Hannah Miller started at SCHS as an intern, worked as a program assistant, and served as the Interim Librarian.
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| Hannah Miller |
What led you to a career in preservation?
I started in preservation by accident. In college I thought I wanted to be a museum curator, so I decided to major in history. I went to Goucher College and they encourage all history majors to try the historic preservation minor. I started taking classes my sophomore year and decided that it was the career path that I would follow. I always had a fascination with house museums and architectural history. Preservation was the combination I didn’t know I was looking for until it was introduced to me. I think historic preservation is a practical implementation of history into everyday life. I wanted a career where I could engage with history but also engage with communities. Preservation fulfilled both of those roles for me.
What excites you about historic preservation?
Historic Preservation excites me because it has so many uses. Preservation has economic, environmental, and community benefits, along with its obvious historic benefits. Preservation affects everyone whether or not they realize it. Most people have interest in one of the areas that preservation benefits, even if they specifically disagree with another. I think it’s exciting to discuss preservation with different people and find out what different aspects excite them about it and what preservation means to them.
What worries you about historic preservation?
What worries me about preservation is connected to what excites me. Preservation has something for everyone, but I don’t think that everyone knows that. Generally speaking I think there is an idea that preservation is only about preserving old buildings for the sake of history and museums. While that may be true in some cases, it is not exclusively true. I don’t think everyone realizes the great environmental impact preservation can have because so many people think it is more environmentally friendly to tear down a historic building to create a more energy efficient buildings. But the waste that creates is massive and it has a very negative impact on the environment when the existing structure can often be used in an environmentally friendly manner. The same can be said about the economics of preservation. People see preservation as costly and don’t realize the real economic impact of historic neighborhoods, which can be great for communities.
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| Working on a project at Mabee Farm |
What is your favorite historic artifact or building?
I have many favorite historic buildings. I get asked this question all the time and I can’t choose one, but will try to limit my list. I have a great fondness for Rosecliff in Newport Rhode Island, which is one of the buildings I looked into for my Master’s Thesis. Notre Dame Cathedral has also always fascinated me, I think its story going from great medieval cathedral to almost falling apart from neglect to great tourist attraction to its tragic fire says a lot about the history of preservation and its value. Of course the Mabee Farm is also a special place to me. Having spent so much time there I believe it taught me a lot about preservation and how to run successful historic sites.
What’s been your favorite preservation project to work on?
My favorite preservation projects to work on have been about advocating for preservation. Preservation as a career can mean so many different things. I have leaned towards development and advocacy. I don’t consider myself a traditional preservationist in the sense that I always want to find new ways to encourage people to interact with preservation. Any project where I can discuss preservation with new people and get them interested in the field is always my favorite.
Do you have any tips or suggestions for how our members of our community can support preservation or preserve their own collections/buildings?
The best way to preserve your own houses is to research everything you do to a historic house before the work is done. Often mistakes are made in historic homes by using materials that are not compatible with your structure and in the long term will cause more damage. So do your research first and your house will be happy for another 100 years! There are a lot of great organizations in this area that specialize in preservation. The best way to support those organizations and the communities that they support is to use their resources and share them with others. By doing this we can grow support for preserving communities in our area, which gives it the great charm that it is known for. Preservation can only succeed with the support of its community, the best way to keep preservation going is to show people how preservation can be great for them and their community.
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| Thank you to Hannah for sharing her passion for preservation with SCHS! |
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