About docampbell

Doug is a historian and educator with more than a decade of experience teaching Western, World, US, and European history at colleges and universities in Virginia and Maryland. His scholarship focuses on national identity, education, and historical memory in Austria during the era of the World Wars, and includes work at the US Archives, the US Library of Congress, the Austrian National Library, and the Austrian State Archive. He has taught at NOVA since 2006 and has been the Historic Preservation Program Head since 2012.

Thanks for Helping Colvin Run Mill!

Thanks to the assistance of its enthusiastic supporters (which undoubtedly includes many in our program) in the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s recent contest, Colvin Run Mill will be receiving a $75,000 grant to restore its 18th century grain elevator.  Congratulations to Mike Henry and everyone at the Mill!  Also of note, our friends at George Washington’s Mount Vernon did pretty well too, snagging a $100,000 grant to restore the good General’s dining room.  Exciting stuff!

Summer Work for Historical Interpreters on the GW Parkway

George Washington Memorial Parkway is seeking qualified students to work as interpreters in the park this summer. Students will be awarded the opportunity to provide services to visitors by giving talks, interpreting natural and historic features, answering questions, and guiding tours.
 
Positions are located at multiple sites, including Glen Echo Park, Clara Barton National Historical Site, Arlington House, Great Falls Park, park headquarters, and the park’s maintenance facility.  
 
The park preserves the natural scenery along the Potomac River.  It connects historic sites from Mount Vernon, where Washington lived, past the nation’s capital, which he founded, to the Great Falls of the Potomac, where he demonstrated his skill as an engineer. 
 
These temporary employment opportunities are open to current students who meet the requirements of the Pathways internship program. The anticipated entrance on duty date is May/June; employment will end on or before September 30th.
Detailed information is provided in the following vacancy announcements:
 
These announcements will be open until May 10th.

Help Colvin Run Mill win $100,000 for Restoration!

We Need Your Vote for Colvin Run Mill
Help fully restore Colvin Run Mill!
The Park Authority site is a finalist in a web-based contest sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express.
Vote Daily The site with the greatest number of votes will receive $100,000 in preservation prize money.
Share Often 
Sharing photos, video and the link via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and FourSquare adds more votes for the mill.
Polls Open through May 10
Login, Link up and Vote for Colvin Run Mill
What your votes will accomplish:
For the past four decades, only the basement and first floor of the Fairfax County mill have been open to the public. Colvin Run Mill would use the prize money to fully restore the second and third levels, complete with functioning equipment to dry and sift flour and meal the old-fashioned way. Then visitors can see how the mill works from top to bottom!

Courses for Fall & Summer, 2013

The Open House this week was a great success, but for those of you who were unable to make it, here is a quick run down of the Historic Preservation course offerings for the Fall and Summer semesters of 2013.

Fall, 2013

HIS 180- Historical Archaeology, Prof. David Clark, Thursday 7:00-9:45pm LW 0116 (Core Course)

This course is an introduction to both the methods and theories in historical archaeology as practiced in the United States and worldwide. Topics include time and space, field survey, excavation, archival and laboratory research. Some field trips will be held to site excavations.

HIS 183 Survey of Museum Practice, Prof. Mike Henry, Tuesday 7:00-9:45pm LR 0274 (Core Course)

This year’s class will continue the tradition of meeting with local experts in the museum field as well as getting out to enjoy the abundance of museums in the area. Real life examples of how to (and occasionally “how not to”) present the past help to keep the class topical, while inside scoops and behind-the-scene observations make for fun and lively discussions. We’ll finish the semester with a trip to Colonial Williamsburg to see how they “do history” in the nation’s largest outdoor museum.

HIS 281 History of Virginia I, Prof. John Kincheloe, Thursdays 7:00-9:45pm LC 215 (Elective Course)

This Commonwealth of Virginia was built not by politicians or agriculturalists but by the intersection of Green, Red, Black, and White. The landscape that dictated terms of growth, the native population that existed long before our story will begin, the slaves imported from Africa, and the Europeans who wrote the story we will discuss were all four equal players in the creation of the early history of Virginia.  Students will delve into both an understanding of the diverse historical experiences of Virginians, and will take a hands on approach to exploring their own interests in the early history of our Commonwealth.

