7 Questions With Carter Lee Churchfield, Seattle Historic Tour Creator and Guide

     

    Carter Lee Churchfield is a veteran narrative historian with experience ranging from beneath the sidewalks of Seattle to the beaches of Honolulu. Currently she is giving a women's history tour about six tough ladies in Seattle's past. She will soon debut her new tour, A Racial History: How Seattle's Population Has Changed Over Time (1875-1950). For details on Carter's Seattle tours you can visit her website,  Tours by Carter. For special requests, her email is ToursByCarter@gmail.com.

1. How and when did you get  hooked on history?

I started out as an aspiring actress, as a summer gig I took a tour guide job in Seattle. I liked that there was no script, I could just learn about events and people and uncover the real drama like an archaeologist uncovers an artifact by brushing away the dirt. 

The reactions of my audiences told me I was giving them an experience that would linger. They laugh, sometimes they cry. But they leave with a sense of connection to our collective past. That is what thrills me. 

2. What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?

I originally moved to a historic neighborhood, Chinatown Honolulu, to create and give a WWII Red-Light Tour. What I quickly discovered was an untapped goldmine of history and a population eager to connect to their own past. I came for a selfish reason, I like telling stories, but what I found humbled me: An unfamiliar, complex culture that is directly affected by an assault on their way of life. People in Hawai`i have very strong emotions about the events that led to the islands coming under U.S. control. That is why I created a tour about the last queen and the overthrow. It was my love letter to the islands. 

3. How does history play  a part of your professional life/career?

Seeing as how I won my own little historical walking company, yes!  My dream is to one day offer enough tours that appeal to customers to make giving tours my only job.

4. Why is studying/knowing history important?

It's the same people a hundred years ago who expelled the Chinese from Seattle in a violent mob that are sending immigrants to illegal prisons in El Salvador today. It's the same people who overthrew the Hawaiian government that rioted on January 6th, 2021. It's the same people who repealed women's right to vote in Afghanistan in 1970 that are trying to change voting laws now. We need to be able to recognize them to better resist them.

5. What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?

I like a good underdog story! People who subvert the intentions of an authority trying to keep them down. 

6.      How did you become a history tour operator? How did you go about crafting the Six Women of Seattle tour and choosing the particular women?

I was in Seattle and I needed an adventure after helping a loved one  pass from breast cancer. I went to Hawai`i and had some wonderful years delving into another culture and its history. My first tour there was about the red-light district in Honolulu during WWII. It was both hilarious and appalling! Most of the former brothels were still standing. I came back to Seattle in 2022 to marry my husband, a Seattleite. 

There are lots of tours already in Seattle and I wanted to say something no one else was saying. A women's history tour seemed like my best chance at that. 

 I originally was going to try to paint with very broad strokes but decided along the way that more personal narratives would make more of an impact. I found about thirty wonderful women I wanted to talk about but narrowed down to six due to location! These six women just happened to have the most to say to it was a remarkable coincidence that they are all tied to places within a few blocks of each other. 

7.       What do you hope your guests take away with them after their tours and what do the tours mean to you?

 When I give a tour I do my best to channel the woman I am talking about. I also share a part of myself. I hope my guests leave feeling a sense of connection and catharsis. These tours are my most loved creations. 

7 Questions with Jennifer Bennie, "Walk With History" on YouTube and "Talk With History" Podcast

 

Jennifer Bennie, of the YouTube Channel “Walk with History” also the podcast “Talk with History,” is a former Naval Aviator turned historian.  After earning a Masters of American History from the University of Memphis with the GI Bill, her research resulted in the dedication of a historic marker in downtown Memphis memorializing the first documented lynching to occur in Memphis on January 1^st 1851.  She currently is a museum attendant at the MacArthur Memorial in Norfolk, Virginia.  New episodes of “Walk with History” and “Talk with History” are published every week. 

