The Role of the Local History Course in a Public History Curriculum

Author(s): Raymond Starr

Source: The Public Historian, Vol. 9, No. 3, The Field of Public History: Planning the
Curriculum (Summer, 1987), pp. 80-95
Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the National Council on Public History
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3377189 .
Accessed: 05/09/2011 21:39

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

University of California Press and National Council on Public History are collaborating with JSTOR to
digitize, preserve and extend access to The Public Historian.

http://www.jstor.org
 The Role ofthe Local History
Course in a Public History
C 1

RAYMONDSTARR

RaymondStarr,headof publichistoryat SanDiegoStateUniversity,takesa chapterfrom

his own experiencein the communityto sharehis prescription for creatinga localhistory
courseas an essentialtrainingcomponent for publichistoryprograms.Starrsuggeststhat
the reasonsfor includinglocal historytrainingare numerous:manyprofessionals workin
localsettings,in museums,historicalsocieties,stateandnationalparks,andhistoricpreser-
sation. Moreover,archivalco11ections oftenrefect localorigins,andworkdenefor govern-
mentalagencies(waterdistricts,planningcommissions, localgovernments)drawuponlocal
sources.Starr suggeststhat this type of traininguviUpreparestudents"tooperaternost
effectivelyin the situationsin which they are rnostlikelyto find themselves."Thus an
introduction to the theories,methods,andsourcesof localhistorybecomesessentialfor thwe
aspiringpublichistorian.

PUBLIC HISTORY as a formal,articulated movementin the United

States,is nowovera decadeold.Obviously, somepeoplehavepracticed
"public aslongastheformaldiscipline
history" ofhistoryhasexisted,and
equallyobviously,someuniversities havehadprograms focusingon the
trainingof appliedhistorianspriorto the lastdecade.Thefactis, how-
ever,thatmostacademic programsourses,degreeemphases, separate
degrees,oroptionswithina degree havecomeintobeingwithinthelast
ten years.lThus,althou« mostacademicpractitioners of the art are
relativelynewtoit, we alsohavenowgainedsomeusefillexperience. This
wouldseem,then,a goodtimeto examinerecenteffortsdesigning public
historycurriculum, runningpublichistoryseminars,arranging intern-

1. On the background, origins, and nature of the public history movement, see Robert
Kelley, "Public History: Its Origins, Nature, and Prospects," ThePublicHistorian1 (Fall
1978), 1S28; Peter N. Stearns and Joel A. Tarr, "AppliedHistory: A New-Old Departure,"
TheHistoryTeacher14 (August 1981), 517-31; and Gerald George, "TheAmericanAssocia-
tion for State and Local History: The Public Historian's Home?" in PublicHistory:An
lntroduction,BarbaraJ. Howe and Emory L. Kemp, eds. (Malabar,Fla.: Robert E. Krieger
Publishing Company, 1986), 251-63. George stresses the presence of applied history in
manyforms prior to the emergence of the current "publichistory"movement.

80

The Public H*torian, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Summer1987)

<)by the Regentsof the Universityof California
 THE ROLE OF THE LOCAL HISTORY COURSE * 81

ships,directingthesesandprojectsandplacinggraduates. We needto
determinewhatis workingand not workingin academicprogramsin
publichistoryandto shareourexperiencewithothers.In doingso, we
shouldopendiscussion withintheprofession to thebenefitofall.
One specificitem we need to talkaboutis the localor community
historycourseandits rolein the publichistorycurriculum. Whatfollows
is a seriesof observationsaboutthe localor community historycourse,
suggestionsas to how it fits into the curriculum,andthe shapesucha
coursemighttake.Tomakethearticleusefultopublichistoryfaculty,the
material orientedaspossible.
is asspecificandpractically

Why Teach Local History?

Whyshouldwe includea localhistorycourseina publichistorycurricu-

lum?MyronMarty,in anarticlein The Public Historian's specialissueon
localhistory2hasgivenus someverygoodreasons.He hasstressedwhat
localandpublichistoryshare:aninterestin subjectscloseathand,similar
circumstances world,andtheneed
of workingin the out-of-the-academic
He alsonotedthe parallelsbetweenlocal
forsensitivityto self-criticism.
andpublichistoryin termsof content,processandskills,motivation, the
valueseen in localas opposedto nationalhistory,andthe collaborative
natureofbothpublicandlocalhistorians' work.3
Someof Marty'spointscan be elaborated.A largeportionof public
historyworktakesplacein a localsetting.Mostmuseumsinterpretlocal
orregionalhistory,asdovirtually allhousemuseumsandmanymuseums
runby historicalsocietiesandgovernmental agencies.Eventhosework-
ing in manystateandnationalhistoricparksmustbe familiar withlocal
historyandits sourcesandmethods.Historicpreservation is almostal-
waysdonein a localsetting,as is mostworkof consultingfirmswriting
environmental impactreportsor landandresourceuse programs. Many
historicaleditorsdirectthepublication programs oflocalandstatehistori-
calsocietiesoragencies.Muchofthecollectingof sourcestakesplaceata
locallevel, in the historicalsocietyarchivesandmap,photograph, and
oralhistorycollections,forexample.Publichistorians areusersormanag-
ers of localrecordsin citiesandtowns,statesandspecialagencies.In-
deed,eventhearchivist/records manager ofa largecorporationis likelyto

2. MyronA. Marty,"ThePlaceof LocalHistoryin the Trainingof PublicHistorians,"

The Public Histonan 5 (Fall1983),77-88.
3. The argumentspresentedin this sectiondo not even considerthe traditionalreasons
givenfor teachinglocalhistory.For examples,see CliffordL. Lord,Teaching History uvith
Community Resources, 2nd. ed. (New York:ColumbiaUniversit,v TeachersCollegePress,
1967),8-17; RalphW. Cordier,'4TheStudyof HistoryThroughStateandLocalResources,'
Social Studies 60 (March1969), 102-104; and Fay D. Metcalfand MatthewT. Downey,
Using Local History in the Classroom (Nashville:AmericanAssociationfor Stateand Local
History,1982),10-16.
82 * THE PUBLIC HISTORIAN

