Summer Research

I was lucky enough to take a couple of trips this summer for research (I'm actually still on the road). Still, I haven't posted anything in a while, so I thought I would check in. Take a moment to check out these two images. The statue is from the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, PA. This is a private museum, so the national in the title is a little problematic. Nonetheless, it is good museum with a nice exhibit that does a good job of incorporating major themes from the Civil War into very viewable exhibits. The second image of a document housed at the Pennsylvania State Archive. I was luck enough to be award a Scholar-In-Residence fellowship to the archive this summer. I'm studying a forgotten city planning advocate named J. Horace McFarland. You might not know the name, but there was a time when McFarland was national leader in civic betterment. Harrisburg was his home and his first major civic improvement program was to clean-up the city of Harrisburg. He was "Mr. City Beautiful" and ran the American Civic Association, an organization he helped form, from 1904 to 1924. I can't believe the summer is almost over, but I think the research I got done this summer will keep me and my students busy for years to come.