1.          How and when did you get hooked on history? 

I was very interested in history when I got my undergrad 20+ years ago at Penn State University, so much so that I got a minor in History.  However, I really got “hooked” on history when I went into the US Navy right after graduation.  I wanted to learn more about the history of the Navy, which led to opening more doors to learn about American History, especially as I traveled overseas. I really wanted to understand more about the dynamics I found myself in with present politics and how the past impacted that.  I was lucky that I was able to use my GI Bill and pursue a Master’s Degree in American History, that has only allowed for more in-depth learning and understanding of history.   

 

2.          What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?

 

History is part of my personal life as filming for the “Walk with History” YouTube channel is done, for the most part, with my family, and we make it a family day when we film.  My husband does some of the filming, all the editing, and my kids love to hear the stories.  We usually make an adventure of it, go on a road trip, bring lunch, and all learn about something historic as we film for the channel.  The kids have loved going to Colonial Williamsburg, Arlington National Cemetery, and Jimmy Stewart’s hometown of Indiana Pennsylvania to just name a few.   

 

3.          How does history play a part of your professional life/career? 

For my professional career, I work as Museum Attendant at the historic location where General MacArthur is entombed as well as it is a museum dedicated to his story.  The MacArthur Memorial is located in the old city hall building of Norfolk, Virginia and there are nine galleries that house the artifacts of his life.  From his parents, West Point, WWI, WWII, Korea and after, the memorial does a great job of trying to explain who this complex military leader was as well as his impact on history.   

 

4.          Why is studying/knowing history important? 

I believe studying history is important to understand where we find ourselves in the present.  I also believe you must start from a place of truth to really know where you are and where you are going.  That was one of the reasons for “Walk with History” to build public trust with the truth of what really happened in historic locations while taking the viewer to see that real life location.   

 

5.          What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?  

I pursued a Masters in American History because I love to learn about the past events that happened in America.  I like to take my YouTube viewers to the locations where the giants of history walked before us.  My favorite though would have to be colonial times, mostly because America was so new.  I like to learn how the foundations of the country were made, why and by who.  It really interests me to see all the moving parts with how direct and indirect power were taking hold of a young nation.   

 

6.        How did Walk With History get started? 

“Walk with History” was started when I took a break from social media.  There was so much untruth online, and I wanted to get the “noise” out of my head.  I had more free time which led to wondering if people had gone to different historic locations and what they looked like today.  I got on YouTube, looking things up I wanted to see, etc. and noticed that either no one had filmed a video at that location, or if a person had filmed a video, they did not do a good job of relaying the history for the viewer.  So I approached the topic with my husband, Scott, since he had been doing a family YouTube channel for a couple of years.  He thought it was a great idea, we started collaborating and we have been doing it ever since.  It will be a year in April 2022.  We have committed to being consistent and have done one episode a week.  We do all types of historic topics, movies, true crime, cemeteries, Civil Rights, Presidents, etc.  Anything that I would be interested to watch is usually what we film.   

 

7.      What’s been your favorite site visit so far? What’s something on your bucket list of sites? 

So far, my favorite site to visit has been Maureen O’Hara’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery, it was such an honor to be there.  I was such a fan of her movies.  I also was really excited to stand on Jimmy Stewart’s porch of his family home.  You can see me kind of freak out our YouTube video from his hometown.  “It’s a Wonderful Life” is my favorite movie of all time.  I really enjoyed taking my kids to “Washington Crossing” and “Yorktown” to talk about the battles that took place to change the tides of the American Revolution.  I did a 3-part series on Emmett Till, and that was very hard emotionally to film but I felt it was so important to share.  I had done a lot of research in that case, and I wanted my viewers to see exactly where those horrible events took place, but mostly to remember he is never forgotten.  The one place I cannot wait to visit is Monument Valley in Utah.  I want to recreate some scenes of my favorite western “The Searchers” and just to be in that area to give some attention to the lives of American Indians.  I also cannot wait to take my family to “The Battle of Little Big Horn” to show them that location and what happened there with Custer’s last stand.   

