From the "About this Blog" side section on the main page:
This is is a local history blog. Anyone who deals with this subject must be careful to state facts correctly and give credit to sources. I will make every effort to do that. And perhaps I'll turn up some new material. But I’m not focused on revealing new things. I prefer to provide reactions to facts which are already well documented.
What does this mean? It means that you have to get the story right, because if you don't get it right you confuse the community. But if local history is all about the facts, and only the facts, then my rebuttal comes from the Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller song made a hit in 1969 by the great jazz singer Peggy Lee, and with Peggy I would say this: "Is That All There Is?"
Is local history a collection of facts, of news, maps, photos, statistics and objects? Yes, these are the raw material. But there is also the matter of reacting to the facts. What does it mean to react? It's what we all do every day as we talk to each other in response to the news, at work, at the local bar and at church.
Reaction can be pure observation, finding something interesting, upsetting or engaging in local persons, places and things. Or, it can go deeper than that to that point where you can ask a broader questions such as this: Does a fact of Mayville’s history have a connection to the history of the nation? (Before you roll your eyes, this issue actually comes up in the opening post about the stove.) What makes a particular detail important, or interesting, from the standpoint of culture study? Also, when your only concern is getting all of the facts, you can miss the "pathos," the suffering, passion, beauty and emotion in the history.
Because I'd like to work from the facts and reflect on them as best I can, in this blog I'll ask a lot of questions. I see six questions in this post alone. That used to drive my parents crazy. But for me it's the best way to frame an issue, and deal with a story.
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