Preservecast

Just last week, the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced its annual list of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in America. Two of these eleven sites are located in Maryland! Since Preservation Maryland is the host of PreserveCast, this news hit close to home, quite literally. The historic waterfront of Annapolis and George Washington’s historic view at Mount Vernon in Maryland have received proposals to undergo altered landscapes. Listen in as Nick and Meagan discuss the impact and opportunities of such listings and early efforts already underway to address these challenges head on. Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/07/02/americas-11-most-endangered-historic-places/

New Orleans. The Big Easy. The City that Care Forgot. It’s a place with few equals in history, architecture or culture. Protecting and preserving a place this significant is difficult and never-ending work. Fortunately, the Preservation Resource Center has been committed to doing just that for 44 years. Today’s guest, Daniel Del Sol, is the Executive Director of the Center and she came into leadership during a time of tremendous challenges and opportunities – all of which we’ll talk about on today’s episode. So, sit back, find a cool breeze, grab a Sazerac and get ready to talk preservation with a New Orleans twist on this week’s PreserveCast.  Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/06/25/keeping-nola-hip-and-historic-with-danielle-del-sol/

Buffalo. The very word conjures up visions of snow drifts and shuttered factories –but the reality is much different. Today, Buffalo is a city on the rise and the rich history of this city by the lake is playing a starring role in its renaissance. Today’s guest, Jessie Fisher, is leading the city-wide preservation group charged with identifying, protecting and promoting that heritage. Fortunately, you won’t need your snow shovels for this interview -- its June and it’s a fine time to talk about all things Buffalo on this week’s PreserveCast.  Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/06/18/preservation-buffalo-style/

Not all preservationists are environmentalists and not all environmentalists are preservationists – but today’s guest is, in fact, both. Kristen Harbeson is the Political Director of the Maryland League of Conservation Voters – the political voice of the environment. She’s a tireless advocate for healthy communities and has made a career in standing up for issues that matter – and while she’s currently fighting for a healthier earth, she’s also been a passionate voice for preservation. Kristen will explain how and why the environmental and preservation communities can play better together and how that might just save the world on this week’s PreserveCast. Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/06/11/kristen-harbeson-and-the-environmental-side-of-preservation/

Do you ever wonder how people can write new books about history? Shouldn’t it never change because it’s all in the past? The truth is anything but, and no one can explain that better than today’s guest, Dennis Frye. Having been involved in everything from giving tours to leading nationally important preservation and battlefield protection organizations, few people know Civil War History like Dennis. And in his new book, Antietam Shadows, he makes the case that history should never lie dormant, it always needs to be re-examined. Join as Nick and Dennis talk about Dennis’ new book, highlights from his career in preservation, and more on this week’s PreserveCast. Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/06/04/antietam-shadows-dennis-frye-history-we-think-we-know/

What do you think it takes for a historic location to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site? This week’s guest, Brittany LaVelle Tulla, thinks that her home and her passion, Charleston, South Carolina, has what it takes. Join Nick as he and Brittany talk all things historic preservation in one of the most famous historic towns in the country, including Brittany’s own business as an architectural historian, her work with the Charleston Young Preservationists, and the dynamic and unique challenges facing a town that many see as a total preservation success. This is PreserveCast! Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/05/28/brittany-lavelle-tulla-historic-charleston/  

Living in a historic home can be an incredibly rewarding experience, but also, an incredibly trying one. It seems there is always some new challenge rising up out of the woodwork, especially when it comes to original wood windows. Some professionals will say the only way to improve the efficiency of your windows is to replace them, no matter if you want to preserve craftsmanship that’s lasted decades, if not centuries. Today’s guest, Sam Pardue of Indow Windows, was faced with just that problem, and he ended up creating a solution that is now being applied to windows across the country. As part of Preservation Month, we want to bring you up close and personal with a technological innovator and his invention. Step right up to the glass on this week’s PreserveCast! Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/05/21/keeping-original-windows-sam-pardue-indow/

The British Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is just around the corner. It’s a historic moment, and the buzz around it has even crossed the pond and reach PreserveCast. The excitement has also provided us the perfect reason to talk to a true Baltimore Original, Philp Baty. Philip has spent years curating a private collection of items all related to Baltimore’s own member of the royal family, the Duchess of Windsor. We got to Philip just in time, as the one-of-a-kind collection is being put to auction in conjunction with the marriage of Harry and Meghan. Philip’s passion for the Duchess is also one-of-a-kind, on this special Royal Wedding edition of PreserveCast. Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/05/14/baltimore-royal-family-duchess-of-windsor-collection-adele-corner-house/

Talking about museums is one thing, but what about the folks on the ground who really make the history happen? Rod Cofield is our guest this week, and while currently the Director of Hisoric London Town and Gardens, he has been on the frontlines of history education his whole career. Rod and Nick spoke about his time as a costumed interpreter in Historic St. Mary’s City, and the many current projects at London Town including their plans to crowdfund reconstruction of the 18th century bar that once stood in the tavern building on site. This is no re-enactment, Rod was right here in studio with us, on PreserveCast. Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/05/07/rod-cofield-historic-london-town-maryland/

