Museum Education Internship at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture

 At the beginning of September 2020 I interviewed for this position at the Lewis Museum under the assumption that it would be a basic museum education internship which would allow me to learn a bit more about museum and public history work. As someone who considers myself to be a digital historian, among other things, I was excited by the possibility to learn how to create digital content for the museum. I presented my digital knowledge and skills at the interview and the position quickly changed in that they wanted me to create digital twins of their existing Freedom Bound: Runaways of the Chesapeake exhibit. Suddenly I was presented with not only the opportunity to learn, but also to create and further expand on my skillset (as well as add important experience to my CV!).

Having previously done work with a local African American community as well as writing some essays which included slavery in Maryland, I was hired. Unfortunately, it took about a month before I was actually onboarded and began work. This was my first important lesson in public history work! Institutions are often short staffed and/or underfunded and you have a few people attempting to do the work of many. Add on top of that that the museum was undergoing various staffing changes, it took a long time for me finally begin my work. 

Thankfully, the early stages of this job came easily to me. Thanks in large part to my experience taking the Digital Public History course at UMBC with Professor Stan Maxson, I knew exactly which tools I wanted to use for the deliverables the set for me. My first task was to create a digital version of their map of the runaways. I chose to use Storymapjs for this as it allowed me the function to add video to each entry as well as a custom photo as the marker on the map. I then took their existing research, did a bit more on my end, and created short bios for each runaway. I recently completed this project and am hoping to see it live on the site soon. Speaking of the site and of people doing various tasks, I was also charged with updating and editing their website as I had experience working with WordPress in the past!

As I started this internship a bit later than usual, I'm contracted going into next year so I don't have much more information on projects as of now. That being said, I'm excited to continue learning and providing valuable content for the museum and for the history of Maryland as a whole.

Luis Vaca-Soto

Goodbye, MCHC: West Baltimore Education Fellowship Post #3

    In this post, I will discuss my concluding thoughts on my unique experience working as the West Baltimore Education Fellow at the Maryland Center for History and Culture. Although I am sad that we were unable to finish the final oral history collection due to COVID-19 restrictions, I learned so many valuable lessons from working with the MCHC and the students at Booker T. Washington Middle School. I also believe that the students we worked with were able to feel that their personal stories mattered, both within their community, and beyond West Baltimore. 

    Initially, the MCHC team and I wondered if we could complete oral history interviews virtually. But, after engaging in some research about internet within the neighborhood and the city, we learned that this would not be possible. Twenty percent of Baltimore households lack a computer - with many of these homes being in low-income neighborhoods with high concentrations of people of color. Furthermore, Baltimore was ranked 261st in internet connection data list, with 69.6% of houses having access to internet and 74,116 households lacking access, according to a 2017 report. With this in mind, the plan is for the MCHC to resume collecting students' stories for the Booker T. Washington Oral History Project following the reopening of schools. 

    The short term goals after finishing the project were to collect the oral histories of Booker T. Washington students and to hold a student showcase for members of the community. This showcase would include the oral history interviews as well as coordinating art pieces created by the students themselves. Furthermore, patrons and members of the museum would have the ability to interact with students and ask them about their experiences and artwork. The long-term goal of this oral history project is to include the collection in the semi-permanent upcoming Civil Rights exhibit at the MCHC. Additionally, the oral histories within the Booker T. Washington Oral History Project would permanently become part of the MCHC library collections. Finally, MCHC hoped to continue a meaningful partnership with the Booker T. Washington Middle School staff and students through education, community outreach, and history programs. 

    In reflecting on this fellowship, I realize that I took away so much worthwhile knowledge from my time at MCHC. First, I learned what it was like to work on a team. Working with others on this project made it so much more rewarding to see the efforts of all of our hard work come to fruition through field trips, in class lessons, and the creation of the project itself. Second, I became much more knowledgable about the history of civil rights activism and segregation in Baltimore. To be able to teach Booker T. Washington students about these topics, I engaged in thorough research and read tons of books, articles, and oral histories to better understand the complicated history of racial dynamics in Baltimore. Third, working on this project taught me the importance of youth and minority voices within various communities. Hearing the stories of Booker T. Washington students made me realize how incorrect many outside perceptions can be about other communities; it also showed me how intuitive and outspoken the upcoming generation is. Finally, I was lucky enough to work in a museum which focused on history I am passionate about. I learned so much about Maryland's past that I was inspired to make a final decision on my master's thesis topic. My topic was based on a project I was a part of in my fellowship role. I worked with David Armenti - the director of museum education at MCHC - and the Maryland Lynching Truth and Reconciliation Commission as a consultant for the upcoming Civil Rights Exhibit at the MCHC. After learning about Maryland's lynching history, I decided to write my thesis on lynching coverage in 19th century Maryland newspapers. 

