Monthly Archives: February 2022

A Year on the Field: Preserving Agricultural History by Doing with Claus Kropp

After a year of supply chain shortages and pressures on agriculture, many have come to question the future of our globalized food network. It’s why conversations like this one – where we dive deep into the history and future of agriculture are so critical. Preservation isn’t just about buildings – it can also help us understand the food we eat and the future of that which sustains us – the topic of this week’s PreserveCast as we dive into the world of heritage wheat with Claus Kropp. Learn more at: https://www.yearonthefield.net/

The Future of Post-Industrial Cities with Mac McComas

How cities will survive and thrive post-COVID is a question on a lot of people’s minds. Today’s guest has been thinking about the future of cities since before the pandemic and has continued that work as the world grapples with this latest shock to the system. Mac McComas is the senior program manager of the Johns Hopkins University 21st century cities initiative – an effort aimed at providing cities with up-to-date economic information and analysis to help build a more sustainable future.

Collecting & Preserving the Story of COVID with Dr. Alexandra Lord

COVID-19 has changed all of our lives. It is a defining moment for this generation – and for American history – which means that the Smithsonian has made it a priority for collecting and interpreting for future generations. How we will remember this moment is something as a historian I’ve often thought about – and a reason I wanted to sit down with an expert at the Smithsonian who is focused on that very question. On this week’s PreserveCast, we’re sitting down with Dr. Alexandra Lord, the Chair of the Chair Division of Medicine and Science at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History to discuss how that institution is working to capture this moment in history. Dr. Alexandra Lord is an accomplished historian of medicine and health and is a leader in the effort to document COVID – a perfect guest as we approach the two-year anniversary of the onset of the pandemic. 

Talking Pretzel History with Tim Snyder of Julius Sturgis Pretzels

Pretzels. Few words are as synonymous with snacking – and they are ubiquitous on tables across the nation, no matter the region. Today’s guest, Tim Snyder, leads one of America’s oldest pretzel brands – where the history of the twisted treat is almost equally as important as the taste. Connecting food and history is a theme this year on PreserveCast, and this is a great place to start with an icon in the food industry. 

As a part of our historic foods series – where we’re diving into preserving some of the most iconic foods and brands, we sat down with Tim Snyder, President of the Julius Sturgis Pretzel company, America’s oldest pretzel bakery, based in historic Lititz, Pennsylvania to talk about preserving the history and charting the future of one of America’s favorite snacks.