The Pursuit of History® Limited Editions
Combining our love of American history with the graphic style of Works Progress Administration-era posters, The Pursuit of History has commissioned a semi-annual series of limited-edition prints that celebrate great American historic sites.
Proceeds benefit the work of the non-profit organization, The Pursuit of History. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these prints will go to the historic sites. Learn more about this beautiful, hand-crafted poster and the history of WPA posters at The Pursuit of History shop>
History Camp®
History Camp welcomes people of all ages and from all walks of life—students, teachers and professors, authors, bloggers, reenactors, interpreters, museum and historical society directors and board members, genealogists, and anyone else, regardless of profession or degree, who is interested in history and wants to learn more.
How did History Camp start?
In late 2013, Lee Wright approached three authors and bloggers in the Boston area and proposed that they adapt the format that he’d seen work at Boston BarCamp to the topic of history. John Bell, Sam Forman, and Liz Covart got things started by posting sessions they would present to a wiki so that others could get an idea of what to expect. Things came together fairly quickly, and on March 8, 2014 they held the first History Camp. It took place in Cambridge at a facility that IBM donated for the day. One hundred twenty-nine people attended 23 sessions and two panels.
Who is behind History Camp today?
The Pursuit of History manages History Camp Boston, History Camp Colorado, History Camp Virginia, History Camp Valley Forge, and future History Camps across the country. (History Camp Pioneer Valley and History Camp Iowa are managed by local volunteer committees.)
Where can I learn more?
For the latest on History Camp, visit our official website at historycamp.org.
History Camp Events
| Boston, MA | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | [P] | [P] | 2022 | 2023 |
| Des Moines, IA* | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019[M] | 2020 | 2021[O] | |||
| Pioneer Valley, MA* | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | [P] | [P] | ||||
| Littleton, CO | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | [P] | [P] | ||||
| Richmond, VA | 2019 | [P] | [P] | |||||||
| Valley Forge, PA | [P] | [P] | 2023 | |||||||
| America’s Summer Roadtrip (below) | 2020 | |||||||||
| History Camp Discussions (below) | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | ||||||
| History Camp America | 2021 | 2022 | ||||||||
| Pursuit of History Weekends | 2023 |
* = Events managed by local volunteer committees under the guidance of History Camp
[M] = Postponed due to venue building renovation
[P] = Postponed due to COVID-19
[O] = Held online due to COVID-19
History Camp Discussions
In 2020 we began a weekly series of discussions with history authors and historians. These take place every Thursday night at 8 p.m. Eastern, streamed live and archived at HistoryCamp.org
History Camp Discussions
Covering a wide ranges of eras and events, guests include . . .
| Amity Shlaes | Great Society: A New History |
| Ted Widmer | Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington |
| Steve Vogel | Betrayal in Berlin: The True Story of the Cold War’s Most Audacious Espionage Operation |
| Jane Hampton Cook | Resilience on Parade: Short Stories of Suffragists & Women’s Battle for the Vote |
| William C. Davis | The Greatest Fury: The Battle of New Orleans and the Rebirth of America |
| Andrew Roberts | The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III |
| Tom Clavin | Tombstone: The Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Vendetta Ride from Hell |
| Joyce Lee Malcolm | The Tragedy of Benedict Arnold: An American Life |
| Shirley Ann Higuchi | Setsuko’s Secret: Heart Mountain and the Legacy of the Japanese American Incarceration |
| Caroline E. Janney | Ends of War: The Unfinished Fight of Lee’s Army after Appomattox |
| William B. Gould IV | Diary of a Contraband: The Civil War Passage of a Black Sailor |
| Charles Fishman | One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon |
| Stephen F. Knott | Coming to Terms with John F. Kennedy |
| Donna Curtin | The Mayflower Passengers and Their First Year in Plymouth [The Pilgrim Hall Museum] |
| Garrett Graff | Watergate: A New History |
| Serena R. Zabin | The Boston Massacre: A Family History |
The Pursuit of History Weekends
In 2023 we held our first Pursuit of History Weekend—Forging the Continental Army—an exclusive event with noted historians held at historic sites. HistoryCamp.org
America’s Summer Roadtrip™
On August 1, 2020, America’s Summer Roadtrip took viewers across the country and through our nation’s history for 12, hour-long livestreams from 12 leading historic sites. Conducted by leading expert guides, each tour included a special behind-the-scenes look at something that visitors would not get to see if they went in person.