7 Questions With YouTuber History Boy, AKA Jacob

 

History Boy (a.k.a Jacob) has been creating historical videos on YouTube since the age of 11 years old. With a deep passion for Civil War history, he became a reenactor at the age of 13, and now at 15 years of age, he is still a committed drummer in the 8th Connecticut Volunteers, (8CV.org) a reenactment group in Connecticut. History Boy posts historical music videos and narrated videos monthly, and always likes to share historical content with his kind and educated community. Access his YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/HistoryBoyHB/featured

1.          How and when did you get hooked on history?

I have been hooked on history for as long as I can remember. At first, I was fascinated with the American Revolution, and still am to this day - however, toward the age of six, my interest began to wander into the 19th century and landed on the Civil War. The American Civil War is still my favorite time period to this day, though I find all aspects of American history fascinating. I started out by reading books, and watching documentaries like “Civil War Journal.” I also loved playing with toy Civil War kepis and rifles - which you now will catch me doing in a much more serious and professional way at Civil War reenactments.

(Jacob seated)

2.          What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?

History is more than just a hobby, and is something that I find and carry with me in all aspects of my life. I teach and discuss history with my friends all day at school, learn about it in my free time, reenact it on the weekends and am even the editor of the newsletter for my reenactment organization - “Attention Company!"

3.          How does history play  a part of your professional life/career?

My YouTube channel is based primarily on the history and music of the American Civil War. Through this channel I have gotten incredible experiences such as meeting the band manager and lead banjo of the 2nd South Carolina Stringband - the world famous Civil War Camp band. I have also been able to meet many amazing people, be interviewed by the Untold Civil War podcast, and am currently collaborating with multiple big-name YouTubers, podcasters, and reenactors, to bring my audience an exclusive Civil War documentary. 

4.          Why is studying/knowing history important?

Studying and knowing history are vital for future generations - because without knowing the past we can never truly know where we came from and embrace our future. In my videos and social media posts, I always try to raise awareness for historical events, figures, and reenactments, so that my viewers are always learning (or hearing) something new!

5.          What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?

My favorite period in history to learn about by far is the American Civil War. It is simply filled with so many incredible people, places, and events, that one can never learn enough! In addition, there are amazing reenactment events commemorating the war, and allowing participants to live the life of a soldier during the time period, which is so exciting, and which offers new opportunities for research. 

6.         How did you become a civil war reenactor and “History Boy”?

In third grade, my friend Joey gave me the name “History Boy,” due to my fascination with all things history. During my 6th grade year I received a comment on YouTube encouraging me to become a Civil War reenactor. I had previously looked into this opportunity, but decided to try again - and found a new website from a regiment named the “8th Connecticut Volunteers, Co. A” (8CV.org) that had just been put up. I was amazed by it, and with all information about the hobby provided - I sent an email to the recruiter who is now a good friend. The rest is… history!

7.      What do you hope subscribers to your YouTube channel and your social media followers to learn from your content?

From my content on YouTube and on social media I hope that my subscribers gain an appreciation for the history and music of the American Civil War. Using modern and classic methods, I educate future historians, and current history buffs. 

7 Questions with Jason Vuic, Author of Swamp Peddlers

 

Originally from Punta Gorda, Florida, Jason Vuic is a writer and historian from Fort Worth, Texas.  He is the author of several books, including The Swamp Peddlers: How Lot Sellers, Land Scammers, and Retirees Built Modern Florida and Transformed the American Dream (UNC Press, 2021), The Yucks! Two Years in Tampa with the Losingest Team in NFL History (Simon and Schuster, 2016) and The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History (Hill and Wang, 2010).  Jason is a graduate of Wake Forest University and holds an M.A. in history from the University of Richmond and a Ph.D. in history from Indiana University Bloomington. He has been both a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and a Fulbright Scholar, and has appeared on such well-known programs as NPR’s Weekend Edition, Fox and Friends in the Morning, and C-SPAN’s Book TV.  His website is  www.jasonvuic.com .

