PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release – 8/17/2022

The History Center in Tompkins County

Media Contact: Zoë Van Nostrand, Community Engagement Director

(Ph.) (607) 273-8284 ext.229. (E.) community@thehistorycenter.net

The History Center in Tompkins County receives major award through the Digital Humanities Advancement Grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities.

ITHACA, NY. – The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced a major award of $145,634.00 to The History Center in Tompkins County (thehistorycenter.net) for their digital application HistoryForge: Mapping Census Data to Visualize Local History. In addition to this critical piece of funding, The History Center’s project earned additional recognition in the application process, and was selected to receive funding through the NEH’s A More Perfect Union initiative.

The History Center in Tompkins County is excited to take the next development phase with the HistoryForge platform. This digital database synthesizes historical maps, census records, and other historical materials to create a dynamic platform for exploring local history. The digital application is free to use – anyone can explore it at www.historyforge.net. During the previous project phase, The History Center transcribed City of Ithaca census records for 1900 – 1940, and expanded to Auburn (NY), Elmira (NY), and Oberlin (OH). Eve Snyder, HistoryForge project director and historian at The History Center, says

“Support from the National Endowment for the Humanities ensures our ability to broaden our reach in Tompkins County and beyond. With it we will be able to expand our initial Ithaca project into all of Tompkins County, and install the project with more communities across the United States.”

HistoryForgeis one of 18 projects from across the country to be awarded a Digital Humanities Advancement Grant. In total, the National Endowment for the Humanities announced 226 projects receiving $31.5 million dollars across all grant programs. ““NEH is proud to support the many scholars, curators, storytellers, filmmakers, and teachers who are helping preserve, examine, and share the country’s rich and expansive history and culture,” said NEH Chair Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo). “From books and documentaries to the preservation of cultural heritage materials, these 226 exceptional projects will foster the exchange of ideas and increase access to humanities knowledge, resources, and experiences.”

If you are interested in joining the HistoryForge team as a volunteer, please reach out to Eve Snyder at historyforge@thehistorycenter.net

About The History Center in Tompkins County:

The History Center in Tompkins County is the local history museum located on The Commons in downtown Ithaca, NY. The museum and Research Library steward 400,000+ objects and materials in their collections on behalf of the public. You can keep up to date on all things history in the Finger Lakes through their social media channels @TompkinsHistory and website, www.thehistorycenter.net.