    Overall, I believe that this fellowship was extremely valuable for my future career path. I intend to work in a museum, either in curation or in education. The West Baltimore Education Fellowship allowed me to gain meaningful experience in a museum setting; this furthermore allowed me to decide whether I was sure I wanted to work in such an institution. I am proud to have worked on such an important, community-based project and I still feel so lucky to have gotten the opportunity to work with such amazing students. I have nothing but good things to say about my time and my former co-workers at MCHC. I truly enjoyed completing this fellowship and I hope to gain similar opportunities in the future.

West Baltimore Neighborhood

Photo Courtesy of the Baltimore Sun. 

Internship at the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum #1

   Hello, everyone, my name is Chase Louden, and I am a senior majoring in Anthropology and History. I am currently employed at the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum in Oella Maryland. The Museum is constructed on the original land that Benjamin Banneker owned from 1737 until his death in 1806. In 1978, a local historian named John McGrain came across documents that allowed for the tracing of the original Bannaker land. The prompted archeological digs on the site of the former Banneker homestead. From 1983 to 1987, there was an archeological investigation that was done, which unearth Banneker’s cabin, and his family cabin as well. This discovery propelled the creation of “The Friends of Benjamin Banneker”  an organization that had the goal of protecting the legacy and land which once belonged to Benjamin Banneker.  In 1985, Baltimore county created the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park. 

My position here is as a historian, although I also do a lot of work as a docent as well. The museum was closed in January due to an HVAC replacement, and then it closed again from March to June. In my time here, I have learned much about Benjamin Banneker, life in the 18th century, and also about ecology and local wildlife. The park has over 100 types of trees, including an orchard that has cherry, apple, pear, and paw-paw trees. 

One of the first major projects I worked on while I was here was the building of a waddle fence. A waddle fence is a style of fencing that is made by weaving thin branches, between stakes to create a lattice. The fence took a few weeks to construct as my coworkers and I went through the process of removing the wood from the old fence, replacing the stakes in a better position, cutting down spicebush, and small trees, to weave in between the posts. Below is a picture of the waddle fence after its completion.

The Museum also features an authentic 18th-century cabin. The cabin itself has two floors, which would be common in a family-sized house, and the whole family would sleep upstairs. When Banneker was an adult, he probably would have lived in a smaller sized home, as he wouldn’t have needed the extra space. Below are pictures of the inside and outside of the cabin.

The Museum has about 142 acres of property and 4.5 miles of trails. One of the museum’s trails, the trolley trail, connects to the trolley trail, which is a paved path that connects, to Historic Ellicott City. I think that the museum has some of the nicest trails in the local area.

One of the most interesting places at the museum is the Bannaky-Treuth house. In 1799, Benjamin Banneker sold 72 acres of his land to the Ellicott’s. In 1850, George Ellicott sold 6 acres of land to the Hynes family.  The three-story farmhouse was built in 1851, by Joshua and Rebecca Hynes. The property has changed hands and has expanded several times since then. In 1985, Baltimore county acquired the property, and the house can be completely restored and now functions as a public property. Below is a picture of the historic house.

  

West Baltimore Education Fellowship at the Maryland Center for History and Culture #2

    Co-leading the Booker T. Washington Oral History Project with me was Alexander Lothstein, the Museum Learning Manager at the Maryland Center for History and Culture. We began working with Booker T. Washington middle school students from January through March of 2020 on this oral history. This student-centered project hoped to paint a picture of what it is like to grow up in the Upton and Druid Heights areas of Baltimore today. 

    From November to December, I engaged in thorough research of oral history projects within the collections at MCHC. I helped to develop finding aids for the Baltimore African-American history collections housed at MCHC. I also began to create lesson plans, activities, and powerpoint presentations that would be used in the classroom with the students as part of this project. Finally, I drafted questions for the interviews. The students came for a field trip in January, during which we talked with them about the history of civil rights in Baltimore. In February and March, we visited Booker T. Washington Middle School several times to speak with teachers and social workers about the project. During this time, we also went into the classroom to discuss West Baltimore history specifically with the students. This provided them with background knowledge about their neighborhood as well as an understanding of the crucial activism that took place there. 

