Week 10: Florida Historical Society

This week, I’m going to have a slight change of pace from my regular weekly tasks. While I’m still learning and editing my way through the DeBary spreadsheet, I’ve told much of this before, and I’m taking my time to improve my digital archiving skills.

Sarah Boye's definition of "Mousekeeping"

Another part of this internship is that I often have the opportunity to explore the professionalization of history; this time, I witnessed it through the research presentations of other scholars. As a student, it’s exciting to meet others who are conducting outstanding research in the field, and I found a lot of inspiration at this year’s Florida Historical Society symposium. I have considered many questions beyond the presentations and even committed to doing my absolute best not just to attend next year’s papers, but to put myself out there and contribute to the conversations about Florida history. If I’ve learned anything, public speaking is essential to having a career in museum work and the academic space in general. For more context for what this means to me, even considering getting involved in conferences is a major step from the “sick” days in my earlier school years, just at the thought of having to speak.

St. Augustine National Cemetery

Archaeology is a big interest of mine, so naturally, I really enjoyed all the conversations about cemeteries and story preservation. Professor and panelist Dr. Giroux, whom I have been working with to help design an exhibit for her St. Augustine research, posed a critical point about cultural research. When it comes to uncovering history that doesn’t align with the public’s long-accepted history, how do you really break it to the public? I could only imagine that it is not an easy task to argue new findings, such as how many people are actually buried within a Second Seminole War Dade Pyramid. Engaging with the public is extremely important, especially when spreading education about their local histories and gaining insight into their perceptions of the past; however, once new research challenges previous knowledge, it may take a long time for the facts to settle in with the community. I appreciated having this insight to think about further as I pursue public history.