The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) proudly announces the winners of the 77th annual Leadership in History Awards, the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.
This year, AASLH confers 53 national awards representing 31 states and Canada honoring people, projects, exhibits, and programs.
“It is always inspiring to see the amazing work of individuals and organizations across the nation through the Leadership in History Awards program,” said Christy Crisp, National Awards Chair, “but the challenges we have all faced over the past two years make the incredible work displayed through this year’s award-winning projects all the more extraordinary. From quickly restructuring planned exhibits to serve online learners, to developing unprecedented collecting collaborations, to creating platforms for discussion and interaction in communities struggling for connection, the projects represented in this year’s Leadership in History Awards truly illustrate the creative, dedicated, and tenacious spirit of the many organizations—large and small—that make the Awards program so exciting.”
The Leadership in History Awards Program was initiated in 1945 to build standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout America. Each nomination is peer-reviewed by AASLH’s state captains. Final awards are decided by the Awards Committee, comprised of AASLH’s fourteen regional representatives and the National Awards Chair.
The awards include:
- The Award of Excellence, which is presented for excellence in history programs, projects, and people when compared with similar activities nationwide. See a full list of recipients below.
- The Albert B. Corey Award is named in honor of a founder and former president of AASLH and recognizes primarily volunteer-operated historical organizations that best display the qualities of vigor, scholarship, and imagination in their work. The 2022 recipient is the Cedar Lake Historical Association (IN).
- The HIP (History in Progress) Award is given at the discretion of the awards committee to 5% or less of the total winners of the Award of Excellence. It is for a project that is highly inspirational, exhibits exceptional scholarship, and/or is exceedingly entrepreneurial in terms of funding, partnerships, or collaborations, creative problem solving, or unusual project design and inclusiveness. The 2022 recipients are Friends of Wood Memorial Library & Museum (CT), History Colorado (CO), Minnesota Humanities Center in partnership with the Collaborative Legal Community Coalition (MN), and President Lincoln’s Cottage (DC).
- The Publication Awards honor books that preserve and interpret state and local history. In the Large Press category, the winner is Daybreak Woman: An Anglo-Dakota Life by Jane Lamm Carroll, published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press. Highlighted for an honorable mention is We Will Always Be Here: A Guide to Exploring and Understanding the History of LGBTQ+ Activism in Wisconsin by Jenny Kalvaitis and Kristen Whitson, published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. The winner of the Small Press / Independent Author category is Monumental: Oscar Dunn and His Radical Fight in Reconstruction Louisiana by Brian K. Mitchell, Barrington S. Edwards, and Nick Weldon, published by The Historic New Orleans Collection.
Presentation of the awards will be made at a special reception during the 2022 AASLH Annual Conference in Buffalo, New York, on Friday, September 16.
Thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination. Congratulations to this year’s winners!
Alabama
- Alabama Department of Archives and History for Justice Not Favor: Alabama Women & the Vote
- Florence Arts and Museums for Slavery in the Shoals
Arizona
- Pioneers’ Cemetery Association for Women and Children of Pioneer & Military Memorial Park
Arkansas
- Shiloh Museum of Ozark History Education and Arkansas Archeological Survey for Native American Days Program and Resources
California
- Barona Cultural Center & Museum for Peyii ‘Enyeway ‘Esekaayches! We Are Still Here!