needa grounding in the localityof thatcorporation. It wouldbe hardto

dealwiththe recordsof WellsFargoBankwithoutthe contextof San
Francisco andthe West.Muchof the workdoneforpublicagencies-
waterdistricts,planning commissions, parkcommissions, cityandcounty
governments-draws uponlocalhistoryandlocalsources.Thusit canbe
arguedforceably thata publichistorycurriculum shouldincludeexplicit
trainingin the theories,methods,andsourcesof localhistoryin orderto
preparefuturepractitioners of publichistoryto operateeffectively in the
situationsinwhichtheyaremostlikelyto findthemselves. It is important
to introducethemto the theories,methods,andsourcesuniqueto or
heavilyemphasizedin nearbyhistoryresearch,especiallysincemany
sourcesandmethodsare useddifferently in nearbyhistorical research
thanin traditional historical research.Asa result,a historymajorwitha
verygoodtraditional degreemightnot necessarily be familiar withthe
peculiaritiesofresearching localhistory.
Forinstance,thewrittenrecordsoflocalhistoryareextensiveandvar-
ied.Publichistorystudentsneedtobeintroduced totherecords andtothe
manualsandguidesfortheiruse. Theyneedto learnhowto use deed
registrations,land-usemaps,publicagencyrecords,andvitalstatistics.
Theyaremorelikelytousecertaintypesofcourtrecords-probate records
andcoroner's inquestreports,forexample thanmosthistorians. Local
historiansalsoneedto knowtheirwayaroundthemanuscript collections
andrecords oflocalmuseums, libraries,
historical
societies,churches, busi-
nesses,andvoluntary organizations. Thesecollectionsmayinclude,in
additionto writtensources,oral,visual,andartifactual sources.In addi-
tion,local/publichistoriansneedtolearnthelocalapplication ofotherkinds
ofsources manuscript censusreturns, forinstance.
Indeed,one majorskillpublichistorians shouldacquireis the use of
socialstatistics.
Becauseofthepaucityofwrittenrecordsformanyaspects
of localhistory,publichistorians mustrelyupontaxrecords,censusre-
turns,directories, andothersourcesto producequantifiable data.With
thestronginterestin uncovering thelivesofwomen,theworking classes,
thepoor,andethniccommunities, thissocialhistorymethodology willbe
indispensable to futurepublichistorianswhethertheyarewritinglocal
historyorpreparing a museumexhibitorsettingupanarchival collection
policy.
Theshortageof writtenrecordsalsomeansthatlocalhistorians must
learnaboutoralsources.Theyhaveto knowhowto gatheroraltestimony
andhowto use it to reconstruct the past.Oftenintertwined withoral
historyis familyhistory.Familyhistoryitselfis important to the local
historian;the sourcesand methodsof the much-maligned genealogists
offermuchofusetothepublichistorian, andthelocalhistorycourseis the
onlyplacea publichistorystudentis likelyto be introduced to themeth-
odsofgenealogical research.
A majorset of topics,methods,andsourcesthepublichistorian could
 THE ROLE OF THE LOCAL HISTORY COURSE a 83

be introduced to in a localhistorycoursedealswith"things." Oneof the

mostbasicdifferences betweenlocal/public historyandacademic national
historyis thatthe formeroftendealswiththingsandplaces buildings,
furnishings, clothing,tools,machinerywhereasthe latterseldomdoes.
Thusmosttraditional historygraduateprograms do not introducetheir
studentsandtrainthemto use nonverbal material sources.Publichistory
practitioners mustbe introduced to theroleofartifacts, landscapes, build-
ings,andothermaterial recordsif theyaretobe filllyprepared forcareers
in publichistory.A localhistorycourseis one placein the curriculum
wherethatcantakeplace.
Perhapsa lessobviousvalueof a localhistorycoursein a publichistory
curriculum is thatit mightbe a vehiclewherebyprofessional publichistory
canenhancethequalityofhistoriepreservation, museums, archives,policy-
making, andmanyotherheritage-oriented activities.Perhapsthrough pub-
lichistorycurriculums withlocalhistorycourses,wecanhaveanimpacton
a newgeneration ofpracticing publichistorians whowilldealwithnearby
historyin a moreprofessional andlessparochial manner.Ultimately, we
mayhavea long-range impactin helpinglocalhistorypractitioners over-
comemanyoftheoftenvalidcriticisms oflocalhistoryintheUnitedStates.
The sterilityof muchwrittenlocalhistoryhasbeenfrequentlynoted.
Localhistorywritersoftenlacksufficienttrainingin research,the use of
evidence,interpretation, and writing.As AllanLichtmanand Valerie
Frenchhave put it: "Toooften, amateurlocalhistoriansdroneon for
hundredsandhundredsofpages,providing neitheranalysisnorinterpre-
tation."Amateurhistorians arenot, however,the onlynearbyhistorians
guiltyof narrowness. Speaking ofbotholderamateur historiansandsome
of the neweracademichistorians workingin community history,David
Gerberhas noted<'thefailureto integratelocalandcommunity history
intolarger relevant socialand spatial contexts," and has suggested that
C<without efforts in such a direction, local and community history. ..
mustalwaystendultimately toward the ethnocentric,
parochial, and anti-
quarian."4 Althoughthe commentsquotedreferprimarilyto written
4. AllanJ. Lichtmanand ValerieFrench, Historians and the Living Past (Arlington
Heights,Ill.: AHMPublishingCorporation,1978),168;DavidA. Gerber,"LocalandCom-
munityHistory:Some CautionaryRemarkson an Idea WhoseTime Has Returned,"The
History Teacher 13 (NovemberL979),124. See also KathleenN. Conzen, "Community
Studies,UrbanHistory,and AmericanLocalHistory,"The Past Before Us: Contemporary
Historical Writing in the United States, MichaelKammen,ed. (Ithaca:CornellUniversity
Press, 1980),271; and David Russo'sexamplesof one type of nonacademiclocalhistoryin
"SomeImpressionsof the NonacademicLocalHistoriansandtheirWritings,"Local History
Today: Papers Presented at Three 1979 Regional Workshopsfor Local Historical Organiza-
IndianaHistoricalSociety,1980),1-20.
tions in Indiana (Indianapolis:
Of course there is in Englanda philosophicalpositionwhich arguesthat the locality
shouldbe studiedfor its own sakeas a uniqueand specificorganism.Thispositionhas not
been espousedin printin any significantway by localhistoriansin the United States.See
GeraldGeorge,"Reviewof The Local Historian," History News 37 (January1982),24; and
H. P. R. FinbergandV. H. T. Skipp,Local History: Objective and Pursuit (NewtonAbbot:
David& Charles,1967).
84 * THE PUBLIC HISTORIAN

