Like the rest of the internet – I came across Seamus Blackley’s incredible story via Twitter and knew he’d make for an incredible PreserveCast guest. A true renaissance figure, Blackley is known widely as the “father of the Xbox,” and has also spent several years perfecting the art of extracting yeast from unusual environments to save and savor the taste of the past. A perfect slice of history for this week’s PreserveCast.
Candacy Taylor is an award-winning author, photographer and cultural documentarian working on a multidisciplinary project based on the Green Book. In her book, “Overground Railroad: The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America,” Taylor has masterfully pulled together this story of resilience and segregation in a way that elevates and memorializes this history – a history still rooted in countless towns and cities across America.
Like many episodes, this week’s guest came from a personal passion and fascination – in this case with historic blends of teas. After my first sip of Oliver Pluff tea, I knew we had to get to the bottom of this story and learn how this Charleston, South Carolina based company has cornered the market on heritage tea in the United States. It’s a story brewed over several thousand years and one we’re serving up piping hot on this week’s PreserveCast.
If these walls could talk is an old refrain used by lovers of historic places and buildings, and thanks to the in-depth research and loving care of today’s guest, a historic log cabin in West Virginia’s panhandle is talking again.
Ask anyone working in the trades about who we should be keeping on eye on – and many will tell you Amy McAuley. It’s for that reason that I knew we had to get Amy on PreserveCast and release that episode in conjunction with our celebration and recognition of women in preservation and the historic trades. Known for working with hand tools (that means no power tools), Amy is a master craftsperson making waves in a field that deserves far more attention.
Preserving history and telling and conveying important stories is really what this podcast is all about. We like to talk to people around the world doing amazing things with history – and that’s precisely what this week’s guest, Eugene Tapahe, has done with the Jingle Dress Project. Part history, part culture, part art and part healing – this is a powerful project that every American should know about.
I’ve been a fan of Peter Ginn ever since I watched the first episode of Victorian Farm, where he portrayed a Victorian-era farmer in England alongside Ruth Goodman and Alex Langlands. Peter has deftly combined his knowledge of the past with entertainment and is a proud ambassador for preserving historic trades and crafts. In short, he’s the ideal PreserveCast guest.
Lisa Sasser is a true trailblazer in the preservation trades; an accomplished historic architect, accomplished tradesperson and notably, the first woman to complete the National Park Service preservation trades training program. On this week’s PreserveCast, we’re talking with Lisa Sasser about women in the trades and the future of trades training in America.
World War One has always fascinated me – and so has the decision on what to collect interpret and exhibit – so today’s episode is a perfect blend of interests and topics. What we preserve says more about us than it often even does the history itself, a reason we were excited to bring this fascinating discussion to our listeners.
As a Marylander involved in historic preservation, I have always been extremely impressed by the work of the Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture. The Commission is the oldest ethnic commission in the nation and doesn’t just talk about preserving history – it directly invests millions of dollars in brick-and-mortar projects across the state. It’s a Maryland story with national implications and one we had to bring to PreserveCast.