Known as America’s most historic neighborhood, the Germantown section of Philadelphia (established in 1683) has distinguished itself by using public history initiatives to forge community. Join us as David Young, author of The Battles of Germantown, discusses ways that regional historic organizations shine more light on diverse history in provocative and creative ways with examples from Germantown and Delaware. Recent efforts engaging in whole-place interpretation of the region’s history, especially of undertold histories of communities largely unrepresented in the historical narratives, show how “effective public history” can serve the cause of social justice.
Dr. David Young has led historical organizations in the Mid-Atlantic Region at the Salem County Historical Society, the Johnson House Historic Site, Cliveden of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, winning local and national awards for his work, and currently serves as the executive director of the Delaware Historical Society. Young received his Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and his Master’s and Ph.D. from Ohio State University. He is the author of The Battles of Germantown: Effective Public History in America, (Temple University Press, 2019), awarded the 2020 Philip Klein Prize for best book about Pennsylvania.