“History on the hoof”
From interviewing archivists, to re- searching city registers and maps, to ana- lyzing and shaping data for use by citi- zens and policymakers, “history on the hoof” is how Jordana Dym describes the work of her “Public History” course. A historian of Latin America whose scholarship has covered city govern- ments, mapping, and travel writing, Dym wanted to bring history home and hands- on by offering last fall’s pilot course. Little did she know the course would be such a hit that she’d add a two-credit workshop in the spring, to allow some of its stu- dents to continue their projects. The fall students conducted research for the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, which wanted data on the city’s “sacred spaces”—historic churches, temples, cemeteries—to help develop a walking tour. (Earlier, two students had interned with Sara Boivin ’96, the SSPF’s outreach director, to select the sites). After poring over documents in the pub- lic library’s Saratoga Room, church stor- age closets, and Skidmore’s special collec- tions, and after interviewing historians, clerics, congregants, and caretakers, the students wrote papers, created the
sacredsaratoga.weebly.com Web site, prepared oral presentations, and even worked up a few internship proposals. Because “we made connections with local histori- ans who were really excited about what we were doing,” says Sara Gross ’13, “I took the spring workshop to keep working with some of these great people.” Among them is Teri Blasko, who oversees the public library’s Saratoga Room of history docu- ments. “I’ve been impressed,” she says, “that the students al- ways seem well prepared before they come to us.” She also re- marks, “Saratoga people take their history very seriously, and these students have earned ac- ceptance into the local history community.”
Dym confirms, “I’m coaching them, but really we’re all collaborating, doing genuine professional history.” In one class meeting, they discussed old maps: sometimes labels say “Catholic church” without “St. Peter’s” or “St. Clement’s,” Temple Sinai had several headquarters before it acquired its own building, and a
“SARATOGA PEOPLE TAKE THEIR HISTORY VERY SERIOUSLY, AND THESE STUDENTS HAVE EARNED ACCEPTANCE INTO THE LOCAL HISTORY COMMUNITY.”
few street names around cemeteries were changed. Working from primary sources can be “tedious and frustrating,” Dym ac- knowledged with a grin, “but it results in some wonderful discoveries.” One thing Gross discovered was that “the sheer vol- ume of articles, books, records, maps, and interviews that inform a single written history is astounding.”
The group also planned their oral pre- sentations for the Preservation Founda- tion and public library audience. Gross says it was challenging to figure out “how much content is appropriate, what voice would be most engaging, and what story to tell.” She adds, “I’m not used to framing my writing this way, but it was fun to experiment with and learn about.” Drawing on their peers’ work from
the fall and their own distillations this spring, the students presented Saratoga’s spiritual traditions in local and national contexts, including Gross discussing Greenridge Cemetery, David Schlenker ’13 on St. Clement’s Catholic Church, Addy Shreffler ’13 on Bethesda Episcopal Church, and Sophie Don ’14 covering
Temple Sinai. In addition, the foursome is writing essays for the Saratogian news- paper (with help from Dan Forbush, Skidmore’s executive director of commu- nications and a board member of the Preservation Foundation) and also col- laborating with local journalist and his- torian Field Horne on his new book. For her part, Dym was thrilled that the course arrived at “one of those excit- ing moments when you see students ap- plying ‘traditional’ skills (research, analy- sis), learning new ones (teamwork, ethics, public speaking), and growing by leaps and bounds.” She adds, “It’s a great way to help students connect their intern- ships with their studies. Now we’re ex - cited to identify our next public-history project.” —SR
THE VAULT AT SARATOGA’S GREENRIDGE CEMETERY, AROUND THE TURN OF THE CENTURY
BOLSTER COLLECTION
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