 HIS 199 Historic Preservation Internship, Prof. Doug Campbell (Core Course)

This course is designed to give you practical experience in the field of historic preservation by allowing you to work as an intern at a historic site, museum, historical society, government agency, or other site relevant to historic preservation. At the end of the semester, you will have produced an internship portfolio documenting the work you have done and the experience you have gained, suitable for use in job applications in the historic preservation field. All sites for the internship must be pre-approved before the internship can begin, so please get in touch with me well before the start of the semester so we can get everything set up and you can hit the ground running.

 

Summer, 2013

HIS 188- Field Survey Techniques in Archaeology, Prof. David Clark, Tues and Thurs. 5:30-9:10pm LW 0113 (Elective Course)

 HIS 199 Historic Preservation Internship, Prof. Doug Campbell (Core Course)

Upcoming Events at Morven Park

Here are a couple of interesting events being held in the next week or two at historic Morven Park in Leesburg, VA.  It’s a facinating site and everyone is encouraged to check it out!

———————————

Sat., April 13 |4-5:30 p.m.                    
“Discovering Davis” Cocktails in the Garden
$15/adult
Experience happy hour outdoors, in the formal gardens of Morven Park’s historic grounds. Beginning with a tour of the Davis Mansion, learn about the lives of its former owners, then enjoy wine and cheese in the place that was their pride and joy … the boxwood gardens. 

Register at http://ddgardentour.eventbrite.com/

 

Thurs. April 18 |7-8 p.m.
Up Close & Personal: Tablesettings
$25/person.

This very exclusive look at the extensive silver and china collections within the Davis Mansion will allow a select few the opportunity to handle collection items while learning proper table setting.

http://tablesettings.eventbrite.com/

NOVA Historic Preservation Spring Open House, April 22!

Are you fascinated by museums but have always wanted to find out more about how they operate behind the scenes? Every time you see a building that was built hundreds of years ago, do you love to imagine what life must have been like for the people who first lived there?    Do you like digging in the dirt for nifty old things?  Do you simply have a passion for the past that goes far beyond reading books and writing papers?

Then come and find out what NOVA’s Historic Preservation Program is all about!

  • Get the jump on the registration rush as program faculty will talk about our upcoming internship opportunities and course offerings in preservation, museum studies and archaeology for the Summer and Fall 2013 semesters.
  • Find out how to turn your love of the past into an actual job as Lori Kimball, the Director of Education at historic Oatlands Plantation and a NOVA Historic Preservation Program graduate, discusses how her experience in the program helped her get a foot in the door as a museum professional.
  • Shamelessly mooch off of our fabulous munchies!

When: 6:45pm on Monday, April 22

Where: NOVA’s Loudoun Campus, LC-313

Any questions or comments?  Contact Program Head Dr. Doug Campbell

Historical Interpretation Internship at Aldie Mill

Here’s another opportunity to get some experience in the field of historic preservation with our own faculty member Tracy Gillespie at Aldie Mill.  Please see below for more details:

 

Summer/Fall 2013

 

ALDIE MILL

HISTORICAL PARK

  • Do you like American history?
  • Enjoy talking with visitors to the area?
  • Want to learn the historic trade of milling?

  

Then this internship is for YOU!

What’s the commitment?       

Two Saturdays per month, 12:00-5:00. 

            Learn the milling process and the history of Aldie Mill

            Have fun and meet interesting people!

 

 

CONTACT SITE MANAGER Tracy J. Gillespie, 703-327-9777 or tgillespie@nvrpa.org

Spaces filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

 

 

Aldie Mill Historic Park is a property of The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.

