History and the Public at Gettysburg National Military Park with Chris Gwinn
Greetings all! I am super stoked to welcome Christopher Gwinn to the show! Chris is a ten-year veteran of the National Park Service. He is a 2006 graduate of Gettysburg College and holds a Masters Degree in Public History. He has worked as an Interpretive Park Ranger at Antietam National Battlefield, Boston National Historical Park, and the National Mall and Memorial Parks, where he created some of the first public programming conducted at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Currently the Chief of Interpretation and Education at Gettysburg National Military Park, he manages and oversees all aspects of the visitor experience, and has written numerous articles and journal entries on the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War era.
Chris is an extraordinarily cool guy who has personally led discussions with my students at the Gettysburg Visitor Center on multiple occasions - so having him on the show to dig deep into some of the finer aspects of public history has been on my list for a while. Have a listen - espceially if you have plans to visit any site of historical significance…you may see things in a different light. We discuss:
The day in and day out business of being a historian at GNMP
The GNMP and the great responsibility of presenting history to the public
Why it’s important to talk about the uncomfortable stuff
Confederate monuments on the battlefield
The intersection of history and tourism
The heavy Confederate presence - gift shops, etc. - in the town of Gettysburg
Out of the way spots on the battlefield - changing the perspective
You can see Chris’s work on the GNMP website, and make sure to check out YouTube for some NPS action on the battlefield! AND…don’t forget to subscribe to The Rogue Historian Podcast on Apple Podcasts or your favorite app so you never ever ever ever miss a show. That would be dumb.
And remember…the views expressed on this episode of The Rogue Historian do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Park Service or Gettysburg National Military Park