 

1. How and when did you get  hooked on history?

I guess I’ve liked learning about history. I used to read a lot as a kid.  My mom was a voracious reader and a junior high librarian, so we went to our town’s library once a week religiously plus I had access to all the books in her library as well.  My favorite books were those now wildly-out-date biographies of “heroes” like Genghis Khan and William the Conqueror and Napoleon. I also read biographies of sports stars and I guess developed a knack for understanding the past, for understanding what came when and how one era led to another.  

2. What role does history play or has it played in your personal life?

My father enjoyed history...especially World War II documentaries.  He was a Marine during the Korean War and was just a bit too young for WWII.  He kind of idealized the world war so we had coffee table books and visited museums and admired and talked about the “Greatest Generation” in our house long before Tom Brokaw made the Greatest Generation a thing.  Also, my father’s parents were Serbian immigrants from Croatia who came through Ellis Island prior to World War I. We were and are intensely proud of that, so understanding what was what historically, traveling, and reading about the past were really big deals in my family.  My mother’s side also had stories, really interesting ones, so suffice it to say, history and learning history really mattered to us.

3. How does history play  a part of your professional life/career?

I went to a good liberal arts college in the South where virtually everyone who studied history went on to law school. That was my plan but as I entered school the war in Yugoslavia broke out. We had relatives there and had always read and tried to learn about the area and had visited in the 1980s.  My relatives in Croatia lived in the eye of storm and experienced some brutal stuff.  So my interest quickly became a passion, and I gave up trying to go to law school in favor of studying the history of Eastern Europe in hopes of teaching or maybe working over there in some way. I was hooked.

4. Why is studying/knowing history important?

For me, at least, it has always been a matter of learning who you are and where you live and how the world around you came to be. I grew up in a small town in Southwest Florida, which itself was rich in history, but where generations of transplants had little interest in Florida’s past.  Not everyone of course, but people in my part of the state had come to Florida to retiree, to recreate.  There wasn't much interest in the past and it always made me feel kinda rootless.  So history was a matter of learning who I was and where I was from.  

5. What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why?

I’m all over the place. My Ph.D. is in Balkan and East European history and I have written two books on the subject. But I also taught world history and general European history courses as a college professor and really enjoyed that.  Lately I’ve  focused on Florida history and the history of sport.    

6.        Your most recent book is Swamp Peddlers, about the boom and bust of Florida real estate. Who were the Swamp Peddlers and how did they shape modern Florida?

As I define them, they were big land developers during the early post-World War II period who bought up cattle ranches, denuded forest land, and even swamp land to subdivide Florida into millions of residential lots, which they sold to Northerners on the installment plan, sometimes for $10 down and $10 a month.  They focused first on retirees, so we’re not talking about beachfront property here.  We’re talking about places in southern and central Florida near the coast but more often than not in the undeveloped hinterland of the state.  But, what had been hinterland quickly developed into sprawling communities like Cape Coral, Port St. Lucie, Deltona, and Port Charlotte.  I call these places the “great Florida exurbs,” those giant instant communities with no downtowns that rely on retiree income to keep the lights on but where property is cheap and there are still hundreds of thousands of residential lots.  These places to me are the future of Florida, like it or not.

7. I’ve asked this question, or a variation, of others:  Why Florida? Is there something endemic to Florida that brings out the con artist and Florida man (or woman) in its citizens? What’s your opinion?

I know one explanation as to why Florida man is so prevalent is that Florida has exceptionally open laws regarding police reports and arrest reports so journalists can read the details of arrests in the state far easier than in other states. 

But I also think Florida is in some respects rootless. People aren’t born there. People aren’t from there. Right now less than 40 percent of the state population is native born. It’s a giant mix up and mashup of peoples and cultures from all over the United States and from all over the world so there’s a lot of cultural confusion there.  

