Interpreting American Military History at Museums and Historic Sites

Across the country, museums and historic sites welcome visitors into a world long gone but fundamental to America today. Military history in particular is etched into our country’s culture and the public’s imagination. The trouble, though, for museums and historical sites lies in continuing to make it both accessible and relevant to today’s audiences.

Through Interpreting American Military History at Museums and Historic Sites, Marc K. Blackburn tackles the difficult task of helping those institutions charged with the care of sites, collections and stories that relate to our past relatable while still maintaining the dignity and reverence of their rich history. Looking at the various components of American military history such as battles and famous figures, Blackburn provides alternatives to the traditional museum experience. The 21st century is a culmination of the past and it is more important than ever to remember and learn from the triumphs and failures, and this guide provides and explains those strategies for making our stories and collections relevant to modern audiences. This books acts as a primer for those unfamiliar with academic trends of the last forty years. Historiography of American military history, like that of other sub-fields, shifts as new information surfaces or as perspectives change.

Blackburn modernizes this area through new interpretative methods, as well as through case studies of museums and historic sites that have created programs, interpretive media, outreach strategies, and mission goals updated to meet the needs of today’s patrons. Armed with these strategies, historic institutions will have the foundation to provide compelling, relevant, and engaging experiences for the 21st century audience.

Marc K. Blackburn earned a BA in history at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington and a Ph.D. with an emphasis on modern American military and diplomatic history from Temple University.. Greenwood Press published his dissertation, “A New Form of Transportation, The Quartermaster Corps and Standardization of the US Army’s Motor Trucks” in 1996.

He has worked for the National Park Service since 1994, presently at the Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. Dr. Blackburn has always been drawn to interpretation – facilitating opportunities for the public to make connections to the meanings inherent in the resources we protect. He has worked as a peer reviewer in the NPS interpretive development program since 2004 and has given presentations on various aspects of historical interpretation at the Western Museum Association and the National Association for Interpretation annual meetings.