Fellowships

National Endowment for the Humanities Research Fellowships at LancasterHistory

National Endowment for the Humanities.

LancasterHistory is home to a rich and diverse collection of books, archival documents, artifacts, and other research resources that cover nearly 300 years of life in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Thanks to the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, we are pleased to offer three research fellowship programs targeting educators, community groups, and academic scholars. The collections at LancasterHistory can aid those pursuing the study of virtually all themes and events in American history and the history of Lancaster County.

Fellowship Opportunities

Community Fellowship

LancasterHistory offers short-term fellowships to Lancaster County-based organizations to support the incorporation of local history into community activities. Fellowships include an award of $500 as well as ongoing support from LancasterHistory staff. Fellowships are designed not only as financial support, but also as an opportunity for collaboration, networking, and relationship building between LancasterHistory and area leaders.


Key Dates:

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and will be reviewed within 6 weeks of submission.

Eligibility:

Any members of Lancaster County community groups are eligible to apply. Previous fellows may reapply.

Application:

A complete application consists of:

  • A completed online application form
  • A biographical statement describing the applicant’s professional experience and how this fellowship will contribute to their community work (1-2 pages, 250-500 words)
    • Optional: Applicants may include their current resume or CV in addition to their biographical statement.
  • A project proposal (2-3 pages, minimum 500 words in length) that includes:
    • A summary of the project and its final product
    • A statement explaining the significance and impact of the proposed project
    • A description of specific LancasterHistory collections the applicant will consult
    • A brief account of how award will be used
  • Contact information for two individuals who can speak to the applicant's proposed project or program. The applicant’s organization will be contacted to provide a written letter of support for the fellow.

Projects might include the development of exhibits, public programs, websites, or printed materials and publications. Other formats are also welcome. Award may be used to cover any financial needs including, but not limited to, the cost of travel, supplies, printing, and stipends for the applicant, students, or other project participants. Awards are taxable income. Fellows are responsible for payment of those taxes.

Before applying, candidates should search the online collections database (https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/) to identify relevant archives, library, artifact, and photograph collections. Candidates are also encouraged to contact LancasterHistory’s Research Center staff (research@lancasterhistory.org) for further input on which collections might be relevant to their proposed topic, including collections that are not yet listed in our website’s database.

Applications and all attachments will be submitted online. Incomplete applications will be returned for revision. LancasterHistory may also request a follow up interview for further information on the proposal from the applicant.

Award:

A maximum of four awards of $500 may be given annually. Research should be conducted within 12 months of the award notification.

End Results:

Accepted fellows will share their project with LancasterHistory upon completion. We strongly encourage fellows to make their projects publicly available or open to the public. For example: Exhibits or events may be open to the public and other projects may be posted to the LancasterHistory website or the website of a fellow’s home institution.

Contact:

If interested in applying, please contact Dr. Mabel Rosenheck, Director of Education and Exhibition Planning, for further information and a direct link to the application.

Email: mabel.rosenheck@lancasterhistory.org
Phone: 717.392.4633, ext. 137

Educator Fellowship

LancasterHistory offers short-term fellowships to educators from Lancaster County-based schools to support the incorporation of local history and primary resources into educational activities. Fellowships include an award of $500 as well as ongoing support from LancasterHistory staff. Fellowships are designed not only as financial support, but also as an opportunity for collaboration, networking, and relationship building between LancasterHistory and area educators. Teachers, librarians, and other school staff developing educational activities and materials are all encouraged to apply.


Key Dates:

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and will be reviewed within 6 weeks of submission. 

Eligibility:

Educators from Lancaster County schools at the primary, secondary, and collegiate level are all eligible to apply. Previous fellows may reapply.

Application:

A complete application consists of:

  • A completed online application form
  • A biographical statement describing the applicant’s professional experience and how this fellowship will contribute to their work as an educator (1-2 pages, 250-500 words) 
    • Optional: Applicants may include their current resume or CV in addition to their biographical statement.
  • A project proposal (2-3 pages, minimum 500 words in length) that includes: 
    • A summary of the project and its final product
    • A statement explaining the significance and impact of the proposed project
    • A description of specific LancasterHistory collections the applicant will consult
    • A brief account of how award will be used
  • Contact information for two professional references. One should be the applicant's school administrator, department chair, or supervisor. This person will be contacted to provide a written letter of support for the fellow.

Projects might include the development of classroom curriculum, exhibits, public programs, websites, or printed materials and publications. Other formats are also welcome. Award may be used to cover any financial needs including, but not limited to, the cost of travel, supplies, printing, and stipends for the applicant, students, or other project participants. Awards are taxable income. Fellows are responsible for payment of those taxes.

