A Place to Remember: Using History to Build Community: ... (ISBN 0761989439)

A Book to Remember:
Historical societies and preservation organizations have proliferated in recent decades. This undoubtedly arises from a humanly-shared experiential depth, a depth that Robert Archibald, examines in this brooding look at the deeply interconnected relation between personal experience and community, time, and place. The narrative is framed around Archibald's return to his boyhood home of Ishpeming, Michigan where he revisits once familiar places: a store run by a 96 year-old woman, a nearby cemetery, an abandoned family camphouse, the shore of Lake Michigan, and others. These had helped to form him, and each represented a different insight into time and community. Professionally trained as an historian, his career has primarily been devoted to public history, in effect working with the public experience of history. This perspective forced him to question "the mantle of objective distance" that was demanded by his academic training. Reading widely he came to recognize the importance of memory in that "(t)o be human is to struggle to make sense of our own pasts as a means of establishing identity and forming relationships with the world we inhabit." (p. 30) He returned to his home town to reflect upon the processes of his memory and the way in which his life had been formed by the events, people, and places that made up the world of his childhood. From this emerged his understanding that "(t)he community we create is founded in shared remembrance and grounded in place, especially those places that are conducive to the casual associations necessary for emergence of shared memory, common ground, and commitment to the common good." (p. 24) Consequently, he decries our failure to see history and place as formative, in that past experience is "the only guide we have" (p. 113), therefore, "(t)he point to the past will be lost and humanity imperiled if in our relativistic timidity we refuse to draw conclusions from the past and if we persist in the belief that the tens of thousands of years of human life on the crust of this planet have no guideposts to offer us." (pp. 120-121) Archibald proposes four "core values" as organizing principles for public history: memory, transcendence, sustainability, and mutual obligation. All of these warrant considerable discussion, which is unfortunately beyond the scope of this review. In the vast forest of publications, this book stands out; it is simultaneously wise, compassionate, prophetic, and a good read. It is a must for those involved in public history, historic preservation, and cultural resource management.

concerned about a failing sense of community?:
A historian by profession, Dr. Archibald helps us to see that history is not just a summary of those moments that have already passed, it is also a sort of encrypted blueprint to the future. It humbly guides us on our journey through time, and will even show us where we have gone astray. Dr. Archibald proficiently uncovers the secrets of the past, and identifies them as the truths upon which a sound future can be built

Giving us inspiration for the future of the community:
It's a struggle to find balance between "progress" and quality of life. It's also a struggle to retain our connections to the past and try to fit them into our lives today. In searching for some "quick" answers to how the museum I manage could answer some of these questions and how we can continue to be relevant to the community we serve, I read this book. It, of course, doesn't provide any quick solutions, but instead provides a heap of ideas and a strong philosophy to base activities & programs on. I read it as a museum professional, BUT found alot in it for my role as a community member. I'd definitely recommend the book for anyone interested in strengthening their community or finding common ground between community groups. The book does not read like a "how to" book. It's beautifully written, but still practical. A quick quote from the book: "Remembering confirms our attachments to each other".