Digital History: Mary Thompson House

Digital History and The Mary Thompson’s House
Robert E. Lee’s Headquarters at Gettysburg

William Cronon, historian of the American West at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, argues that we live in a different time, a time in which the practice and profession of history are changing and he believes that this digital revolution is comparable to “Gutenberg’s invention of moveable type.”[1]  The comparison may be a stretch to some, yet the evidence of this change is clear. 

A walk down a city sidewalk, a ride on the metro, or a wait in a doctor’s office will depict a similar pattern; people using technology.  Whether people are sending a text, watching a video, skimming through social media platforms, or reading, technology is changing the way we interact as well as learn.  Historians, for the most part, are taking advantage of this change in technology by implementing digital strategies in their research and presentation of findings.

In their book, Digital Humanities, Anne Burdick, Johanna Drucker, Peter Lunenfeld, Todd Presner, and Jeffrey Schnapp pose the questions, “who can create knowledge, who monitors it, who

authorizes it, who disseminates it, whom does it influence and to what effect?”[2]  A fair set of questions in a technology-driven world.  The answer, I would argue, is anyone!  Anyone can add to the information presented throughout society.  Speaking in a strictly historical perspective, anyone can add to the story of history.  Different perspectives, opinions, biases, and research contribute to a more complete story of history.  Today, the contributions to the story of history are not only found in textbooks and journals, but found at our fingertips, from our smartphones and our laptops.  The obvious criticism of this is the validity of the information presented on these digital platforms.  If anyone can publish on a blog or twitter, how do we know what is and is not reliable information?  Instead of approaching this as a criticism, historians have the ability to approach this as an opportunity.  Through identifying misconceptions, presenting digital media scholarship that supports or conflicts with said misconceptions, and/or creating a digital narrative among the audience to “hash out” the story of history, historians, with the assistance of the general public, can cooperatively contribute to a more complete story of our history.  Digital methodology will assist in the development of history.

Papyrus Bill of Sale
Courtesy: Houghton Library
Harvard University

Digital methods also change the way we look at and preserve the past.  Burdick et al., display several case studies of this at work.  After the discovery of new papyrus fragments, a team used multiple digital and imaging technologies to make these fragments available online to the public.  Their research did not culminate in only a book form, where only bibliophiles will analyze the story.  The team also presented the findings through “sequential publishing,” containing links, various versions of the texts, and “comparisons with existing corpora.”[3]  In another case study, the team tested ways that an audience interacts with knowledge, while experiencing research and data “in physical and virtual space.”[4]  Upon discovery of archive documentation during restoration work in the historical building that played home to the Zenon Corporation, an interdisciplinary team made up of scholars analyzed the documents.  This case study led to a creation of an architectural database, an application for use, and a website designed for user participation and feedback.[5]  These case studies are just two of many instances in which the study of history can be expanded, redefined, and presented in the digital world. 

To reflect back on the questions posed by Burdick et al., anyone can add to the story of history. The advantages of using digital methods, like this blog, consist of contributing to the story of history and presenting the story of history to a much wider audience (the people waiting for their doctor, riding the subway, or walking down a city street).  Cronon went on to explain that, today, any high school or community college student “can now access as many books online” as a professor or student at one of the more elite universities or institutions in the country.[6]  The key is access. Access creates a digital platform where information reaches a larger audience.  A larger audience can, and should, lead to a higher level of activism in the historical field.  One aspect of activism sparked through digital methods is preservation.

Mary Thompson (Undated)
Courtesy: Civil War Headquarters
http://www.civilwarheadquarters.com/

Using this blog, along with twitter,  I will contribute to the story of history, specifically the history and preservation of the Mary Thompson House.  Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s acquired this house as his headquarters at Gettysburg.  On July 1^st, 1863 the heaviest fighting took place on the ridge that this house stood.  Home to the widow, Mary Thompson, the deed of the house was signed by the fiery abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens.  After the Confederate army pushed the Union, under General George B. Meade, through the town of Gettysburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee set up his headquarters at the Thompson House.  The house was located in a strategically centered location behind the Confederate line for the remaining days of battle.  As I will present over the next few weeks, this stone house was the location of several key decisions made by Lee.  Also, I will discuss the history of this location after the war, throughout its private ownership, and its preservation by the Civil War Trust. 

Mary Thompson House (1863)
Photot taken from Chambersburg Pike, facing North
Courtesy: Library of Congress

From Lee’s Headquarters to a private hotel and restaurant, to a preserved landmark officially protected by the Gettysburg National Military Park, the Mary Thompson House was a witness to the story of history and is now finally telling its story to the public.

The focus of my research concerns the preservation of Mary Thompson’s stone house at Gettysburg.  Denise Heald expands the importance of preservation, particularly in cemeteries.  Check out her blog:
The Story of Cemeteries in Delaware's Farm Land

Interested in one of the North America’s biggest mysteries?  Check out Julia Payne’s Blog, featuring an article on Roanoke Island:
Roanoke Island

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[1] William Cronon, "The Public Practice of History in and for a Digital Age," Perspective on History, January 2012, accessed October 25, 2016, https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/january-2012/the-public-practice-of-history-in-and-for-a-digital-age.

[2] Anne Burdick et al., Digital Humanities (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2012), 88.

[3] Burdick, Digital Humanities, 65.

[4] Ibid, 70.

[5] Ibid, 70-71.

[6] Cronon, "The Public Practice of History."