Trip to Harpers Ferry!

To all History majors, minors, and faculty:

Looking for a relaxing study break? Interested in further immersing yourself in American Civil War-era history?

Join the History Club on Saturday, 3 November, as we venture down to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in Harpers Ferry, WV! Megan Sullivan, History senior and employee of this National Historical Park for the past several summers, will be showing us around and telling us more of the site’s historical context and significance. We will be leaving relatively early on Saturday morning (not before 8:00 AM) and returning during the late afternoon (before dinner). Specific details regarding our departure time from Messiah College and from Harpers Ferry will be available soon. The trip will cost $2.50 per person. You will also be responsible for bringing money for lunch at a moderately-priced restaurant en route (about $10.00 to $15.00). There are currently 11 seats left. To reserve a seat, contact Megan Keller (mk1273) or Eli Kane (ek1232) as soon as possible (seats will be given to students on a first come, first served basis). Payment for the trip ($2.50) can be made to Brianna LaCasse (unit 5762) by Thursday, 1 November (cash only; exact change, please).

We look forward to seeing many of you there!

Best wishes,
Megan Keller, Eli Kane, Brianna LaCasse, and Ashley King
History Club officers

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PKAP 2012 Season Begins

(Crossposted at The Pyla-Koutsopetria Archaeological Project)

At 5:15 AM, the cityscape of Larnaka is just beginning to appear in the dawn. This morning we will fully begin our work at the site of Pyla-Vigla. Remarkably, we have already been in Larnaca 10 days and will be here for another 15.  Almost halfway through our season, today is the first day of full excavation. Unlike previous seasons, we had a much delayed start in beginning work due to a firing competition on the Dhekelia British Base. So our work in the next few days will be intensive as we make up for lost days.

In the first 10 days on the island, the Pyla-Koutsopetria Archaeological Project has been busy setting up the archaeological excavations, orienting students to Larnaca, visiting museums, and traveling to other sites and historic places on the island.

I have previously posted on our field season here. My colleague Bill Caraher has posted on the season at the New Archaeology of the Mediterranean World. See:

• PKAP 2012 First Day Challenges
• PKAP 2012: Left Behind
• PKAP Prospects for Summer 2012

This blog will serve as the official staff blog of the Pyla-Koutsopetria Archaeological Project for 2012.  We have also set up a student blog at a website with a URL similar to this one: http://pylakoutsopetria2.wordpress.com/. There, students have discussed conversations with Cypriots, day trips to Nicosia, archaeology, and even a video.

While there have been far too many activities for me to post this blog, here is a summary log of the first part of our field season, with images:

Wednesday (May 16): Photo scavenger hunt of Larnaca in AM.

Thursday (May 17): Students tour Larnaca archaeology museums in the morning while Dallas DeForest and I meet with personnel of the Dhekelia Base to discuss logistics, environmental concerns, permissions, and site preparation.  Check to see that tools are still stored safely from our last excavation in 2009.Brandon Olson and Jeff Cheng arrived in the afternoon. Tour of historical Larnaka.

 

Friday (May 18): Dallas and Liz DeForest lead students on a trip to Nicosia for tours of the Nicosia museum. Brandon and I remain in Larnaca to purchase basic supplies. Pick up Bill Caraher at noon from airport. Have weeds cut on Vigla. Dr. Sam Fee of Washington & Jefferson College releases new version of iPad PKapp.

Saturday (May 19): Our first day in the field. Full tour of the site in the morning, small team returns in afternoon to set up the total station.  Problems getting total station to work.

Sunday (May 20): Messiah College students and I visit church of Ayios Lazaros for liturgy, while Bill, Brandon, and Jeff go out to field to fix total station and set up trenches. In afternoon, everyone goes out to field for orientation to methods.

Monday (May 22): Dr. Sam Fee of Washington & Jefferson College releases updated version of iPad PKapp.Dallas DeForest and I meet with Dr. Hadjicosti to discuss plans and are approved officially for work. Bill discusses history of project with students. Orientation for students to working at the museum. In afternoon, start excavations at Pyla-Vigla in four trenches.

