Episodes: page 9

As a preservationist, I cut my teeth on battlefield preservation – working for what’s today the American Battlefield Trust. I led an effort to defeat a proposed Gettysburg casino – so the idea of how we preserve and protect hallowed battlefields has always interested me. That’s why when I heard about a controversial proposal to build a so called, “D-Day land,” I knew we had a good fit – and so on this week’s PreserveCast, we’re heading to the bocage country to talk about heritage preservation with a French twist.

On this first edition of PreserveCast Conversations: The Professor and the Practitioner, a new monthly feature of PreserveCast, co-hosts Nicholas Redding and Dr. Whitney Martinko explore the trends, topics and issues that are making headlines in the world of preservation this month.

To regular listeners of PreserveCast, you know that I’m a huge fan of the BBC “farm” series – which have explored Tudor, Victorian, Edwardian and other eras of British history. Alex Langlands rounds out our interviews with each of the presenters from the series – and Alex also recently published a new book, Craeft: An Inquiry into the Origins and True Meaning of Traditional Crafts, which is a perfect topic of conversation at a moment when the world is almost entirely virtual.

Connecting place to story to digital resources is a challenge confronting communities across the globe. That’s why when I learned about nashvillesites.org, I knew we had a winner for PreserveCast. Not only is Nashville an amazing town – but this story holds many lessons for countless other places looking to bring their history to life. […]

Like the rest of the internet – I came across Seamus Blackley’s incredible story via Twitter and knew he’d make for an incredible PreserveCast guest. A true renaissance figure, Blackley is known widely as the “father of the Xbox,” and has also spent several years perfecting the art of extracting yeast from unusual environments to save and savor the taste of the past. A perfect slice of history for this week’s PreserveCast.

Candacy Taylor is an award-winning author, photographer and cultural documentarian working on a multidisciplinary project based on the Green Book. In her book, “Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America,” Taylor has masterfully pulled together this story of resilience and segregation in a way that elevates and memorializes this history – a history still rooted in countless towns and cities across America. 

Like many episodes, this week’s guest came from a personal passion and fascination – in this case with historic blends of teas. After my first sip of Oliver Pluff tea, I knew we had to get to the bottom of this story and learn how this Charleston, South Carolina based company has cornered the market on heritage tea in the United States. It’s a story brewed over several thousand years and one we’re serving up piping hot on this week’s PreserveCast.

If these walls could talk is an old refrain used by lovers of historic places and buildings, and thanks to the in-depth research and loving care of today’s guest, a historic log cabin in West Virginia’s panhandle is talking again.

Ask anyone working in the trades about who we should be keeping on eye on – and many will tell you Amy McAuley. It’s for that reason that I knew we had to get Amy on PreserveCast and release that episode in conjunction with our celebration and recognition of women in preservation and the historic trades. Known for working with hand tools (that means no power tools), Amy is a master craftsperson making waves in a field that deserves far more attention.

Preserving history and telling and conveying important stories is really what this podcast is all about. We like to talk to people around the world doing amazing things with history – and that’s precisely what this week’s guest, Eugene Tapahe, has done with the Jingle Dress Project. Part history, part culture, part art and part healing – this is a powerful project that every American should know about.

I’ve been a fan of Peter Ginn ever since I watched the first episode of Victorian Farm, where he portrayed a Victorian-era farmer in England alongside Ruth Goodman and Alex Langlands. Peter has deftly combined his knowledge of the past with entertainment and is a proud ambassador for preserving historic trades and crafts. In short, he’s the ideal PreserveCast guest.

Lisa Sasser is a true trailblazer in the preservation trades; an accomplished historic architect, accomplished tradesperson and notably, the first woman to complete the National Park Service preservation trades training program. On this week’s PreserveCast, we’re talking with Lisa Sasser about women in the trades and the future of trades training in America.

World War One has always fascinated me – and so has the decision on what to collect interpret and exhibit – so today’s episode is a perfect blend of interests and topics. What we preserve says more about us than it often even does the history itself, a reason we were excited to bring this fascinating discussion to our listeners.

As a Marylander involved in historic preservation, I have always been extremely impressed by the work of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture. The Commission is the oldest ethnic commission in the nation and doesn’t just talk about preserving history – it directly invests millions of dollars in brick-and-mortar projects across the state. It’s a Maryland story with national implications and one we had to bring to PreserveCast.

Historian, businesswoman, investor, developer, and philanthropist. Colonel Jennifer Pritzker has led an amazing life. A retired Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. Army for nearly three decades, Col. Pritzker served in the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserve, and the Illinois Army National Guard. Today, her legacy of service continues in her philanthropic investments across the nation […]

What do you get when you cross information from George Washington’s own handwritten letters, records from the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, and the latest tech in data systems and digital modeling? Tom Reinhart is here to explain how George Washington’s Mount Vernon is using and expanding Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology to piece together one of the most […]

What if individuals could band together to make change that they couldn’t possibly accomplish alone? That’s the concept behind Small Change, a real estate crowdfunding investment platform founded by today’s guest, Eve Picker. We’ll dive into the new world of crowdfunded real estate investments and how that could shape the future of preservation on this week’s PreserveCast.

I first fell in love with Eric Sloane’s books and sketches several years ago when I picked up a used copy of “A reverence for Wood.” From there on I was hooked and have always held a special place in my heart for his nostalgic view of the past, however flawed it might be, coupled with his amazing sketches of the way we once lived. I’m personally excited to dig in and learn more about Sloane, the collector, historian and artist with our guest, Andrew Rowand who leads the Sloane Museum in Connecticut.

I first read about this new website in the Washington Post and knew we had a PreserveCast must-get guest. Fortunately, we’ve been able to turn this into a two-part episode and will have an opportunity to talk with one of the lead professors and a PhD candidate who is helping to humanize the data they’ve uncovered with a new podcast. Time to get preserving!

As nearly anyone who has seriously studied American history can attest – there is no American story without the story of slavery. It is central to our origin and must be included in order to get a full and complete picture of our history. Unfortunately, the records of slavery are spread far and wide and […]