    Before going to teach at the school, I worried that students would lose interest in the topic of civil rights in West Baltimore. To my surprise, students were fully engaged and contributed meaningful opinions to the discussion. Though some students were initially hesitant to talk to us, they eventually opened up and grew more comfortable speaking about their experiences. Furthermore, they opened up to us, discussing the daily struggles they face in their community. For example, one student described her apprehension to visit certain neighborhoods of Baltimore, even though she was born and raised in the city. She noted that she did not feel welcome in downtown Baltimore. Another student shared her dismay with the funding at Booker T. Washington Middle School. She believed that her school did not receive repairs or maintenance like other schools in Baltimore. This led her to feel that the government cared more about the youth in some areas of Baltimore than others. 

    Listening to these perspectives from young students was enlightening, and it caused my co-worker and I to consider what patrons of the MCHC would gain from hearing these stories. We concluded that this project would be illuminating to patrons of the museum, not simply because it underlined the challenges West Baltimore students face, but also because it would highlight the positive experiences they have in their neighborhood. Even more, it would shed light on the lives of members of the community who seldom have their voices heard in institutions, transforming the MCHC into a more inclusive space that welcomes varied perspectives. Serving as a project of reflection of Baltimore's rich history, the Booker T. Washington Oral History Project emphasizes instances of both change and stagnation that have influenced its citizens. 

    Though the students at this middle school were young, they were vocal and perceptive about what was going on in the world around them. Talking to them during these classroom sessions only reinforced why it was necessary for their stories to be heard. Working with the bright students at Booker T. Washington was both a positive and enlightening experience. We were supposed to begin officially collecting their stories in recorded interviews in March 2020, but we had to postpone this after schools closed due to COVID-19. 

Booker T. Washington Middle School
Photo Courtesy of Alexander Lothstein

West Baltimore Education Fellowship at the Maryland Center for History and Culture #1

    Hello, everyone! My name is Bria Warren and I am a Master's student and full-time Teaching Assistant in the history department at UMBC. I am focusing my thesis research on lynching rhetoric in Maryland newspapers, both regionally and generationally. Last semester, I received an amazing opportunity to work at the Maryland Center for History and Culture (formerly known as the Maryland Historical Society). I was awarded the West Baltimore Education Fellowship after interviewing and discussing the unique project extensively with David Armenti, the Director of Education for the museum. As the West Baltimore Education Fellow, I worked with the Education Department for the center's museum to build a special oral history project.

Background:

    On April 25, 2015, hundreds of people gathered from Pratt Street to Pennsylvania Avenue. Baltimore's streets filled with people from all walks of life who came together to protest the murder of Freddie Gray. Police brutality was not a new issue, but the lack of information surrounding Freddie Gray's mysterious death and the national debate concerning systematic oppression created the perfect storm for resistance erupting in Baltimore. Freddie Gray's memory lives on in the minds of many today. His story left a lasting impact, especially on the citizens of West Baltimore - where Gray was born and raised. Through educational programming and partnerships with the University of Maryland's School of Social Work's Promise Heights Network, the Maryland Center for History and Culture (MCHC) began an effort to expand educational outreach to students in West Baltimore. 

Project:

    The project I worked on, titled the Booker T Washington Oral History Project focused on preserving the stories of West Baltimore middle school students. To commemorate the five year anniversary of the 2015 Baltimore Uprising, the MCHC hoped to work with students in West Baltimore to discuss the lives of the youth in Freddie Gray's community. This project included field trips, workshops, in-class lessons, and recorded interviews with the students. Research workshops and field trips focused on the history of their school and alumni, the history of the West Baltimore neighborhood - including its past and current activism - and the importance of the 2015 Uprising in history. 

    Initially, we set out to collect the student's stories, focusing on their experiences in West Baltimore. After working with Booker T. Washington students, however, it became clear to us that these students were not only interested in the history of their neighborhood, but that they had many opinions of their own to contribute to the ongoing conversation surrounding the Uprising and the historical record. In fact, they had many memories of the 2015 Uprising themselves. With this in mind, our goal was to diversify the MCHC collections and exhibit more voices - especially youth voices within the community. As a graduate fellow, I was expected to engage in meaningful research and to aid my superiors in creating a framework for the oral history project. I would help to build the finding aids for Baltimore African-American history within the MCHC collections. I would also help to create the lesson plans, activities, foundation, and overall project for the Booker T Washington Oral History Project. 