nearbyhistory,anyonewhovisitslocalhistorymuseums,archives,and
preservation projectsknowsthatthe criticismsapplyequallyto those
formsofhistorical interpretation.
Therecentconcernforcommunity historyby bothacademicians and
the generalpublichasraiseda particular problemconcerning a narrow
visionof localhistory.Gerberbelievesthatthis new interestin local
historyis theresultofthe"traumas anddislocationsofAmerican lifeinthe
mid-twentieth century" in whichtheuncertainties oftheagehavecaused
peopleto seek"anemotional andspiritualreturnto thepresumed secu-
rityofthemostelementalunitsoflife-church,neighborhood, familyand
kin,ethnicgroup,etc."Thismovementis, in its ownway,bothnarrow
andahistorical.It shouldbe a functionof theprofessionally trainedlocal/
publichistorian to fightthis"culturalconsolation,romantic ethnicity,and
sentimental populism."5 In a localhistorycourse,futurepublichistorians
couldbe trainedtoputlocalhistoryintobroader contexts.Theycouldalso
drawuponthe interestlocalhistoryhasgeneratedto workfora better
understanding of family,class,ethnicgroup,andthe socialprocesses
whichmakeuptheUnitedStates.
Although theneedto fightcultural narrowness inlocalhistoryhasbeen
frequentlynoted,mostguidesandmanuals,suchas thoseby Clifford
Lord,JohnCumming, DonaldParker,andThomas Felt,donotdealwith
theproblem.Morerecentbooksby MetcalfandDowney,andKyvigand
Marty,do mentionthe problem,butfailto dealwithit fully.6Thusthe
problemmustbe dealtwith implicitly andexplicitly-ina localhistory
course.
Whenalltheabovetopicsareconsidered, itbecomesclearthatthereare
a lotofgoodreasonswhya publichistorycurnculum shouldhavea course
in local/nearby/community history.Thecoursecanhelppreparethe stu-
dentsforthechallenges oftheirfuturecareers,andit canalsobe aforcein
theultimateupgrading oftheinterpretation oflocalhistoryinoursociety.

WhatApproachto Take?

Considering
the benefitsthata local/community
historycoursecould
bringto a publichistoryprogram,how manyprograms includesuch
5. Gerber,"LocalandCommunityHistory,"11, 12.
6. Examplesof guidesor manualsto loealhistorywhiehdo noteffeetivelydealwiththe
problemare: Lord, Teaching History; JohnCumming,A Guide for the Wratingof Local
History (Lansing:MiehiganAmerieanRevolutionBieentennial Commission,1974);Donald
DeanParker,Local History: How to Gather It, Wrlte lt, and Publsshlt, rev. ed. by Bertha
Josephson(NewYork:SoeialSeieneeResearehCouneil,1944);andits replaeement,Thomas
E. Felt, Researching, Writing, and Publishing Local History (Nashville:AmerieanAssoeia-
ffon for State and LocalHistory,1976). David E. Kyvigand MyronA. Marty'sNearby
Hxstory:Exploring the Past Around You (Nashville:AmericanAssociation forStateandLocal
History,1982)alludesto the issueon pages217-40, but does not reallydevelopit; Metcalf
andDowney'sUsingLocal Htstory addressesthe problembrieflyon pages7-10.
 THE ROLE OF THE LOCAL HISTORY COURSE ! 85

instruction? Basedon an informalsurveyof flyers,brochures,newslet-

ters,andothermaterial gatheredovera five-year period,andanexamina-
tionof materials fromthe NationalCouncilon PublicHistory's clearing-
houseof materialsat WestVirginiaUniversity,one couldarguethata
verymixedpatternexists.Somepublichistoryprograms do includein-
structionin localhistory,but the numberis considerably less thanhalf.
Wherelocalhistoryis dealtwith, howis it handled?Nearbyhistory
topicsseemto be takenup in a varietyof courses.Forinstance,informa-
tionon typesandnatureof localhistorysourcesmaybe discussedin an
archivalor curatorial course.Someaspectsof localhistoryarepresented
in the generalintroduction to publichistorycourse.Someprograms deal
withlocalhistorymaterialin urbanhistorycourses,whicharemorelikely
to be on a listof electivesthanto be anintegralpartof thecurriculum. Of
thosetreatinglocalhistoryexplicitlywith a separatecourse,the most
commonapproach seemsto be anacademically orientedcommunity his-
torycourse.
Thecommunity historyapproach is usedenoughto warrant additional
comment.Thesecoursesusuallyuse a community-social interaction ap-
proachandtend to be quiteacademic.Theydrawheavilyuponrecent
literatureon socialmobility,modernization, assimilation,
andtownstud-
ies. Theyalsodiscusscommunitybuildingon the frontier,the commu-
nity-societycontinuum,the dynamicsof changingcommunityspatial
structures,industrialization, class,andcommunity.Theyusuallydraw
primarily fromthe nationalliteratureof community and socialhistory
andare not focuseduponthe conceptof studyinga localityforits own
sake.Examplesof readingsmightincludeKennethA. Lockridge, A New
EnglandTown:The First HundredYears;ThomasBender,Community
and Social Changeir Amertca;AnthonyF. C. Wallace,Rockdule;Don
Doyle,The Social Order of a FrontierCommunity;andStuartBlumin,
UrbanThreshold:Growthand Changein a NineteenthCenturyAmeri-
can Community.7
Thereare virtuesand limitsto sucha mainstream approach to local
history,whicharguesthatlocalhistorians
shouldfocuson community. In
"SocialStructureand Stateand LocalHistory,"MarkFriedberger and
JaniceWebsterarguethatthe ''cexltral
themearoundwhichcommunity
studiesmightbe successfully
organized" is the conceptof"socialstruc-
7. Kenneth A. Lockridge, A New England Town: The First Hundred Years (New York:
W. W. Norton, 1970); Thomas Bender, Community and Social Change in America (New
Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1978); Anthony F. C Wallace, Rockdale: The Growth
of an Ame7ican Village in the Early Industrial Revolution (New York:W. W. Norton, 1978);
Don Doyle, The Social Order of a Frontier Community:Jacksonville, lllinois, 1825-1870
(Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1978); and Stuart Blumin, Urban Threshold: Grototh
and Change in a Nineteenth Century American Community (Chicago: University of Chicago
Press, 1976). For an extended list of such community-oriented literature, see Kyvig and
Marty, Nearby History, 222-38; and David J. Russo Families and Communities: A New
View of American History (Nashville: American Association for State and Local History,
1974), passim.
86 * THE PUBLIC HISTORIAN