Before applying, candidates should search the online collections database (https://collections.lancasterhistory.org/) to identify relevant archives, library, artifact, and photograph collections. Candidates are also encouraged to contact LancasterHistory’s Research Center staff (research@lancasterhistory.org) for further input on which collections might be relevant to their proposed topic, including collections that are not yet listed in our website’s database.

Applications and all attachments will be submitted online. Incomplete applications will be returned for revision. LancasterHistory may also request a follow up interview for further information on the proposal from the applicant.

Award:

A maximum of four awards of $500 may be given annually. Research should be conducted within 12 months of the award notification.

End Results:

Accepted fellows will share their project with LancasterHistory upon completion. We strongly encourage fellows to make their projects publicly available or open to the public. For example: Exhibits or events may be open to the public and other projects may be posted to the LancasterHistory website or the website of a fellow’s home institution.

Contact:

If interested in applying, please contact Dr. Mabel Rosenheck, Director of Education and Exhibition Planning, for further information and a direct link to the application.

Email: mabel.rosenheck@lancasterhistory.org
Phone: 717.392.4633, ext. 137

Pre & Post-Doctoral Fellowship

Short-term Pre & Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships are offered annually to eligible applicants who are engaged in graduate-level and post-doctoral research in a variety of fields and disciplines relating to the history of Lancaster County, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the United States from the late 1600s to present day.


Key Dates:

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and will be reviewed within one month of submission. We encourage interested applicants to contact Mabel Rosenheck at mabel.rosenheck@lancasterhistory.org for a direct link to the application.

Eligibility:

Ph.D. candidates working on their thesis or dissertation, or post-doctoral scholars. Special consideration given to out-of-state applicants. Previous applicants may reapply.

Application:

A complete application consists of:

  • A completed online application form
  • A research proposal (approx. 1,000 words in length)
  • Applicant's current resume or CV
  • A proposed project budget detailing how award will be used to advance the project/program or for related expenses such as travel to LancasterHistory
  • A brief writing sample or excerpt of a recent work (no more than 20 pages in length)
  • Two professional letters of recommendation from relevant colleagues or professionals

A successful proposal should contain a description of the research to be undertaken, a statement explaining the historiographical significance of the research or project, and an explanation of specific LancasterHistory collections the applicant wishes to consult. Candidates are strongly encouraged to search the online finding aids for archives, library, objects, and photograph collections and contact the appropriate LancasterHistory staff (see staff directory on our website) with questions about the relevance of the collections to their proposed topic before applying.

Applications and all attachments are submitted online. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Award:

A maximum of four awards of up to $2,000 may be given annually (approximately 2 awards per cycle). Fellowship funds are expected to be used to offset costs associated with the applicant’s travel to LancasterHistory. Funds must be used within 12 months of the award notification.

End Results:

Accepted fellows will be required to share the results of their research and methodology with LancasterHistory at the end of their project through a public presentation, scholarly article, or other mutually agreed upon appropriate means. Fellows will also contribute one blog entry summarizing their fellowship experience and their research/project. Blog entries are posted on LancasterHistory’s website, and may be cross-posted on social media or other digital marketing outlets.

Research Resources

We encourage potential applicants to contact LancasterHistory staff with any questions about how the collections could fit with their research goals. Applicants can also search the collections more in-depth through the collections database.

Archives

The LancasterHistory archives are rich with manuscript items pertaining to President James Buchanan and his extended family; Thaddeus Stevens; business and political history; eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth-century social history; local theatres; social organizations; the Civil War; and World War II. Among these records are diaries, correspondence, account and minute books, scrapbooks, and ephemera. Local department stores, Armstrong World Industries, the Fulton Theatre, early fire companies, Hubley Manufacturing Company, Dance of the Month Club, and United Steel Workers Union Local 285 are just a few of the businesses and organizations represented. Lancaster City and County historic records include civil and criminal cases, probate and estate papers, and tax assessments. Nearly 2 million documents record over 300 years of life in one of the oldest inland communities in America.

Research Library

The 16,000-volume library includes an extensive collection of materials on Lancaster County, the history of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania German history, religion, and decorative arts. The map collections include warrant maps for Lancaster County, Lancaster City and County maps, and Sanborn fire insurance maps. There are also extensive collections of church records and Lancaster County newspapers. The 1,040-volume Colonial and Early Federal Era Law Library of Lancaster Attorney Jasper Yeates is a remarkable resource for students of legal history. All collections are discoverable in our online catalog.

