Terrains of Independence
This exhibition, which opened in April 2025, focuses on a key question: What about eighteenth-century Boston and Massachusetts made the region such a tinderbox for Revolutionary activity? In Terrains of Independence, maps offer the entry point to a reconsideration of the Revolutionary War through the lens of locality and place.
The Leventhal Map & Education Center, Boston Public Library
A Tale of Two Hannahs
Katy explores the biographies of two 18th-century women named Hannah whose stories illustrate the presence and influence of women in Boston’s early real estate market.
The Beehive Blog, Massachusetts Historical Society
Yellow Fever Begins Near the Water
Drawing on urban and architectural history, material culture, and historical geography, Katy examines how a genre of yellow fever pamphlet containing narrative text, architectural proposals, and spot maps reinforced early-national Americans’ judgments about the kinds of people and places most prone to disease, and ultimately helped readers imagine possible futures for city living.
Earlier Work . . .
Where Historians WOrk: The View from Early America
Inspired by the American Historical Association's "Where Historians Work" initiative, Katy interviews historians working across the discipline--in museums, libraries, archives, historical societies, and more. Whether pursuing careers directly tied to early American history, or overseeing historic sites with colonial-era roots, these historians provide insight, advice, and resources for students considering jobs in the history profession.
Brooklyn's EMPIRE STORES AND THE FUTURE OF THE waterfront
Today, Brooklyn’s waterfront finds itself in the midst of complex debates about the future of urban growth, and the role that local residents and civic leaders must play in that future. Katy argues that studying the past and the ways in which Brooklynites have encountered and shaped the waterfront for centuries can tell us a great deal about where we have been and where we could be headed.
visualizing 19th-century new york
Curious about how New Yorkers understood their city in the 1800s?
Locating landmarks, objects, and themes on Matthew Dripps' Map of New York City from 1852, Visualizing 19th-Century New York introduces visitors to this vastly changing landscape.
Created by graduate students in Professor David Jaffee's "Focus Gallery" course, this interactive website accompanied Bard Graduate Center's 2014 exhibition Visualizing 19th-Century New York.