- Trudi Sandmeier, Willa Seidenberg, and Cindy Olnick for Save As: NextGen Heritage Conservation Podcast
Colorado
- History Colorado for History Colorado – KKK Ledgers Rollout Project
- Matt Mayberry for being a transformative leader throughout his career in the field of state and local history in the state of Colorado
Connecticut
- Connecticut Historical Society for Common Struggle, Individual Experience: An Exhibition About Mental Health
- Friends of Wood Memorial Library & Museum for Nowashe Village
Delaware
- John Dickinson Plantation, Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs for Search, Discovery, and Interpretation of the African Burial Ground at the John Dickinson Plantation
District of Columbia
- President Lincoln’s Cottage for Reflections on Grief and Child Loss
Idaho
- Idaho State Museum for Trailblazing Women of Idaho
Illinois
- Elgin History Museum for Museum Moments Video Project
- Glencoe Historical Society for Saving Booth Cottage
Indiana
- Cedar Lake Historical Association for Steam Through History
- The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis for Stories from Our Community: The Art of Protest
- Minnetrista Museum & Gardens for Bob Ross Experience
Iowa
- State Historical Society of Iowa for the 175th Anniversary Edition of the Annals of Iowa
- State Historical Museum of Iowa for Iowa’s People & Places-Iowa 175 Statehood Anniversary
Kentucky
- Frazier Kentucky History Museum for West of Ninth: Race, Reckoning, and Reconciliation
Louisiana
- Hermann-Grima + Gallier Historic Houses for Artistry in Iron: Blacksmiths of New Orleans
Maine
- Maine Historical Society for Begin Again: Reckoning with Intolerance in Maine
- Mount Desert Island Historical Society for Landscape of Change
Massachusetts
- Somerville Museum, Dan Breen, Erline Tanice, and Participating Panelists and Advisors for Voices from Somerville: Culture, Community and History
Minnesota
- Hennepin County Public Works and 106 Group for Flying Cloud Drive (CSAH 61) Interpretive Plaza
- Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County and Native American Advisory Group for Ihdago Manipi: Clay County at 150
- Minnesota Humanities Center in partnership with the Collaborative Legal Community Coalition for Understanding Our Duluth Lynchings: Racial Violence in America and the Road to Justice and Reconciliation
Missouri
- Kansas City Public Library, Local Investment Commission, and Black Archives of Mid-America for Kansas City Black History: The African American Story of History and Culture in Our Community
- Missouri Historical Society for Mighty Mississippi
Montana
- Leif Fredrickson, Erika Fredrickson, Zach Dundas, and Chad Dundas for The Murder of Frank Little podcast
North Dakota
- Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation for the MHA Interpretive Center
Oklahoma
- Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center for Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street History Center
Ontario, Canada
- Toronto History Museums for Awakenings
Oregon
- Chelsea Rose, Lisa Rice, Don Hann for Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project
Pennsylvania
- Lackawanna Historical Society for Beyond Our Doorstep: Bringing Local History into Your Home
- Museum of the American Revolution for When Women Lost the Vote: A Revolutionary Story, 1776-1807
- Ned and Linda Heindel for 45 years of service to the Williams Township Historical Society
- Science History Institute for Downstream
- Senator John Heinz History Center for American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith
- Stenton Museum and National Society of The Colonial Dames of America Pennsylvania for Virtual History Hunters
South Carolina
- The Waccamaw Indian People and Coastal Carolina University for Waccamaw Indian People: Past, Present, Future
Tennessee
- Grassmere Historic Farm, Nashville Zoo at Grassmere for Morton Family Exhibit and Opening Ceremony
Texas
- Irving Archives & Museum for The Irving Story: Irving Archives & Museum’s Core Exhibition
- John Patrick Blair, PhD, for contributions to the history scholarship for Brazos County and the State of Texas
Utah
- Bear River Heritage Area and Hyrum City Museum for H2O Today in the Bear River Heritage Area
- Church History Department, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints for Historic Nauvoo (IL) Temple District
Vermont
- Brooks Memorial Library for Brattleboro Words Trail
Virginia
- The JXN Project and the Moon Sisters for The JXN Project
- Literacy InterActives, Inc. for This is Us: Preserving Our Church Histories
- Watermen’s Museum for Bay to Belly Traveling Exhibit
Washington
- Fort Nisqually Living History Museum for Puget Sound Treaty War Panel
- Washington State Historical Society for Crossing Boundaries: Portraits of a Transgender West, 1860-1940