ture,"which"atits broadest,. . . includeseachof theelements(persons

andgroups)withina societyandthe interaction of theseelements." "So-
cialstructureis concernedwiththe hierarchical relationshipswithina
community, the distributionof powerandgoods,andthe educational,
religious,ethnic,demographic, and politicalidentification of its resi-
dents."8 Gerberalsodefinesa similarobjective: "Thepointis to analyze
the interaction betweenvarioussocialprocesses,suchas urbanization,
industrialization,
socialmobility,or immigrant assimilation, andparticu-
larlocalitiesandcommunities."9 Thusa coursefocusedon community
wouldbe in onemainstream of localhistorystudiesin theUnitedStates.
Sucha coursewouldintroduce studentsto theissuesandquestions which
arebeingaskedandwouldintroduce the literaturein the field.In addi-
tion,the focuson nationalprocessesandliterature wouldmakesucha
courseextremely effectiveinbreaking thetendencyoflocalhistorypracti-
tionerstoworkinnarrow, provincial contexts.
Ontheotherhand,thisapproach hassomelimits.Iscommunity history
reallylocalhistory?Oris it a techniqueor methodof studyingaspects of
localhistory?If one acceptsthe ideathatlocalhistorymustinvolvethe
studyof pasteventsin a particular geographic location a definition ex-
pressedwell by CarolKammenin On DoirxgLocal History,l° thenthe
community historyapproach mightnotfullypreparestudentsforfuture
careersin localhistory.Furthermore, suchanapproach wouldhardlybe
likelyto introduce themfullyto the specificsources,methods,andtech-
niquesof localhistory.It is probablethata coursemorespecifically de-
signedto trainpublichistorians willbe moreeffectivethana coursein
community history.
Letus consider,then,howa moreappropriate courseon localhistory
mightbe constructed especiallyfora publichistorycurriculumonethat
willmeetboththephilosophical andacademic considerations ofcommu-
nity/socialhistory,butwouldalsoprovidepractical "nutsandbolts"train-
ing to meet the needsof futurepublichistorians. Thecourseproposal
outlinedbelowis the resultof aboutfiveyears'experience witha local
historymethodscourse,whichwasdesignedexplicitly fora publichistory
degreeprogram.It is designedto be as practicalas possible,and to
providepublichistorians withexactlythetraining theywillneedin their
futurepublichistorycareers.Theproposal certainlydoesnotdescribethe
onlywayto teacha localhistorycoursein a publichistorycurriculum. It
willservebothasa sampleto consivder, andperhaps asa strawmanto set
upasa meansofstimulating debateonthelocalhistorycourse.

8. MarkFriedbergerand JaniceH. Webster,"SocialStructureand Stateand Local

History,"Western Htstorical Quarterly 9 (July 1978),297-98.
9. Gerber,"LocalandCommunityHistory,"24.
10. CarolKammen,On Doing Local Htstory: Refl4ctz0nson What Local HtstorzansDo,
Why, and What It Means (Nashville:AmericanAssociationfor Stateand LocalHistory,
1986),4-5.
 THE ROLE OF THE LOCAL HISTORY COURSE * 87

Theobjectivesof the courseareveryspecific.Theyare(1)to introduce

the definitions,issues,andtopicsof local/community historythrougha
samplingof literatureon the subject;(2)to introducethevarioussources
whichthepublic/local historianusuallyworkswith- written,oral,visual,
andartifactual; and (3) to showthe studentssomeof the methodsand
techniquesthe localhistorianmightneedto use in theirfutureresearch.
Throughout, it is recognizedthatnoneofthe topicsarebeingexploredin
detail.Theyaremerelybeingintroduced. It is assumedthatthe students
willlearnenoughaboutbibliography andresearch thatin thefuturewhen
theyneed someof the information introduced in the localhistoryclass,
theywillknowwhereto findit.
PartOneof thecoursetakesseveralweeks,andservesto introduce the
classto the fieldof locali'nearby/community history.Thiscouldincludean
overviewof the discipline(if we be so bold as to call localhistorya
discipline!),an orientation to thinkingin termsof community insteadof
politicalnarrative, an introduction to problemsandissuesin nearbyhis-
tory,and,finally,a seriesof examplesof localhistory.Thosesamplescan
suggesttopics,themes,approaches, methods,sources,andperhapseven
careerpossibilities to ourpublichistorystudents.
Theinstructor is luckyin havingseveralfinepublications to assignby
wayof introduction. Perhapsthe best introduction to nearbyhistoryis
CarolKammen's short1986publication, On DoingLocalHistory:Refiec-
tionson WhatLocalHistorzansDo, Why,and WhatIt Means.Writtenby
a practicing localandpublichistorian,thishighlyreadable volumeintro-
ducesanddefineslocalhistory,andreviewsthehistoryof localhistoryin
the UnitedStatesandothercountries.Kammen alsointroduces research,
sources,andthe writingof localhistory.Herfootnotesprovideanexcel-
lent up-to-datebibliography of the literatureavailableon the subject.
Kammen's bookcouldbe supplemented by the introductory chaptersof
KyvigandMarty's NearbyHtstoryandportionsof MetcalfandDowney's
UsingLocalHistoryin the Clsssroom.A deeperlookintothe fieldcould
befoundin FinbergandSkipp'sLocalHistory.ll
Thegeneralintroductory readingsshouldbe supplemented by a series
of articleswhichraisecrucialissuesaboutnearbyhistory.Forinstance,
it is quite clearthat the tremendoussurgein publicinterestin local
11.Ibid.; Kyvigand Marty,Nearby History, 1-58 and 201-390; Metcalfand Downey,
Using Local History, 1-16; and Finberg and Skipp, Local History, 1-86. A numberof
articlesthatdefine and explainthe field of localhistorycouldalsobe assigned:EdwardK.
Eckert,"LocalHistory:Everyone'sHiddenTreasure,"The History Teacher 13 (November
1979),31-35; SamuelP. Hays, "Historyand the ChangingUniversityCurriculum" Ibid. 8
(November1974),64-72; ConstanceMcLaughlinGreen,"TheValueof LocalHistory,"The
Cultural Approach to History, CarolineWare,ed. (NewYork:ColumbiaUniversityPress,
1940),275-86; ThomasH. Smith, "TheRenascenceof LocalHistory,"The Historian 35
(November1972),1-17; GeorgeRollieAdams,"Planningfor the Future,AASLHTakesa
Lookat its Past,"History News 37 (September1982),12-18; andLarryE. Tise, "Stateand
LocalHistory:A Futurefromthe Past,"The Public Historian 1 (Summer1979),14-22; and
the specialissue of The Public Historzan devotedto localhistory,Vol. 5 (Fall1983),7-96.
88 * THE PUBLIC HISTORIAN

historyas manifestby museumattendance, purchase of historicalbooks,

growthof localhistorysocieties,andneighborhood projectsis the result
of pressureson societygeneratedby the fast-moving changesof the late
1960sandthe 1970s.It couldalmostbe saidthatmuchof the thrustof
contemporary localhistoryis a formof nativism.Theseaspectsof the
localhistoryfieldcanbe exploredin readingsby Tamara Harevenand
DavidGerber. 12