In addition the livestream on the site, americassummerroadtrip.org, the project also live-streamed through Facebook and posted all the presentations to its website for later viewing.
- Historic New Bridge Landing (River Edge, NJ) – Revolutionary War battle site & Washington headquarters
- The Rebecca Nurse Homestead (Salem, MA) – Home of woman convicted and executed in Salem Witch Trials
- Faneuil Hall (Boston) – Cradle of Liberty. The site of historic meetings, speeches, and debates for 275 years
- Minute Man National Park (Lexington and Concord) – Site of the first battle in the Revolutionary War
- National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Cincinnati) – Abolitionist-era museum and education center dedicated to ongoing struggle for freedom and equality
- The Molly Brown House (Denver) – Famed Titanic survivor’s ornate Victorian-era mansion
- Thomas Edison National Historical Park (West Orange, NJ) – Industrial facility built by Edison in 1887 to research and develop his inventions
- Wright Brothers National Memorial (Kill Devil Hills, NC) – Site of the first successful, sustained, powered flights in a heavier-than-air machine
- American Heritage Museum (Hudson, MA) – Military history museum with extensive collection of vehicles from World War II, as well as World War I and other wars
- Heart Mountain Interpretive Center (Powell, WY) – WW II Japanese American confinement camp
- Chaco Culture National Historical Park (New Mexico) – Ruins of the largest and most advanced ancient Pueblo villages in the Southwest
- Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park (Near Sacramento) – Site of discovery that sparked California’s 1849 “Gold Rush”
Conducted by leading expert guides, each tour included a special behind-the-scenes look at something that visitors would not get to see if they went in person.
In addition to the livestream on the site, AmericasSummerRoadtrip.org, the project also live-streamed through Facebook and posted all the tours so that anyone could view them later viewing.
The sites appreciated the opportunity to connect with a broader audience and folks who watched loved it.
Thanks for the best day since my travel wings have been clipped. Keep up the great work!
— Pat S.
It was amazing, overflowing with fascinating content and well-organized beyond my expectations!
You guys did an amazing job! Great work!
— Joan S.
Thanks for a great day. I watched all of the stops. I really enjoyed the Fanueil Hall stop—the speaker was especially enthusiastic about the topic. Also loved the Edison stop and the Wright Brothers stop, being an engineer myself!
Bought all the books and a shirt for myself to commemorate the day! Thanks so much!
— Jen
It was an amazing day. I had to miss the 4:00 pm segment but can view it later; saw the rest live. You must be exhausted but we are so grateful.
— Ellen
I have watched all of the programs today and have enjoyed the experience very much! I hope you will do this again.
As a senior who has been quarantined alone since March, this was a fun and informative day.
I don’t think I have been to any of these places and learned a tremendous amount. Thank you so much!
— Brenda L.
Another great event! We greatly appreciate everyone’s work. Can’t wait to visit the New Mexico sites, perhaps in 2021. Thanks all!
— Christine W.
As someone who is pretty strict on staying in as much as possible during the time, I am on the constant search for virtual programming beyond binge-watching TV. Today was an excellent and safe way for me to “travel” around the country and see sites that I have never been or even knew about. I watched for most of the day and plan to go back and catch the handful of sites (Molly Brown House/Minute Man) that I missed out on.
— Diana T.
Amazing! Counting the last episode, which is about to start, we’ve watched six of today’s programs.
Really tremendous, especially those lesser-known (but very important) sites. It was great to cross the country on this journey.
I ❤️ History! This was sensational.
— Terri E.
America’s Summer Roadtrip is made possible by donations to The Pursuit of History, including from Lorna Hainesworth, whose generous donation helped ensure a great video experience.