PreserveCast

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’...

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 post...

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...

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). ht...

Cory McCray is a journeyman electrician, father of four, and public servant who proudly represents East and Northeast Baltimore in the Maryland State Senate. As the only member of the Maryland General Assembly to have completed a registered apprenticeship, he brings an unwavering commitment to expanding access, uplifting working families, and removing barriers to opportunity. Raised in Baltimore City, Cory’s life was transformed through an apprenticeship with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 24. That experience not only gave him a career, but a calling—and led him to invest in real estate as a tool...

Today's episode is a re-release of an episode that originally aired in 2020 with guest Tom Moriarity, a legendary preservationist who passed away in late September. Tom was a pioneer in historic preservation, co-founding the Main Street program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which has since revitalized over 2,000 towns and generated $115B in reinvestment.  In this revisited conversation we discuss why do we do what we do and why don’t others understand why it’s so important? Those are the driving questions that prompted Tom Moriarity to dive into a discourse on what prese...

Today we're joined by Kevin Miller, an architect who also serves as the President of the Board of Baltimore Architecture Foundation. Kevin and his team have been preparing for Doors Open Baltimore, an annual city-wide festival honoring Baltimore’s diverse cultural tapestry by highlighting its vibrant neighborhoods, captivating architecture, and distinctive spaces that contribute to the city’s exceptional charm. Kevin obtained a BS in Architecture and a Master of Architecture from Ball State University in May 2017 and has been working professionally as an architectural designer for the last five years. He is a digital artist, author, para...

Today we're joined by Marden Fitzpatrick Nichols, who selected, translated, and introduced a collection of ancient Roman writings about home design and decoration in How to Make a Home: An Ancient Guide to Style and Comfort (Princeton, 2025). Nicholas is particularly interested in how debates about the significance of art and architecture shaped ancient Roman cultural and intellectual history. She has also written about the reception of classical art in the 19th and 20th centuries. https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691249124/how-to-make-a-home?srsltid=AfmBOooDqFMm2YMd3tql7jjGhL3nUUL_hbQ5FUq9mf-_iDgXZa15_L3P

Typically we're in studio 1:1 with our guests, but today's episode comes to you in different format. Join us on-site at the Maryland Association of Counties' annual conference where we pulled up a chair (and a mic) with policymakers, heritage area colleagues, Main Street advocates, county reps, elected officials, and fellow history lovers to swap stories about historic preservation, Maryland’s past, funding, and what's in store for the future.

As preservationists from across the country gather for the PastForward 2025 conference, we’re reminded that our work—protecting and activating historic places and the stories they hold—is more important than ever. On this special release episode of PreserveCast, we welcome Carol Quillen, President & CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, for a timely and thoughtful conversation about the challenges and opportunities facing our field. We discuss the importance of preservation not just as a way of protecting the past, but as an essential investment in our future. At a moment when federal programs, grant...

Kate Livie is a Chesapeake educator, writer and social historian whose work explores the Chesapeake’s culture, history, traditions and environment. Formerly the director of education and associate curator at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, Livie serves as adjunct faculty in Chesapeake Studies at Washington College and as chairman of the maritime committee at the Maryland Center for History and Culture. Her 2015 book, Chesapeake Oysters: The Bay’s Foundation and Future, won the Maryland Historical Society’s Marion Brewington prize for Maritime History. Livie contributes regularly to regional publications like Chesapeake Bay Magazine, Baltimore Magazine, and Ed...

Dr. Melissa Reid is the executive director of the Taylor House Museum, located in historic downtown Berlin, Maryland. Dr. Reid's doctoral research focused on community and artifactual literacies. Her work documented how historical stories of the local Black community were shared in the larger Berlin community. This research helps supports the mission of the Taylor House which is Telling the Stories of Berlin. Her family has roots in the Berlin area, going back several hundred years. She comes from a long line of storytellers.

Historic foodways is a fan-favorite topic here on the podcast (pretzels, pizza, and many others) so we're thrilled to have comedian, Emmy Award-nominated TV writer, podcaster, and author of Raw Dog, the Naked Truth About Hot Dogs, Jamie Loftus join us today! Jamie's book is a blend of travelogue, culinary history, and critique of capitalism, revealing how the hot dog, a food often associated with low culture and affordability, has become deeply intertwined with American identity and commercialism. To purchase: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250847751/rawdog/  

When you think of pirates – you may think of far-off warm islands and tropical beaches or perhaps your mind goes to modern-day piracy off the dangerous horn of Africa – but you probably don’t think of the brackish waters of the Chesapeake Bay off the coast of Maryland and Virginia. Dr. Jamie Goodall has spent years studying that very story – and has published a compelling account of piracy on these now quiet waters. Let’s set sail for Chesapeake Bay – but keep a clear eye because these waters be dangerous!

Today we're joined by journalist and author Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson, talking about her critically-acclaimed book, Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free, which came out in June of 2025 from Simon & Schuster. Named a New York Times Editors’ Choice, an Amazon Editor’s pick for Best History, and a must-read book featured in Oprah Daily, The Atlantic, Elle, Forbes, Harper's Bazaar, and on NPR's All Things Considered, among many others, Dickinson’s first book has been hailed as an exceptional biography and an essential read that “puts the American fashion icon Claire McCardell back in the pantheon,” according to Kate Bolic...

Today we're joined by The Campaign for Historic Trades' Recruitment and Outreach Manager Jordan Riggs to talk about the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and The Campaign's role in this year's event, spotlighting the value of careers, training, and education in historic trades. The Campaign for Historic Trades, like PreserveCast, is powered by Preservation Maryland. 

Today we're talking with Nina Jean-Louis, a structural engineer passionate about bridging engineering, cultural heritage, and climate science to design culturally sensitive strategies that help communities safeguard their heritage sites from climate change impacts. Her research involves transdisciplinary methodologies merging qualitative and quantitative approaches to holistically quantify cultural landscape resilience in co-production with community relational values.

Today's episode features a first - a fashion historian, Brooklyn-based Summer Anne Lee. She has an MA in Fashion and Textile Studies from the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she currently teaches various courses in fashion history. Summer's research areas have included subcultural style and the history of women's underpinnings, and she is currently writing a book titled Presidential Fashion: An Illustrated History for the Yale University Press. Learn more: https://www.summerannelee.com/ As referenced: The Roaring Twenties and The Swinging Sixties: https://www.fitnyc.edu/museum/exhibitions/roaring-and-swinging.php  </p