The thirteen members of this working group were asked to write short “Case Statements” in anticipation of the 2019 NCPH Annual Meeting. These roughly 1,000 word essays act as a sort of introduction to the topic of historical interpretation. Each member addressed some aspect of the following questions and issues:

1. How has Freeman Tilden’s Interpretive Principles influenced your work as a public historian?
2. What, if any, of Tilden’s Interpretive Principles are in need of revision in order to better meet the needs of a 21st Century Audience?
3. If you could create one new Interpretive Principle to be used by today’s public historians, what would it be?
4. How can public historians better promote inclusive, equitable, and accurate representations of the past?
5. What resources besides Tilden (books, articles, blog posts, etc.) have shaped your work as an interpreter?

Click on the name of each working group member below to read their answer to these questions.

Chuck Arning – National Park Service (Retired)

Alice Baldridge – St. Mary’s College of California

dann j. Broyld – Central Connecticut State University

Allison Horrocks – National Park Service, Lowell National Historical Park

Hanna Howard – North Carolina State University

Sara Patton Zarrelli – The Old Manse/The Trustees

Edward Roach – National Park Service, Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park

Savannah Rose – National Park Service/West Virginia University

Nick Sacco – National Park Service, Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site

Paul Sadin – Historical Research Associates, Inc.

Jeff Strickland – Montclair State University

Megan Tewell – North Carolina State University

Anne Mitchell Whisnant – Primary Source History Services