Historic sites are visited by millions of people every year, but most of these places perpetuate the public notion that men have been the primary agents of historical change. This book reveals that historic sites and buildings have much to tell us about women's history. It documents women's contributions to the historic preservation movement at places such as Mount Vernon and explores women's history at several existing landmarks such as historic homes, as wells as in a wider array of cultural landscapes ranging from nurses' residences in Montreal to prostitutes' quarters in Los Angeles. The book includes essays on six exemplary projects that have advanced the integration of women's history into historic preservation and closes with three perspectives on preservation policy and practice. National in scope but applicable in any locality, Restoring Women's History through Historic Preservation combines the most important recently published information with the best new research and covers many national, state, and local initiatives of the past decade. It collects in one volume the seminal work of twenty academic historians, preservationists, and professionals at parks and monuments throughout the country who examine practical ways to represent women's history through historic preservation programs. Over the past several decades, work in the areas of women's history and historic preservation has done much to change not only how we regard history but also how we might broaden the very notion of what we consider historical. This volume reflects a growing commitment to historic preservation and shows how practitioners in both fields can benefit from an exchange of insights and create more effective public history.
Contents: Acknowledgments CHAPTER ONE Restoring Women's History through Historic Preservation: Recent Developments in Scholarship and Public Historical Practice Gail Lee DubrowPART I Documenting the History of Women in PreservationCHAPTER 2 Women in the Nineteenth-Century Preservation Movement Barbara J. HoweCHAPTER 3 Special Places Saved: The Role of Women in Preserving Shaun EyringCHAPTER 4 Four African American Women on the National Landscape Faith Davis RuffinsPART II Revisiting Women's Lives at Historic Houses and MuseumsCHAPTER 5 Uncovering and Interpreting Women's History at Historic House Museums Patricia WestCHAPTER 6 Domestic Work Portrayed: Philadelphia's Restored Bishop William White HouseA Case Study Karie Diethorn with John BaconCHAPTER 7 Putting Women in Their Place: Methods and Sources for Including Women's History in Museums and Historic Sites Edith MayoPART III Claiming New Space for Women in the Built Environment and Cultural LandscapeCHAPTER 8 Rooms of Their Own: The Nurse's Residences at Montreal's Royal Victoria Hospital Annmarie AdamsCHAPTER 9 On the Inside: Preserving Women's History in American Libraries Abigal A. Van SlyckCHAPTER 10 Women in the Southern West Virginia Coalfields Susan M. PierceCHAPTER 11 ""A Night with Venus, a Moon with Mercury"": The Archaeology of Prostitution in Historical Los Angeles Julia G. CostelloPART IV Exemplary ProjectsCHAPTER 12 The Power of Place Project: Claiming Women's History in the Urban Landscape Dolores HaydenCHAPTER 13 Best Practices for Saving Women's Heritage Sites: Nonprofit Case Studies Jennifer B. GoodmanCHAPTER 14 ""It's a Wide Community Indeed"": Alliances and Issues in Creating Women's Rights National Historical Park, Seneca Falls. New York Judith WellmanCHAPTER 15 ""Raising Our Sites"": A Pilot Project for Integrating Women's History into Museums Kim MoonCHAPTER 16 Finding Her Place: Integrating Women's History into Historic Preservation in Georgia Leslie N. SharpCHAPTER 17 Blazing Trails with Pink Triangles and Rainbow Flogs: Improving the Preservation and Interpretation of Gay and Lesbian Heritage Gail Lee DubrowPART V Toward and Inclusive Agenda for Preservation Policy and PracticeCHAPTER 18 Searching for Women in the National Regier of Historical Places Carol D. ShullCHAPTER 19 Reflections on Federal Policy and Its Impact on Understanding Women's Past at Historical Sites Page Putnam MillerCHAPTER 20 Parks Canada and Women's History Alan B. McCulloughAFTERWORD Proceeding from Here Heather A. HuyckAppendix A: Participants in the Pilot of ""Raising Our Sites: Women's History in Pennsylvania""Appendix B: Women, Women's Organizations, and Buildings Related to Women Which Have Been Commemorated by the Canadian Minister Responsible for National Historical Sites Notes List of Contributors Index
""A useful compilation of case studies... I recommend it to anyone interested in this topic.""
