Nicholas Anderson American Military Historian works on upcoming exhibit at Wistariahurst

My name is Nicholas Anderson, and I am an American military historian from Long Beach, California. I earned by undergraduate degree from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. I am currently enrolled in the History department at the University of Massachusetts where I am working towards earning my master’s degree in history. My area of focus is the interplay between American culture and the United States armed forces. While cultivating ideas for my graduate thesis, I was approached by the director of the Public History department about an upcoming project at the Wistariahurst Museum, that focused on uniforms but also the importance of the military community in Holyoke. The importance and relevance of the project drew my interest and upon meeting the museum staff I felt that this was a project that would be a great experience for me as a scholar but also an opportunity to educate the community about the proud history of Holyoke service. Throughout my time in the museum, I have found that the history of military service in Holyoke spans back to the nineteenth century with many distinguished servicemembers. As the project progresses, I hope to develop a more intimate understand some of the personal histories attached to the uniforms which I hope to be able to share with the community.