Center for Public History

The Center for Public History at Nazareth University connects Nazareth students with the larger community through projects that make the past useful to the public. These projects promote community dialogue, recall lost memories, and instill knowledge. 

Center for Public History Projects

Pittsford Cemetery Project

Built a database about people buried within the Pittsford Cemetery

Collaboration with David Anderson

Worked in collaboration with community scholar David Anderson, students at Monroe Community College, and Nazareth's Center for Service Learning to prepare historical material and develop a set of museum panels on the underground railroad

Partnership with 1811 Farmington Quaker Meeting House

Partnered with the 1811 Farmington Quaker Meeting House to exploring the role of Quakers in the social movements of the 19th century, such as women's rights and abolition

Southwest Community Center

Worked with the Southwest Community Center to develop voice thread histories of early Rochester

Vietnam Era Oral History Project/ Rochester Hispanic Heritage Project

Conducted and prepared oral histories for the Vietnam Era oral history project and the Rochester Hispanic heritage project.

Abroad in Leeds, UK

Assisted in recapturing the history of Chapeltown, a West Indian community, in Leeds, UK

Teaching K-12 students

Worked with K-12 students across Monroe County to develop understanding of African American history in Rochester

Ganandagon State Historic Site

Work with Ganandagon, a historic center for Seneca people, to prepare lesson plans on Seneca heritage.

Criminal Injustice Film project

Support community history endeavors such as Criminal Injustice film project

Civil War Roundtable

Developed the Civil War Roundtable to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, bringing together scholars, reenactors, and interested community members to discuss this watershed moment in U.S. history.

Rochester Latino Oral History project

Conducted oral histories for the Rochester Latino Oral History project and organized and developed a finding aid for a collection on Latino History in the Rochester Museum and Science Center Library.

Nazareth students at their exhibit in Brighton library

Educating About Discrimination

Nazareth students Arlene Lopez '18, '22G (American studies) and Jordyn Bagley '24 (history; museums, archives, & public history) curated a local library exhibit on the impact of redlining in nearby neighborhoods.

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Student Reflection

"The Center for Public History is a great place for history-loving people! I was able to conduct my first-ever oral history project. This was one of the most rewarding projects I have ever done. I interviewed a woman who immigrated from the Dominican Republic and talked about her journey to Rochester. Knowing that her story would be preserved for possible further research was a great resource.

"This is not the only opportunity I had while at Naz. I had so much fun working on different history oriented projects! If you want to help preserve history, this is the place to be on campus."

— Kathryn Shoop '19