Tuesday (May 23): Field trip to Kourion and Choirokoitia

Wednesday (May 24): Field trip to Troodos mountains, Kykkos monastery, and the church of Ayios Yiannis Lambapdistris.

Thursday (May 25): Day of rest before three long days of excavation.

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Senior Dinner 2012

The end of the semester has created a break to post some photos from recent events in the history department.  Here in this first installment are a couple of photos of our graduating seniors at the Senior Dinner.  Congrats, seniors!

 

Clio Award winners for 2012 were (left to right) Amanda Mylin, Natalie Burack, and Katie Garland.

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Honors Presentations

Congratulations to our three seniors who gave superb honors presentations this week.  We managed to catch a few pictures of the presenters in action.

 

Amanda Mylin begins her talk on “Reading the Leaves: Tea and American Colonial Identity, 1765-1775”

 

Katie Garland introduces the crowd to the face of ambition and providence in her talk on “Providential Progress: The Post-Revolutionary World of Robert Crawford”

 

Natalie Burack takes questions at the end of a lecture on “The Can-Opener Gourmet: Poppy Cannon and American Culture in the 1950s.”

 

Each of the presentations was a powerful example of student research and argumentation.  Join our department in congratulating the presenters for their diligent work and astute analysis!

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LaGrand Cartwheel

It took the promise of a cartwheel for Dr. LaGrand to convince some of history students to participate in last weekend’s regional history day at Messiah College.  In this video, Dr. LaGrand delivers on his promise. 

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First Year Feast

Dear First Year Students,

Don’t forget that this Thursday, December 1, is the History Department’s annual "First Year Feast."  Each December the faculty of the History Department enjoy a nice sit-down dinner to celebrate with our new students as they complete their first semester at Messiah College!  As a first-year student or new history major at Messiah you are warmly invited to join us at 5:00pm in the private dining room.  (The event should end shortly before 7pm).  I hope you can be a part of this annual History Department tradition.  It is not too late to sign up.  Please RSVP to Gina Hale (ghale@messiah.edu) or reply to this message.  We hope to see you there!

Professor Fea

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History Majors win Library Research Grants

Congratulations to history majors Natalie Burack and Katie Garland for winning Murray Library Research Grants to support research related to their senior projects! 

Natalie was awarded funds to conduct research at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University) for a project called "Poppy Cannon: An Examination of Food & Culture in the Fifties and Sixties"

Katie was awarded funds to research at the Henry N. Flynt Library at Historic Deerfield, MA, for a project called "The World of Robert Crawford".

Katie and Natalie will be presenting on their projects in late spring – details TBA as they develop.

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Boyer Scholars

The Boyer Center at Messiah College has just released its list of Boyer fellows for 2011-2012.  Two of our (senior) history majors, Natalie Burack and Katie Garland, are among the fellows.  Congrats to both of them for this opportunity!

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History Club at Fallingwater

Messiah College History Club visited Fallingwater, PA this Saturday, along with the History Club from St. Vincent College.  This photo, shot by Megan Keller, may be the most scenic image in the history of the club.  Well done!

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Immersed in Early American Life — a piece on Katie Garland

If you missed the Facebook post on this, history major Katie Garland was featured last week on Messiah’s homepage in her role in the Historic Deerfield Summer Fellowship Program.  Here’s the opening text to the article:

“What started as childhood affection for historical fiction—particularly Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House”—has grown into a passion for American history that now finds senior Katie Garland immersed in early American life as a member of the prestigiousHistoric Deerfield Summer Fellowship Program.

“Part of my love for history comes from a love for stories,” Garland says. “It is fascinating to see how the world today came to be.”

This summer, Garland is finding out plenty about the Americans that lived in Deerfield, Mass. between 1600-1850. Garland was chosen from among 350 applicants to study material culture and decorative arts with seven other history or art history majors in the historic town of Deerfield, known for its public collections of art and antiques from early New England.

You can read the rest of the story at Messiah’s website.  Congrats, Katie!

 

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