Charleston, many formerly enslaved, honored the final resting place of fallen U.S. soldiers. The origins of Memorial Day. While decorating the graves, school children sang “Battle Cry of Freedom” & then marched to “John Brown’s Body.” The Charleston Courier, 5/2/1865:

Just a reminder that enslaved people invented Memorial Day in the aftermath of the Civil War. I wrote about this history and it’s published in TIME MAGAZINE. time.com/3894406/who-...

In 1869 Decoration Day was celebrated at Arlington National Cemetery with the decoration of Union soldier graves. When people tried to decorate Confederate graves, Marines stopped them and then patrolled the area to make sure that no one else did the same. Happy Memorial Day.

Very much looking forward to diving into @welborntiger.bsky.social and Patrick Lewis’ stacked edited collection on identity and memory in Civil War video games featuring chapters by @legg.bsky.social, @davidsilkenat.bsky.social, @jonathansjones.bsky.social, and many more super talented historians.

Me getting asked “what if?” questions during class, lectures, tours, etc…

This 1956 New York Worker political cartoon depicting the Montgomery bus boycott giving the boot to racism, the Klan, and the White Citizens’ Council in the “Cradle of the Confederacy” is incredible.

Book of the day.