Yesterday as part of the Euclid Corridor Oral History Project, I spent the afternoon with Kate O’Neill (Authentic Films) documenting Rose Iron Works. Melvin Rose is a remarkable storyteller and craftsman, and the firm’s legacy is amazing. Intellectually, I am working to tie the firm’s history into the broader social history of ironworking–especially in terms of architectural ornament–as a craft. More pragmatically, our oral histories and documentary work will be helping to preserve the firm’s legacy and add it to the historical record.

Today was a more mundane day at the office, trying to define the next subjects for the ECOHP prototype, plan for completing teacher websites and summer institutes (for Rivers, Roads, & Rails and for The Sounds of History), as well as the various other projects that we have going.

Hopefully, more on local TV archives tomorrow.