Preservationists come in all shapes and sizes, but have you ever heard of a preservationist cut-out doll? Today’s guest, Sarah Marsom, is a jack of all trades in terms of historic preservation. She’s a consultant, she’s a co-founder of the Rust Belt Coalition of Young Preservationists, and to top it all off she created the Tiny Activist Project, which raises funds through the sale of dolls that celebrate inspirational figures in preservation, like Jane Jacobs. Sarah and I cover all these programs and more. Stick around for a ~little~ while, on this week’s PreserveCast! Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/04/30/sarah-marsom-and-the-rust-belt-coalition-of-young-preservationists/

For some of the larger historic buildings out there, it can take a number of craftspeople and specialists to properly restore and preserve them. But few have the knowledge and ability to organize stone masons, window craftsmen, and countless other trade specialists who may otherwise be used to working independently. One of those few is with us today; Tyler Tate is the President of Lewis Contractors, a construction company that partially specializes in historic institutional buildings. Tyler spoke with Nick about details of some of the many unique projects his company has been involved in, like the Washington Monument in Baltimore, the Brice House in Annapolis, and more. We won’t try to ~build~ anticipation any longer, this is PreserveCast! Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/04/23/big-picture-preservation-tyler-tate-lewis-contractors/

As the winter comes to a close, you may find yourself dreaming of some relaxation time. Sure there’s the beach or camping, but have you ever considered a trip where you can help repair 500 year old stone towers in Eastern Europe? If your answer to that question is yes, this is the podcast for you. Judith Broeker, the co-founder of Adventures in Preservation, facilitates volunteer trips across the globe, connecting preservation craftspeople and experts with individuals who are ready and willing to lend a hand, and travel too! Judith and Nick discuss how these trips are funded, how projects are chosen, and the ways that these trips can assist historic communities, on this week's PreserveCast! Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/04/16/adventures-in-preservation/

As historic preservationists we often can feel a sense of despair whenever we see a building that's been abandoned for years or even decades. Our guest today, Matthew Christopher of Abandoned America, knows just that feeling. That's why he is dedicated to gaining access to abandoned buildings and spaces across the country, and photographing what he finds inside. Matthew's images have appeared in countless esteemed publications, and he has photographed abandoned sites ranging from old mental hospitals to public utility buildings to theme parks. Don't go away! Matthew and Nick discuss how he picks his sites, why he thinks these buildings end up so mistreated, and how photography and greater exposure can sometimes help turn things around.  Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/04/09/abandoned-america-historic-photography-off-the-beaten-path-with-matthew-christopher/

It can happen to anybody; you’re walking along and notice a quarter on the ground, and when you pick it up you realize it’s historic! From the 1950’s or even earlier! It can make you wonder what history lies just beneath the surface. Well today’s guest, Lara Maiklem, does more than just wonder. Lara, also known as the London Mudlark, spends her time scouring the muddy banks of the foreshore of the River Thames, in England, constantly uncovering everyday discarded items that wash up from the river. That is, when she’s not busy moderating the largest online mudlarking community, and writing about the pieces she’s found. Join as Nick and Lara discuss the history of mudlarking, what it takes to try it out yourself, and more on this week’s PreserveCast! Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/04/02/the-london-mudlark-with-lara-maiklem/

Simply tracing the history of the LGBTQ community, as it is with other marginalized groups, can be challenging for a myriad of reasons. Let alone the challenges of identifying and interpreting historic places that were and are important to the LGBTQ community. Fortunately, Susan Ferentinos is leading the way, and has quite literally written the book on the subject, her book “Interpreting LGBT History at Museums and Historic Sites” won an award from the National Council on Public History in 2016. Susan and our guest-host Meagan Baco spoke about how she came to specialize in LGBTQ history, what unique challenges exist in studying this history, and much more on this week’s PreserveCast. Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2018/03/26/episode-64-preserving-lgbtq-history-susan-ferentinos/

As preservationists, we here at PreserveCast are usually concerned with the physical history; what we can know from the cold hard facts. But seeing as how it’s October and Halloween is around the corner, we thought we’d talk a little about haunted history. Author Colin Dickey joined me to talk about the history of ghost stories and share what we can learn from the places that scare us. The conversation ranges all the way from Silicon Valley to Richmond Virginia on this, the first ever PreserveCast Spooktacular! Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/10/09/colin-dickey-ghostland-and-the-preservecast-spooktacular/

The battle at Antietam Creek has gone down in history as the bloodiest day of the American Civil War. But as too often happens in significant military moments, people tend to overlook what this battle meant for the local civilian population. That's why this week's guest, the award-winning author Kathleen Ernst, decided to do exactly that. Join us as Kathleen discusses her non-fiction history of the Civil War and the Antietam campaign, as well as her fictional mystery series and books for American Girl, which have sold over 1.7 million copies combined. This is PreserveCast. Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/06/26/kathleen-ernst-too-afraid-to-cry-maryland-civilians-in-the-antietam-campaign/   Producer's note: This episode is part of our focus series on the history of the Antietam Battlefield.