On October 19th, students from the UIS Public History MA program held this year’s History Harvest. The event took place in the Dana-Thomas Carriage House, and it occurs every two years. UIS graduate students, and undergraduate students, worked to digitize items brought in by the community and to add them to a growing digital archive. This year’s theme was “Making a Living.”
“Making a Living” was intended to focus on the history of employment and the workplace. Students digitized items such as uniforms, work photos, anniversary pins and more. The event was open to the public to bring in any items related to their work. This theme helped to widen our understanding of the workplace and the community’s connection to their labor.
UIS Public History Master’s student Evie Rodenbaugh said what she most looked forward to during this event was “to meet everybody and talk to them about their items. I personally feel like I have a really strong connection to items. So, hearing other’s people’s stories about things that are important to them is really cool to me and is part of the reason why I love Public History.”
After the items are all digitized, students will create online exhibits to showcase the stories of attendees. The items and exhibits will then be added to an online archive.
The History Harvest aims to increase the public’s appreciation toward history and material culture, and to encourage community members to view themselves and their lives as part of the historical record.
UIS Public History Master’s student Tristan Morrison said the History Harvest was exciting for participants because “you get to be a part of the historical record…Everyone’s worked, and everyone has a story to tell with it.”
In the past, other themes of the History Harvest include political memorabilia in 2016, “Being Illinoisan” in 2018, changes in education in 2020, and “The Great Road Trip” in 2022. “Making a Living” was the fifth History Harvest held by UIS.