Object Collections

LancasterHistory's collection of three-dimensional objects holds a wealth of resources for humanities scholarship. Strengths of the collection include the Heritage Center Collection---a decorative arts collection that demonstrates the intertwined cultural groups within the region; the Esprit Quilt Collection of 82 pre-WWII Lancaster Amish-made quilts; over 100 portraits by Lancaster's well-known artists, Jacob Eichholtz, John Henry Brown, and Arthur Armstrong; collections related to the tenuous years surrounding the American Civil War (with particular emphasis on the lives and careers of President James Buchanan and Congressman Thaddeus Stevens); and collections related to the life and career of turn-of-the-century artist and poet, Lloyd Mifflin. The collections include a strong focus on the countless stories that have connected Lancaster County's history with that of the state and the nation from its European settlement to the 21st century.

Apply

LancasterHistory is currently accepting applications on a rolling basis. If you are interested in applying, please contact Dr. Mabel Rosenheck at mabel.rosenheck@lancasterhistory.org for a direct link to the application.


Past Fellowship Recipients

  • Simonee Thomas, Clark Atlanta University, for The Battle for Hegemony: A Case Study of the Buchanan Presidency and the Phenomenon of Power (2022 Recipient)
  • Christopher Herbert, Ph.D., William Paterson University, for Research with Music Manuscripts and Imprints in LancasterHistory Collections (Denig Bible) (2022 Recipient)
  • Alexander Ames, Ph.D., The Rosenbach/Free Library of Philadelphia, for Ludwig Denig, Cobbler of the Cosmos: Spiritual, Material, and Textual Worlds in Early Lancaster, Pennsylvania (2022 Recipient)
  • Alison Kibler, Ph.D., Franklin & Marshall College, for Lancaster Vice (2021 Recipient)
  • Amanda McGee, University of Arkansas, for Abolition’s Informal Gatekeepers: The Role of County Courts in the Making of Pennsylvania’s ‘Free’ Border(2021 Recipient)
  • Grant Stanton, University of Pennsylvania, for The (In)Dignity of Man: Morality and the Politics of Insult in Revolutionary America (2021 Recipient)
  • Sharon Block, Ph.D., University of California, Irvine, for The Afterlife of Rape: Lives and Communities in Early America (2020 Recipient)
  • Judith Ridner, Ph.D., Mississippi State University, for Clothing the Babel: The Material Culture of Ethnic Identity in Early America (2020 Recipient)
  • Simon Sun, Harvard University, for Chinese Elements in the Colonial Material Culture of Lancaster County, PA (1710-1784) (2019 Recipient)
  • Kevin Ghaffari, Millersville University, for Deconstructing Reconstruction: (Re)Birth of a Nation’s Perspective on Race (2018 Recipient)
  • Paul Kahan, Ph.D., American Helicopter Museum & Education Center, for Doughface: The Life and Times of James Buchanan (2018 Recipient)
  • Wayne Kantz, Jr., Manheim Township School District, for Connecting to Home: Integrating Primary Sources, Curriculum Frameworks, and Local History (2018 Recipient)
  • Caitlin Black, Penn State Harrisburg, for Tobaccoland: Landscape, Culture, and the Transformation of Central Pennsylvania, 1828-2017 (2017 Recipient)
  • Damayanthie Eluwawalage, Ph.D., Albright College, for History of Costume: The Consumption and Governance of Attire in the State of Pennsylvania (2017 Recipient)
  • Mitchell Klingenberg, Texas Christian University, for John F. Reynolds and His Age: Politics, Religion, and Generalship in the Civil War Era (2017 Recipient)
  • Jeremiah Miller, McCaskey Alumni Association, for Breaking Through: The Barney Ewell Project (2017 Recipient)
  • Thomas J. Balcerski, Ph.D., Eastern Connecticut State University, for Siamese Twins: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King (2016 Recipient)
  • Fergus Bordewich, Independent Historian, for Congress at War (2016 Recipient)
  • Marlee Fuhrmann, University of Pittsburgh, for Narratives of American Masculinity in 19th Century Manuscripts (2016 Recipient)
  • Meghan Phillips, Evangelical and Reformed Historical Society, for Exploring German Reformed Contributions to Lancaster County History (2016 Recipient)
  • Adam Shapiro, University of London, for Science and Nature in Lancaster County, 1870-1900 (2016 Recipient)
  • Marlene Arnold, Ph.D., Millersville University, for The Providence Project (2015 Recipient)

Thank you to the National Endowment for the Humanities for their support!

National Endowment for the Humanities.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed on this website, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.