Preservecast

Today we’re traveling back to December 23rd, 1783, to the Maryland State House in Annapolis, a quiet moment that spoke louder than any battle: General George Washington’s resignation of his military commission.It’s easy to remember Washington as the victorious commander of the Continental Army, but what he did after the war was just as revolutionary. When he handed back his commission to Congress, he voluntarily gave up power, something almost unheard of in the 18th century, especially for a man who could have ruled as a king.In today’s episode, we’ll unpack why that decision was so significant — how it set a precedent for civilian control of the military, influenced the founding of the Republic, and helped define the very idea of American leadership. We’ll also look at what this moment meant for Washington himself — and for a nation still learning what it meant to be free.Our guest is Dr. Lindsay Chervinsky, a presidential historian and the Executive Director of the George Washington Presidential L

Today we're talking with the president and CEO of the Historic Savannah Foundation, Collier Neely about his path to preservation and the work of the Historic Savannah Foundation, a legacy organization when it comes to preservation here in the United States.

You are once again listening to PreserveCast. Today I'm joined by archaeologist, professor, and a great friend, Dr. Kat Sterner, an assistant professor of anthropology at Towson University and the director of the Baltimore Community Archaeology Lab. This episode covers community archaeology and its impact.

Welcome to Revolution@250, a special production of PreserveCast, in partnership with Preservation Maryland and the Maryland Center for History and Culture. Our hosts are Katie Caljean, President and CEO of the Maryland Center for History and Culture and Nicholas Redding, host of PreserveCast and President and CEO of Preservation Maryland. In 1818, 42 years after the shot heard around the world cracked across a Massachusetts field, John Adams was asked to reflect on the meaning and impact of the American Revolution. In this brief letter, Adams explained that,   The American Revolution was not a common Event. Its Effects and Consequences have already been over a great part of the globe. And when and where are they to cease? But what do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean the American War? The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the Minds and Hearts of the People.  Revolutionary thought and thinking did not end with the Treaty of Paris, nor did it begin at Lexington

Today we talk with Benjamin Takis, founding attorney of Takis Nonprofit Law, a Washington, D.C.–based firm serving nonprofit organizations in tax, governance, employment law, and business transactions. Ben explains why strong legal foundations and smart governance are critical for nonprofits — especially those stewarding historic places. As co-founder of Sustainability Education 4 Nonprofits and a frequent national speaker on nonprofit law, Ben brings practical guidance to help organizations stay compliant, resilient, and focused on their mission.

Gene Kansas, an award-winning cultural developer, preservationist, and social entrepreneur, joins us to discuss his book Civil Sights (UGA Press, 2025), which examines the Sweet Auburn Historic District in Atlanta, the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sweet Auburn was a hub of Black commerce, community, and civil rights activism that helped shape Dr. King’s early life. As the district declined after the 1960s, preservation efforts emerged to protect its history, including MLK’s childhood home, culminating in its designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1976 and ensuring this powerful civil rights landscape endures.

Dr. Jeremy C. Wells is an award-winning historic preservation scholar, teacher, author, consultant, and musician. He is an expert in US-based and international historic preservation theory, practice, and public policy; social science applications in historic preservation; community-based preservation/conservation and urban planning; and higher education teaching and administration. His latest book, Managing the Magic of Old Places: Crafting Public Policies for Human-Centered Historic Preservation was released by the University of Tennessee Press in October 2025. More here: https://utpress.org/title/managing-the-magic-of-old-places/

New year's greetings from PreserveCast! Today we're talking with Lori Beth Finkelstein and Michelle Fitzgerald from Johns Hopkins museums about Homewood Museum’s recently opened If Homewood’s Walls Could Talk: A History of an American House. Lori is the Philip Franklin Wagley Director & Curator of Johns Hopkins University’s Evergreen Museum & Library and Director of Homewood Museum. Michelle is the Curator of Collections at Johns Hopkins University Museums, which is comprised of the university’s two historic houses, Homewood Museum and Evergreen Museum & Library. She has curated several exhibitions at Hopkins, including the new Homewood exhibit. 

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...HAPPY NEW YEAR! As we await 2026 we're talking with Dr. Alexis McCrossen, an author and Professor of History at Southern Methodist University, who is now working on book about the history of New Year’s observances in the United States, tentatively titled, Time’s Touchstone: New Year’s in American Life. She is also the author of Holy Day, Holiday: The American Sunday (Cornell University Press, 2000) and Marking Modern Times: Clocks, Watches and Other Timekeepers in American Life (University of Chicago Press, 2013).  

On the last Monday before Christmas Day, the PreserveCast team brings you a special release on the history of Santa Claus. You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen . . . but what about the jolly old elf holding the reins? St. Nicholas, Old St. Nick, Sinterklaas, or simply Santa Claus. He’s gone by many names – but where does this rich and seemingly timeless tradition come from? On this special edition of PreserveCast, we’re headed down a winding reindeer path to uncover the rich history of Santa Claus and how he came to define the modern celebration of Christmas.

Julia Berg and Sarah Mason are veteran Maryland public school educators and co-founders of Digging Deeper Educational Consulting, established in 2024. With nearly 30 years of combined classroom experience, they have taught middle school social studies, developed curriculum for elementary and middle grades, and led professional development at the school, district, state, and national levels. Their expertise centers on helping educators navigate difficult classroom conversations around hard history, including the Holocaust and race-based slavery, through evidence-based inquiry. As contributors to Gibbs Smith Education’s textbook series aligned with Maryland’s newly revised 6th and 7th Grade Social Studies Standards, Julia and Sarah are recognized as middle school social studies standards experts and champions of culturally responsive instruction.