Historic Preservation Summer Employment Opportunity

Here’s an interesting opportunity for jobs in the preservation field, sponsored by the  National Park Service:

 

2013 SUMMER EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENT
ARCHITECTS · LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS · HISTORIANS SUMMER JOBS WITH HABS/HAER/HALS
The Heritage Documentation Programs (Historic American Buildings
Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic  American
Landscapes Survey), a division of the National Park Service, seeks
applications from qualified students for summer employment documenting
historic sites and structures of architectural, engineering and
landscape significance throughout the country. Duties involve on-site
field work and the preparation of measured and interpretive drawings
and written historical reports for the HABS/HAER/HALS Collection at
the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress.Projects last twelve weeks, beginning in May/June. Salaries range from
approximately $6,000 to approximately $11,000 for the summer,
depending on job responsibility, locality of the project, and level of
experience. Applicant must be a U.S. citizen.

Applications Due: 15 March 2013

Application information can be found on our web site:
http://www.nps.gov/history/hdp/jobs/summer.htmView examples of HDP documentation on the Library of Congress web site:
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/Download the HDP Summer 2013 Recruitment Poster from our web site:

http://www.nps.gov/history/hdp/jobs/Employment2013.pdf  (340KB.PDF)

For additional information regarding the HABS/HAER/HALS Summer 2013
Documentation Program, please contact:Judy Davis
Summer Program Administrator
Heritage Documentation Programs Division
National Park Service (2270)
1201 Eye Street, NW, 7th Floor
Washington, DC  20005
Tel: (202) 354-2135
Email: HDP_Summer_Program_Admin@nps.gov
HDP Program: http://www.nps.gov/history/hdp
Search the Collections: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/hh/
Follow Us: http://www.facebook.com/HeritageDocumentationPrograms
HDP YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/HDPNPS

 

Mount Vernon Archaeological Field School

This summer, George Washington’s Mount Vernon will be offering an archaeological field school class in conjunction with the University of Maryland’s Historic Preservation graduate program.   This is a very exciting opportunity for anyone passionate about archaeology, and the archaeologists at Mount Vernon have specifically invited preservation students from NOVA to apply.  The text of the announcement for the program is as follows:

“George Washington’s Mount Vernon, located near Washington, DC, is the historic site dedicated to interpreting the life of the first president within the context of his home and plantation. Under the management of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association (MVLA), the property is preserved and restored to reflect the 18th‐century home of the Washington family and the enslaved community. In 2013, the Historic Preservation and Collections Department will embark on a multi‐year project to explore the evolution of the homelot and the multiple generations of outbuildings flanking the Mansion’s west front beginning with an interdisciplinary study of the kitchen. The inaugural year of the Mount Vernon / University of Maryland (UMD) Field School in Historic Preservation will investigate the archaeological, architectural, and interpretive histories of the Washington family’s kitchen to create an integrated approach to its study, documentation, and public presentation while offering a unique educational opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students.

This course will instruct students in historic preservation method and theory. Students will learn archaeological and architectural field methodology, laboratory procedures, and current themes in historical archaeology and historical preservation. Via readings, discussions, and field trips, students will delve into three prominent themes of historic house museums – the evolution of the plantation landscape, African American history, and public interpretation – while conducting fieldwork at George Washington’s original Mansion House Farm. They will gain hands‐on, practical experience as they work closely with Mount Vernon’s preservation professionals. Additionally, students will interpret the work to the Estate’s many visitors.

Details. The field school will take place from May 28th through July 3rd. Faculty includes UMD Professor Donald Linebaugh and MVLA staff Eleanor Breen, Luke Pecoraro, and Esther White.  Students earn 6 course credits by attending 6 weeks of classes, 40 hours per week. Check with your institution about transferring credit. Mount Vernon does not offer housing on the property, but staff will work with students to find local accommodations if necessary. Be advised that most of our time will be outdoors doing strenuous work in hot, humid conditions.

Qualifications

  • Undergraduate or graduate with good academic standing who is attending college full time.
  • Interest in historical archaeology, historic preservation, museums, and American history.
  • Strong communication skills.
  • Ability to work as part of a team.

Application. Applicants should submit a resume, names of two references and cover letter, including a statement detailing interest in this program by April 1, 2013.”