As for land sales, Florida has always been wildly pro development, insanely so.  Land developers were good, at least to the state legislature, and the laws they passed and the industry watchdogs they created tended to shield wrongdoers.  

7 Questions with Karen Q, Historical Portrayer, Tour Leader, Historian, and Author

 

    

    Karen Q, aka Karen Quinones, is the founder and historian at Patriot Tours, NYC. Patriot Tours conducts historic walking tours of New York City, focusing on the American Revolution and Founding Era. She's been operating since 2005 and have recently branched out into video tours.

 

    She also appears as an 18^th Century character, “Mrs. Q”, a successful merchant in 18^th Century NYC, at reenactments and conduct specialized tours in character. Mrs. Q live streams Friday nights at 7pm ET on Facebook and YouTube as PatriotToursNYC. She is the author of Theodosia Burr: Teen Witness to the Founding of the New Nation.  The Patriot Tours website is https://patriottoursnyc.com/ ,

YouTube page https://www.youtube.com/c/PatriotToursNYC

1. How and when did you get  hooked on history? 

In my teens, in upstate NY, where I become fascinated with the founding of the small city I grew up in and the families who settled it. That continued and grew as I moved to NYC and became a professional on Wall Street. Every day I passed some of the most historic sites in the city and grew more and more interested in learning about them. Eventually, I left my Wall Street profession and became a full-time historian.

2.          What role does history play or has it played in your personal life? 

All of our family vacations are history vacations! Battlefields, historic sites, everything is about American history. 

3.          How does history play  a part of your professional life/career? 

Patriot Tours NYC is my business and until the pandemic, was highly successful. My Revolutionary War Walking Tour is one of the “must do” things for history buffs visiting NYC. My mission is to teach about the American Revolution and Founding in a way that is exciting, engaging, and fun. I use a unique, structured, story-telling format that unfolds as the tour moves from place to place.

4.          Why is studying/knowing history important? 

Everything we experience in modern life has happened before. The better we understand how those events played out, the decisions people made, and the results of those decisions, the better prepared we are to face challenges in our own lives.

5.          What is your favorite period or aspect of history to learn about and why? 

The American Revolution and Founding Period. It is a unique time in human history and especially Western Civilization. Many different things came together to make it happen – from new philosophies of human rights, ideas about government, and economic conditions in the American colonies. It all came together at the right time to cause the founding of a unique nation – the United States of America, with a unique governing Constitution.

6.         How did you get started as Mrs. Q, and what does your New York tour include? 

 I got started in 2002, after I decided to leave the stress of Wall Street.  After three years of research, I launched the Revolutionary War Era Tour of Lower Manhattan. The tour includes a walk through the colonial city, including stops at St. Paul’s Chapel and Graveyard, Trinity Church Graveyard, Federal Hall, Fraunces Tavern, and more. I supplement the tour narration with original prints and documents for everyone to see, to help recreate the time period.   I also have a popular tour about the lives of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr!

7.      You’ve also written Theodosia Burr: Teen Eyewitness to the Founding of a New Nation.  How did you come to choose Theodosia as your subject? 

When researching the private life of Aaron Burr, I became fascinated with his views about women. Mr. Burr was a century ahead of his time, believing that women could achieve the same intellectual goals as men. (His wife was an extraordinarily brilliant, educated, and talented woman.)  Together, they decided their only child, a daughter, would be educated in the manner of a firstborn son – with what was then considered a “masculine” education. Theodosia learned all the subjects a young man would understand, including reading Latin and Greek. The teachers at Princeton College taught her when she became qualified for entrance. Unable to attend in person, the men went to her home in NYC to provide instruction. Theodosia, a young woman, could not be admitted to the college. She was unique in 1790s America. Her experience is fascinating and inspirational to all teenagers struggling to find themselves against the grain of accepted society.