Today we're joined by Dr. Paige Figanbaum, executive director of Nevada Preservation Foundation (NPF), to discuss Nevada's landscape, the "Endangered Sites” list, and the preservation of the Howard Hughes House.  Prior to her current role at NPF, she served as lead historian and program manager for the organization’s Home + History Las Vegas festivals, where she researched, curated, and developed a range of walking tours, bus tours, and educational events throughout Southern Nevada. Paige continues her advocacy, collaborating with organizations statewide to preserve Nevada’s cultural heritage.

Today we're joined by Dr. Stephanie Gray, discussing how the New Deal shaped history through politically driven commemoration and her new book, Restoring America: Historic Preservation and the New Deal. Dr. Gray earned her B.A. in History from Mount Holyoke College and both M.A. in Public History and Ph.D. in U.S. History from the University of South Carolina. Stephanie specializes in public history, historic preservation, and twentieth century U.S. cultural history. At Duquesne, she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in both traditional and public history, which contribute to the Department's new Public History undergraduate certificate.  As a public historian, Stephanie has worked for the James A. Garfield National Historic Site (a National Park Service unit), the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Main Street America program. Her interest in old buildings and cultural landscapes inform her research and teaching on the built environm

Are you starting to get into the holiday spirit? In this episode, we’re joined by Pamela McColl—award-winning author, publisher, and historian of Christmas tradition. Since the 1990s, McColl has worked through her own publishing company to bring books of social and historical significance to readers. Her latest work, Wondrous Mrs. Claus: A Literary and Pictorial Review of the Christmas Character, delves deeply into the origins, evolution, and cultural impact of Santa’s better half. Join us as we explore the rich history and enduring magic of Mrs. Claus. To purchase: https://politics-prose.com/book/9781927979389?srsltid=AfmBOop2v7gn2gvOqINiEaWn2LhVOzt00mZT7273pF40S2mwqxvziIGI

Today we're joined by Benjamin Prosky and Will Hamilton of the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation to discuss the organization's latest report on the State of American Historic Preservation Education, calling for rebranding, resilience, and workforce growth. More here: https://www.jenrette.org/archive/preservationeducationreport

Historian Richard Bell received his PhD from Harvard University and his BA from the University of Cambridge. His research explores American history between 1750 and 1877, uncovering the people, politics, and paradoxes that shaped the early republic. Bell’s newest book, The American Revolution and the Fate of the World (Penguin/Riverhead, 2025), has earned starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Library Journal, and Kirkus Reviews for its sweeping and deeply researched look at the global impact of America’s founding event. On November 14, the Maryland Center for History and Culture will host a preview screening of Ken Burns’ The American Revolution, an expansive and evenhanded exploration of the virtues and contradictions at the heart of independence. Following the screening, Richard will moderate a panel discussion delving into the film’s themes and what they reveal about civic engagement today. Register for the event here: Preview Screening: The American Revolution and Civic Engagement Night

Today we're joined by Despina Stratigakos and Elana Shapira about their new book, Finding Ella Briggs: The Life and Work of an Unconventional Architect. Ella Briggs was a talented architect, designer, and writer whose influence was felt on both sides of the Atlantic. She trained with the Viennese Secessionists and brought their radical ideas to Gilded Age New York. She designed modernist housing for the masses in Austria, was jailed as a suspected spy in Mussolini’s Italy, and thrived in Weimar Germany before suffering persecution under the Nazis. Fleeing to London, she contributed to England’s postwar reconstruction. Yet despite a long and prolific career, her name is largely forgotten today. Finding Ella Briggs restores Briggs to her rightful place in the history of modernist design. To purchase: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691263953/finding-ella-briggs?_gl=1*m5kt06*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTMxMTM1OTU5Ny4xNzQzMTczMTE1*_ga_N1W9JWKLY3*MTc0MzQyMzU2Mi41LjAuMTc0MzQyMzU2Mi4wLjAuMTc5NTE3MjM2MA..

Although Salem is certainly the most famous American community to be beset by the mania of witchcraft, it was far from alone in its paranoia. On this special edition of PreserveCast, we're exploring the history of accusations of witchcraft and sorcery in Maryland. At this time of the year, as we look for opportunities to get the good shivers, we’d be wise to balance the frightening tales of witchcraft with the harsh reality of the lives ended by the hysteria and the lesson in that story – that well meaning people can make strange decisions driven by fear of the unknown. Perhaps, the story of witchcraft fascinates us, because in each of us there is fear of the supernatural and we wonder, if only subconsciously, if we too, could fall for an equally absurd fallacy. 

Today, ahead of Maryland Emancipation Day on November 1, we're joined by Alex Green, president and chief interpreter at the Harriet Tubman Freedom Center in Cambridge, Maryland, as well as founder of Harriet Tubman Tours. Come along as Alex discusses his work in education and heritage tourism. 

Today we're talking with Dr. Vaughn Scribner about his book, Under Alien Skies: Environment, Suffering, and the Defeat of the British Military in Revolutionary America. Vaughn is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Central Arkansas. In addition to his latest book, he is also the author of Merpeople: A Human History (Reaktion Books, 2020), and Inn Civility: Urban Taverns and Early American Civil Society (NYU Press, 2019)—in addition to numerous articles, book chapters, and other publications. He is currently writing a biography of America’s original celebrity “influencer,” Lord Timothy Dexter of Newburyport, Massachusetts (1747-1806). https://uncpress.org/book/9781469680774/under-alien-skies This episode is sponsored by The Landmark Trust USA