Yetanothertopicto be exploredis the relationship of localandna-

tionalor broaderhistory.Narrowness andparochialism are two of the
majoracademic complaintsaboutlocalhistory andtheyarecomplaints
whichshouldbe addressed in a localhistorycourse.KyvigandMarty's
articleon "Connections" is a goodwayto opendiscussion of the topic.
Goodexamplesof handlinglocalandnational in nearbyhistoryabound.
In her accountof Marshall, Oklahoma, AngieDebo'streatment of the
yearsof the depressionandthe New Deal do muchto illuminate the
impactof thosephenomena on the locality.In an articleon one of San
Diego'smajorfigures,GreggHennesseyhasshownhowuse of national
themesandtopics SocialGospelandProgressivism, forinstanec-can
helpto elucidatea localtopic.Ofcourse,one mustalwayskeepin mind
thatnearbyhistoryis aboutwhatis nearby,andnotburythatlocalityin
thebiggerpicture.GeraldGeorge'sreportsof conversations withLester
area goodwayto developinsightsintolocalhistoryfromthe localpoint
ofview.13
Publichistorystudentsalsoshouldbeintroduced tothevariety ofwaysin
whichlocalhistoryis practiced. Theyneedto knowthatlocalhistorycan
meansomethingbeyondbooks,journalarticles,anda slide/tapeshow.
Theyneedto knowof localhistorydisseminated throughnewspapers.l4
Theyneed to be introduced to the conceptof historian-in-residence.l5
Publichistorians needtobegintothinkofmuseums andpreservation sites
12. Gerber,"Localand CommunityHistory,"7-30; Gerber,"Haley'sRoots and our
Own:An Inquiryinto the Natureof a PopularPhenomenon," Journal ofEthnic Studies 5
(Fall1977),87-111;andTamaraK. Hareven,"TheSearchforGenerational Memory:Tribal
Ritesin IndustrialSociety,"Daedalus 107(Fall1978),137-49.
13. David Kyvigand MyronA. Marty,"NearbyHistory:ConnectingParticulars and
Universals," Teaching History: A Journal of Methods 8 (Spring1983),3-10; AngieDebo,
Prairie City: The Story of an American Community (New York:AlfredA. Knopf,1944,
ReprintEdition,Tulsa:CouncilOakBooks,1985),especiallypp. 197-235;GreggHennes-
sey, aGeorgeWhiteMarstonandConservative Reformin SanDiego,"journal of San Diego
History 32 (Fall 1986),230-53; and GeraldGeorge,"Learning fromLester:SomeReflec-
tionson HistoricalSocieties,"The PubltcHistorian 7 (Fall1985),65-70.
14. Kammen,On Doing Local Htstory, 149-66.
15. For severalexamples,see Lee Pendergrass,'<Taking Historyto the Public:The
KansasHistorian-in-Residence Program,The Public Histonan 4 (Winter1982),73-87;Law-
renceJ. Nelson,'4TheHistorianas Scholar-in-Residence: PublicHistoryin a SouthMissis-
sippiCounty,"Federation Reports: TheJournal ofthe State HumanitiesCouncils 7 (Novem-
ber/December1984), 18-; and G. David Brumberg,MargaretM. John,and William
Zeisel, eds., History for the Public: A Report on the Historians-in-Residence Program
(Ithaca:New YorkHistoricalResourceCenter,CornellUniversityandInstituteforResearch
in History,1983),1-141.
 THE ROLE OF THE LOCAL HISTORY COURSE * 89

as alternatewaysof presentinglocalhistory. 16Localhistorycanevenbe

practicedon television!l7Localhistorycanbe tiedin withneighborhood
projects,andwithsocialandeven economicissuses.18Thismaterialwill
notonlybroadenstudents'understanding of localhistory,butit willalso
introduce themtopossiblepublichistorycareers.
Anotherfilnctionof the localhistorycoursewouldbe to introduce stu-
dentstoapproachinghistory through the study of acommunity, ratherthan
throughthe moreusualreadingof a politicalnarrative. Somehistorians
evenbelieve thata community focusshould be the primary approach of
localand state 19
history. Probably the best introduction to this approach is
DavidRusso's Familiesand Comm1Anities, which sees the American experi-
enceasbeingfirstshapedby localitiesandfamilies,andonlylaterby the
nationalexperience.Thebookcontainsconsiderable information on the
definitionof community, andthe history and bibliography of the study of
community in the UnitedStates.Othergoodintroductory pieces include
RuthE. Sutter,TheNextPlaceYouComeTo, whichdealswithnativeand
European communities, transplanting of communities, andfrontiercom-
munities;andThomasBender'sCommunityand SocialChangein Amer-
ica, whichalsodealswithdefinitions andtheories,andreviewsthehistori-
ography ofcommunity inthenineteenth century.20
Theintroductory portionof the localhistorycourseshouldalsoinclude
samplesof local historyliterature.These samplesshouldpresentthe
sweepof topics,themes, methods,and sourcesused in writtenlocal
history.SuchreadingsmightincludeDonDoyle'sexcellentSocialOrder
of a FrontterCommunity,whichoffersmanyusefultechniquesin the
studyof a community,with specialemphasison voluntary associations.
AngieDebo'sPrairzeCity, a semi-fictionalized historyof Marshall, Okla-
homa,showshow to portraythe emergenceof a groupof individual
frontierpeopleintoa coherentcommunity. It is alsoanexcellentexample
of how nationalthemes the GreatDepression,for instance can en-

16. A goodexampleof museumas localhistoryis the FortWorthMuseumdescribedin

PatrickNorris,"APrimerof Place,"History News 40 (June1985),11-16.
17. DanielHurleyandJillTobias,"TheCincinnatiHistoricalSocietyPutsLocalHistory
on Commercial Television,"History News 37 (September1982),20-23.
18. Few citieshavedevelopedneighborhood projectsandrelatedthemto localhistoryas
effectivelyas Cincinnati.See CandaceFloyd,"ASense of Pride:CincinnatiNeighborhoods
DocumentTheirHistories,"History News 36 (October1981),13-14, andCharlesPhillips,
"TheMissingLink:CanInterpretation Finda Homein RestoredNeighborhoods?" ibid., 9-
10. For other examplesof local historytied to neighborhoodor socialsituations,see the
BaltimoreNeighborhoodProject,the BrassValley Projector the HistoricOld Bethpage
project,as describedin HowardHolter, "HighAboveCayuga'sWaters:A Reporton the
NEH SummerInstitute,'Historians,Universities,Communities,"PaperPresentedat Cali-
forniaCommitteeforthe Promotionof HistoryAnnualMeeting,SanDiego, September28,
1982.
19. FriedbergerandWebster,"SocialStructure," 297-98.
20. Russo,Families and Communities; RuthE. Sutter,The Next Place You Come To: A
Historical lntroduction To Communities in North America (EnglewoodCliffs,N.J.:Prentice
Hall, 1973);andBender,Community and Social Change in Amereca.
90 * THE PUBLIC HISTORIAN

