Investigating landscape management at historic sites.

Many public historic sites in the U.S. manage their external landscapes for beauty and visitor recreation, in contrast to the intense commitment to period authenticity in material culture and internal spaces at these same sites. 

​During my MA research, I conducted interviews with site staff and visitors, as well as archival research into the transformation of site landscapes through time, to better understand how historic space is conceptualized and constructed.

Lessons learned:

Products:

The majority of historic site professionals with whom I spoke do prioritize the authenticity of their site’s internal spaces over the authenticity external landscapes. However, site landscapes offer numerous opportunities for additional interpretation and storytelling if utilized appropriately. Furthermore, instead of attempting to exactly recreate the landscape design of a given time in history, there are many creative possibilities for storytelling through place.

Peer-Reviewed Article:

• Biggs, M. T. (2022). Sight lines and curb appeal: Landscape, race, and compromise at three North Carolina state historic sites. Southeastern Geographer, 62 (2), 92-110. https://www.muse.jhu.edu/article/856165.

Historic Interpretation:

• 4 presentations on landscape and history to 45+ children, grades K-12, during 2018 Fall Homeschool Day at Stagville State Historic Site, Durham, NC

Conference Presentation:

• “‘These trees are all new’: Unsettling Historicized Landscapes and Re-earthing Marginalized Histories at NC State Historic Sites,” presented to the Southeastern Division of the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting during Political Ecology (virtual).