Photo courtesy of Facebook.  

Internship at the Archives of the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church #2

    When I volunteered to work in the archives of the Holy Trinity Particular Ukrainian Catholic Church, I never expected that I would be preserving vinyl records. I didn't even know the church had a vinyl record collection until, one day, I found a box and two paper bags together containing over a hundred vinyl records. A family friend told me that a parishioner had donated their large collection of Ukrainian folk and contemporary music on vinyl records to the church many years ago. These vinyl records, however, were stored for years under a stairwell, where damp conditions provided a wonderful habitat for mold. By the time I discovered them, many of the record covers were absolutely covered in that mold, and required immediate attention.
    While I had never worked with vinyl records before, vinyl records before, I dove into the task at hand undaunted. I set up a special table in my garage and assembled a large stash of Lysol® disinfectant cleaning wipes. I bought the necessary equipment to clean and preserve these vinyl records, including a special brush to clean any spores from the vinyl records themselves, archival-quality plastic inner and outer record sleeves to guard against moisture, and a portable record player which would allow me to create digital copies of the songs.

Photo of the cleaning station in my garage, along with my feline supervisor Tosia.

   I developed a routine for cleaning these records. First, I would remove the vinyl record from its paper cover, discard any irreparable inner paper sleeves, and put the record aside. Next, I would wipe down the cover, dry it with a paper towel, scan it with Office Lens, and place it into a plastic outer sleeve. Following that, I would carefully wipe any dirt or detritus from the vinyl record, dry it with a paper towel, and place it into a plastic inner sleeve. Then, I would take the vinyl record inside the house, gently clean it with the special record brush, and appraise the physical condition of the record. If there were no serious scratches or dents, I would then place it onto my portable record player, and let my computer make a digital copy of the songs. By the time I completed my internship at the Holy Trinity PUC Church, I had successfully preserved 43 different vinyl records.. 
    I found the experience of caring for these vinyl records particularly rewarding. Not only did I learn a lot about the vinyl medium, I also had the chance to listen to interesting and unique interpretations of the Ukrainian folk songs I grew up with. It also proved a good activity to do on days when I could not drive to the archives due to adverse weather conditions.

Internship at the Archives of the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church #1

    Hello! My name is Danylo Leshchyshyn. This summer, I interned as an assistant archivist at the Holy Trinity Particular Ukrainian Catholic Church at 16631 New Hampshire Avenue in Montgomery County, MD. This church constitutes a parish of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic denomination in communion with the Pope of Rome. The parish of the Holy Trinity P.U.C. Church was one of many churches established by Ukrainian refugees who settled in North America after the Second World War. I grew up in this parish, so I was grateful for the opportunity to serve by helping manage the archives.  

Holy Trinity P.U.C. Church. Photo by Danylo Leshchyshyn.

    The chief goal of my internship was to organize and preserve the mountains of historical data in the parish archives. Organizing meant individually examining each document or item, and determining its origin. This process was made easier by simultaneously compiling an archival catalog, recording where each document was located. Each day I would encounter documents or other historical material which required immediate preservation work. To preserve the items, I learned how to properly de-crease dangerous folds, clean mold, and delicately remove staples and other sources of rust. The pandemic actually did not hinder my job too much, for my role allowed me to work independently in the archive room.

    The main joy of my internship was discovering all the hidden treasures waiting in the archives. During my time in the office, I had a wonderful opportunity to view hundreds of papers documenting the history of the parish, including many missives with beautiful letterhead and hallmarks from the Patriarch of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. There were also architectural plans related to the construction of the Holy Trinity P.U.C. Church in an authentic Carpathian Ukrainian style. In addition, I stumbled upon a rare collection of Ukrainian songs donated by a parishioner some time ago, consisting of over a hundred unique vinyl records.

Ground-level plans of the Holy Trinity PUC Church, by architect Larysa Kurylas.

    While this might not be an ideal place for most UMBC History students to intern, since it requires a strong grasp of the Ukrainian language, it proved a perfect opportunity for me to conduct quiet research and give back to my parish community.