hancelocalhistory.RobertGross'sMinutemerz arldTheirWorldis per-

hapsthe bestexampleof a localhistorian usingquantitative research and
stillpresenting thefindingsina waythatis notonlynotintimidatingbut
is actuallyexcitingandgripping.Amoskeag,by Tamara K. Harevenand
Randolph Langenbach, is aninterestingworkbasedonoralhistory.Italso
providesa goodopportunity to discusswhetherthe bookis trulylocal
history,or merelysocialhistoryexaminedin a locality.2l Manyother
examples couldbe chosen,buttheseshouldsuffice.
By the end of this portionof the localhistorycourse,the students
shouldhavean idea of whatcontemporary historians meanby "local"
history,a feel for the issuesandthemespertaining to localhistory,an
orientation to studyinga community ratherthanjusta politicalnarrative,
anda sampling ofsomeofthebestlocalhistoryavailable.
PartTwoof the localhistorycourse,"Sources andMethodsof Local
History,"shouldbe the longestportion.It shouldbe usedto familiarize
futurepublichistorians withthe sources,methods,andtechniques used
by localhistorians, andshouldalsoshowstudentsthe guides,manuals,
andfindingaidsthatexist,andhowtousethem.
A goodstarting pointwouldbe writtensources published andunpub-
lished.A briefoverviewcanbe foundin KyvigandMarty's NearbyHis-
tory,wheretheauthorstalkaboutbooksandarticles,thesesanddisserta-
tions,newspapers, ephemera,commercial histories,directories,
maps,
archivalandmanuscript collections,censusrecords,andotherfederal,
state,andlocalrecords.As usual,the bibliographies at the end of the
chaptersprovideexcellentleadsto followup on the topicsintroduced.22
Onceintroduced, allthesetypesofsourcesshouldbe explored indetail-
whattheyare,howtheyarefound,howlocalhistorians arelikelyto use
them,andwhatparticular or uniqueproblems oneis likelyto encounter
whileusingthem.Sometypesofsourcesaresoimportant thattheyshould
becoveredinevenmoredetail.
Localgovernment recordsare one formof writtenrecordwhichis
especiallyimportant to the nearbyhistorian.The standard sourceand
startingpointis H. G. Iones,Local GovernmentRecords,whichwas
reallydesignedas a manualforthe management, preservation, anduse
21. Doyle, The Social Order of a Frontier Community; Debo, Prairte City; RobertA.
Gross,The Minutemen and Their World (NewYork:Hill andWang,1976);andTamaraK.
HarevenandRandolphLangenbach, Amoskeag:Life and Workin an AmericanFactory-City
(NewYork:PantheonBooks,1978).
. Kyvigand Marty,Nearby History, 59-109. Otheroverviewsof writtenrecordscan
be foundin WalterRundell,Jr., In Pursuit of American History: Research and Training in
the United States (Norman:Universityof OklahomaPress, 1910),128-58; NancySahli,
"LocalHistoryManuscripts: Sources,Uses, and Preservation," AmericanAssociationfor
Stateand LocalHistoryTechnicalLeaflet115 (1979);Enid T. Thompson,Local History
Collections: A Manualfor Librarians (Nashville:AmericanAssociation for StateandLocal
History,1978),1S36; and ThomasE. Felt, Researching, Writing, and Publishing Local
History (Nashville,AmericanAssociationforStateandLocalHistory,1974),3-62.
 THE ROLE OF THE LOCAL HISTORY COURSE * 91

of government records.Forthe purposesof thiscourse,Jones'sdescrip-

tion of manylocalrecordsand theirpossibleuses is especiallyto the
point. It deals with sourcessuch as vital statistics,electionrecords,
schoolrecords,coroner'sinquestreports,grandjuryrecords,andincor-
porationrecords.23 Otherwrittensourceswhich shouldbe explored
fiallyarecityandcountydirectories. AlthoughKyvigandMartymention
them, studentsmay miss their uniqueimportance to localhistorians
unlesstheyarespecifically pointedout. Anexampleof theiruse, andan
analysisof the natureof directoriesandsomeof the problemsinherent
in using them as a source,is containedin Peter Knights'The Plain
Peopleof Boston.24
Althoughmanyacademichistorians maybe loathto admitit, genealo-
gistshavelongbeenusingmanyof the sourcesandtechniques whichthe
nearbyhistorian mustbecomefamiliar with.Manyofthesimilaritieshave
beenexploredin RobertM.Taylor,Jr.andRalphCrandall's Generations
and Change:GenealogicalPerspectivesin SocialHistory,whichis a good
introduction to the subject.Oneofthebestgeneralguidesto genealogical
sourcesandmethodsis TheSource:A Guidebookof AmertcanGenealogy,
editedby ArleneEakleandJohniCerney.It will introducestudentsto
vitalstatisticssuchas marriageanddivorcerecords,cemeteryrecords,
land,tax,military,payroll,immigration andothersources,aswellascity
directoriesandnewspapers. The NationalArchives'
Guideto Genealogi-
cal Researchin the NationalArchivesis alsoveryhelpful,especiallyon
thefederalcensuses.25
Studentsin localhistorywillquicklylearnthatmanytopicstheyneed
to investigatecannotbe completelyresearched in writtensourcesalone.
They will need to turn to oral, visual,and materialsources.Of the
nonwritten sources,oralonesareprobably themostwidelyused.It is not
theplaceofa localhistory courseto delveintothemethodsandmechanics
of the oralhistoryprocess;such a course,however,shouldintroduce
studentsto oralsourcesandshouldpreparethemfortheusesandlimitsof
oralmaterials.26 Probablythe mostaccessibleintroduction is Allenand

23. H. G. Jones, Local Government Records: An Introduction to their Management,

Preservation, and Use (Nashville:AmericanAssociationfor Stateand LocalHistory,1980),
especiallypp. 136-66.
24. Kyvigand Marty,Nearby History, 72-73; andPeterR. Knights,The Plain People of
Boston, 1830-1860: A Study in City Growth (New York:OxfordUniversityPress, 1971).
Appendix"A"on pages127-39 dealswithusingcityrecordsin historicalresearch.
25. RobertM. Taylor,Jr. andRalphJ. Crandall,eds., Generations and Change: Genea-
logical Perspectives in Social History (Macon,Ga.: MercerUniversityPress, 1986);Arlene
EakleandJohniCerny,eds., The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy (SaltLake
City: AncestryPublishingCompany,1984);and Guide to Genealogical Research in the
National Archives (Washington, D.C.: NationalArchivesTrustFundBoard,1983).
26. Althoughthe commentsin this paper focus on oral sources, there is a growing
practiceof videotapinginterviews.See BradJolly, Videotaping Local History (Nashville:
AmericanAssociationforStateandLocalHistory,1982).
92 * THE PUBLIC HISTORIAN

Montell'sFrom Memory to History: Using Oral Sources in Local Histori-

cal Research, whichis verygoodat explainingthe characteristicsof oral
sources,andtheirusesandlimits.A muchmoreextensiveandcompre-
hensiveintroduction to the subjectis to be foundin DavidDunaway and
WillaK. Baum'sOral History: An Interdisciplinary Anthology, which
offersselectionsdefiningoralhistory,on interpreting anddesigning oral
history,on the application of oralhistory,on its use in otherdisciplines,
andon specialaspectsof dealingwithoralsourcesforschoolsandlibrar-
ies. It is a veryup-to-date andsensibleselectionof readings whichboth
exploreimportant topicsandalsointroducethe readerto someof the
prominent figuresin the field.PaulThompson, The Voice of the Past:
Oral Htstory, is stillan excellentoverviewof the wholediscipline. The
two mostaccessiblegeneralguidesto doinglocalhistoryare Sitton,
Mehaffy,andDavis,Oral Htstory: A Guide for Teachers (And Others)
andWillaBaum'sOral History for the Local Htstortcal Society. Oneof
thebestexamples of theuseof oralhistoryis Lynwood Montell'sSaga of
Coe Ridge.27
Localhistorians oitenfindthemselveshavingto use visualsources-
photographs, films,andpaintings. Theirusescanbe many.Localhistori-
ansmayuse photographs to learndecorative andstructural detailsof a
building,or to discoverhowa roomwasfurnished andused.Theymay
use a sequenceof photographs to studychangingpatternsof landuse,
transportation,or even the naturalcharacteristics of a locality.28
Local
historiansmayuse pictorialmaterialto studythe values,beliefs,and
tastesof a period.Sincepasthistorical traininghasseldomapproached
thissubject,someinstruction on visualmaterialandits usesshouldbe
includedina localhistorycourse.
Thebest introduction to photographs is RobertWeinsteinandLarry
Booth'sCollection, Use, and Care of Histortcal Photographs. Partof the
bookis a technicalaccountof the careof photographic materialswhich
maygo beyondthe needsof a localhistorycourse.Thefirsthalfof the
book,however,definesanddescribeshistorical photographs, andgives
adviceoncollectingandusingthem.Casestudieshelpthereaderunder-
standa numberof technicalissuesrelatingto the processing of photo-
27. BarbaraAllen and Lynwood Montell, From Memory to History: Using Oral Sources
in Local Historical Research (Nashville: American Association for State and Local History,
1981); David K. Dunaway and Willa K. Baum, eds., Oral History: An Interdisetplinary
Anthology (Nashville: American Associationfor State and Local History in Cooperationwith
the Oral History Association, 1984); Paul Thompson, The Voice of the Past: Oral History
(Oxford:Oxford University Press, 1978);Thad Sitton, George L. Mehaffy,and O. L. Davis,
Jr., Oral History: A Guide for Teachers (and Others) (Austin: University of Texas Press,
1983); Willa K. Baum, Oral History for the Local Historical Society, 2nd ed., Rev. (Nash-
ville, American Association for State and Local History, 1974);and Lynwood Montell, Saga
of Coe Ridge (Knoxville:University of Tennessee Press, 1970).
28. A good example of a publication which uses comparativephotographsto show change
is Kim Fulton, A Manualfor ResearchingHistorical Coastal Erosion (SantaCruz: University
of California,SantaCruz Science Writing Program,Report No. T-CSGCP-003, 1981).
 THE ROLE OF THE LOCAL HISTORY COURSE * 93

graphiccollections.Additionalhelp in understanding and usingvisual

sourcescanbe foundin NearbyHistoryandUsingLocalHtstory.29
Inadditionto anintroduction to thenatureanduseofphotographs and
othervisualmaterials,studentsneed to be shownthatphotographic or
othervisualmaterialis notnecessarily an"accurate"or"realistic""sliceof
life."(Picturesdo lie!)Theymustlearnthatvisualsources,likewritten
andoralones, shouldbe understood in the contextof theirmakers,and
afterconsiderable criticalanalysis.Twoarticlesin Afterthe Fact:TheArt
of HistortcalDetectionhelpmakethispoint.In one the authorsexamine
paintings in thiscaseof American Indians to showthatsuchpaintings
usuallyshowedIndiansas they were stereotypically perceivedby the
whitemanratherthanas they actuallywere. In anotherchapter,the
authorsexamineearlytwentieth-century socialphotographs takenin ur-
banAmericaandshowhowthey,too,werecreatedto conveythephotog-
rapher's desiredimage.Thesepointscanbe firtherillustrated by perus-
ingChristopher Lyman'sTheVantshingRaceand OtherIllusions,which
showshow EdwardS. Curtiscreatedphotographs of Indiansto fit his
preconceived notions.In a similarvein, PeterHalesshowsin SilverCit-
ies, ThePhotographyof AmertcanUrbanizationboththatphotographers
tookpicturesto createcertainimages,andalsothatthepicturesphotogra-
pherstookofcitiesplayeda rolein shapingthem.30
Materialculturesourcesareanotherimportant aspectof localhistory
research.The literaturehere is extensiveandgrowingrapidly.A good
quickintroduction canbe foundin Kyvigand Marty'sNearbyHistory,
wherethe authorstalkaboutartifacts,landscapes,andbuildings.Stu-
dentsshouldimmediately be introducedto ThomasSchlereth's works,
beginning perhapswithhisarticleonmaterial cultureresearch andhistori-
calexplanation in The PublicHistorian,his essayon the historyof mate-
rialculturestudiesin CultureStudiesin Amertca,andMaterialCtllture:
A ResearchGuide,whichhe edited.Theresearch guideis ananthology of
works by in
specialists theirfieldsand introducesresearch into geography
andlandscape, vernacular architecture,decorativearts,technology, folk-
lore,andsocialhistory. Schlereth'schapters on historicsitesas artifacts
and on landscapesin Artifacts and the AmertcanPast shouldalso be
requiredassignments.3l
29. Robert A. Weinstein and Larry Booth, Collection, Use, and Care of Historical Photo-
graphs (Nashville: American Association for State and Local History, 1977), especially 1-
121; Kyvig and Marty, Nearby History, 128-48; and Metcalf and Downey, Using Local
History, 35-40.
30. James West Davidson and Mark Hamilton Lytle, After the Fact: The Art of Histori-
cal Detection (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1982), 113-38 and 205-31; Christopher M.
Lyman, The Vanishing Race and Other lllusions: Photographs of Indians by Edward S.
Curtis (New York: Pantheon Books in Association with the Smithsonian Institution Press
1982); and Peter Bacon Hales, Silver Cities: The Photography of American Urbanization,
1839-1915 (Philadelphia:Temple University Press, 1984).
31. Kyvig and Marty, Nearby History, 149-200; Thomas J. Schlereth, "MaterialCulture
Research and Historical Explanation," The Public Historian 7 (Fall 1985), 21-36; "Material
94 * THE PUBLIC HISTORIAN

Ofcourse,archaeological artifacts
area majorsourceofmaterial culture
forthe localhistorian.Thus,an introduction to historicarchaeology is
essential.The best startingplaceis Harrington s Archaeologyand the
HistoricalSociety.JamesDeetz'sIn Sn7allThingsForgottenis a delightful
exampleof the waysin whichhistorians canuse archaeologicalmethods
andsources.His chapterson ceramics,gravestones, houses,everyday
implements,andhow archaeology helpedprovethe presenceof Afro-
Amencansin colonialPlymouthare modelsof archaeological-historical
researchandwriting.32 Moredetailedandmoresophisticated introduc-
tionsto philosophy, theory,andmethodsof archaeology canbe foundin
worksby RobertSchuyler,LelandFerguson,andAlbertWard,butthey
willprobably go beyondwhatcanbe handledin an introduction to the
subjectina localhistorycourse.33
Yetanotheraspectof material culturewhichis invaluableto the local
historianis architectural
style.Suchstyles(orlackthereof,asthecasemay
be)cantell localhistorians muchaboutthe areatheyarestudying.Stu-
dentsshouldbe introduced to basicarchitectural
styles(including the
vernacular) andthe fieldguidesto them.34 Beyondlearningto identify
architectural styles,publichistorystudentsshouldalsolearntheinterrela-
tionshipbetweenarchitectural stylesandlargerhistoricalthemes.An
abundant literaturecanbe usedto accomplish that.UptonandVlach's
readings book,CommonPlaces:Readingstn AmericanVernacularArchi-
tecture, containsmanyarticlesthatclarifytheserelationships. Harold
Kirker's Caltfornia'sArchitecturalFrontier:Style and Traditionirl the
NineteenthCenturydoesan excellentjob of relatingarchitecture to the
societyin whichit emerged.Twoexamples whichtakespecificstylesand
showhowtheyreflecttheirmilieuareKarenWeitze'sbookonCalifornia

Culture Studies in America, 187S1976," in Material Culture Studies in America, ThomasJ.

Schlereth, ed. (Nashville, American Association for State and Local History, 1982), 1-78;
Material Culture: A Research Guide, Thomas J. Schlereth, ed. (Lawrence, University Press
of Kansas,1985);andArtifacts and the American Past (Nashville:AmericanAssociation for
StateandLocalHistory,1980),91-206.
32. J. C. Harrington, Archaeology and the Historical Society (Nashville:
AmericanAsso-
ciationforStateandLocalHistory,1965);andJamesDeetz, In SrnallThings Forgotten:The
Archaeology of EvrlyAmerican Life (GardenCity:AnchorPress/Doubleday, 1877).
33. RobertSchuyler,Historical Archaeology: A Guide ta Substantive and Theoretical
Contributions (Farmingdale, N Y.:BaywoodPublishingCompany,1978)is a standard intro-
ductionto theoryand methodsof historicalarchaeology.Somewhatlighterreadingcanbe
foundin LelandFerguson,ed., Histor*al Archaeology and the Importance of Material
Things (SpecialPublication SeriesNumber2, SocietyforHistoricalArchaeology, 1977)and
AlbertE. Ward,ed., Forgotten Places and Things:Archaeotog*al Perspectises on American
History (Albuquerque; CenterforAnthropological Studies,1983).
34. Someof the best guidesareCaroleRiflind,A Field Guide to AmericanArchitecture
(NewYork:New AmericanLibrary,1980);Virginiaand Lee McAlester,A Fiead Cuide to
American Houses (NewYork:AlfredA. Knopf,1984);LesterWalker,Amean Shelter:An
l11ustratedEncyclopeduz of the Arrwan Home (Woodstock, N. Y.: The OverlookPress,
1981);and the very bnef JohnJ. G. Blumenson IdentifWingAmerican Architecture: A
Fictorial Guide to Styles and Terms, 1600-1945, 2nded., rev^,(Nashville,American Associa-
tionforStateandLocalHistory,1981).
 THE ROLE OF THE LOCAL HISTORY COURSE * 95

MissionRevivalarchitecture, andRobertWinter'sTheCaliforniaBunga-
The pointto be madeis thatlocalhistorypractitioners
10uS.35 canlearn
muchabouta topicby studyingbuildingsandtheirstyles,theirmaterials,
andtheirengineering.
A finaltopicthatmightbe discussedin a localhistorycourseis thenew
socialhistoryasitappliestolocalhistory.Becauselocalhistoryforcesusout
ofthetraditional moldsintothestudyofawiderangeofpeople
sexist-elitist
andtopics,the new socialhistoryemphasizing quantitativesourcesand
hasbeenofgreatimportance
statistics to therecentemergence ofthelocal
historymovement intheUnitedStates.TheAmerican AssociationforState
andLocalHistoryhastriedto establisha bridgebetweenthe newsocial
historyandlocalhistorythrougha seriesofseminars. Thepaperswerelater
publishedasOrdinaryPeopleandEverydayLife.Thiscollectionis a good
placeforlocalhistorystudentstobegin.36
Whenstudentsfinishthe secondsectionof the localhistorycourse,
theyshouldknowsomething abouttraditionalwrittensources,thosewrit-
ten sourcesmostoftenusedby localhistorians, oralandvisualsources,
andthe vastworldof materialculturesources.Coupledwiththeirintro-
ductionto the fieldin the firstsectionof the course,the studentsshould
be preparedto enter into a varietyof fieldsin publichistory,and to
perform effiectively.

Conclusion
Clearly,therearemanyreasonswhythereoughtto be a specificcourse
onlocalhistoryin a publichistorycurriculumspeciallyin a curriculum
thatpreparesstudentsforcareersin historicalsocieties,culturalresource
management, archivalandrecordsmanagement, preservation,or muse-
ums.It alsocouldbe arguedthatthebestapproach wouldbe to designa
courseexplicitlyfora publichistoryprogram. Thedescription of sucha
courseindicatesa plethora of available themes,
topics, and materialsfor
assignment. If sucha localhistorycoursewere to be includedin public
historycurriculums, it wouldproducebetterpreparedpublichistorians,
andit mightalsoserve,in the longrun,to upgradethe qualityof public
andlocalhistory.
35. Dell Upton and John Michael Vlach, eds., Common Places: Readings in American
VernacularArchitecture (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1986);Harold Kirker, Califor-
nia's Architectural Frontier: Style and Tradition in the Nineteenth Century (San Marino:
Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery, 1960; Reprint, Salt Lake City: Gibbs M.
Smith, 1986); Karen J. Weitze, CaliforntaXsMission Revival (Los Angeles: Hennessey &
Ingalls, 1984); and Robert Winter, The California Bungalow (Los Angeles: Hennessey &
Ingalls, 1980).
36. James B. Gardner and George Rollie Adams, eds., Ordinary People and Everyday
Life: Perspectives on the New Social History (Nashville: Ameriean Association for State and
Loeal History, 1983). On the particulars of doing statistical research, see Sam Bass Warner,
Jr., "Writing Local History: The Use of Social Statistics,"American Association for State and
Local History Technical Leaflet 7 (rev. ed., 1970).