Two weeks ago, I traveled to Cincinnati for the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) Conference with board member, labor historian, and all-around incredible person, Mike Matejka.
While there, we connected with colleagues from around the country, explored the colorful City of Cincinnati, and accepted an award for our most recent temporary exhibit, A Deadly Deception: The Asbestos Tragedy in McLean County, alongside curator emeritus Susan Hartzold.
I attended sessions on meaningful media relations, writing and editing excellent exhibit labels, heritage tourism, ethical collecting, and increasing institutional accessibility. Mike and I carefully chose which sessions we attended to bring back as much information as possible. He went to several sessions on preparing to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, and on creating engaging educational opportunities for students.
The conference's keynote address, delivered by Travel Channel television personality Don Wildman, highlighted Wildman's experience partnering with schools and museums in upstate New York.
I admittedly rolled my eyes when I first read that the keynote was to be delivered by an actor turned podcaster. However, by the end of his address, I was inspired by the innovative way he used the format of his television show, Mysteries at the Museum, to connect students with primary source materials and inspire a love of history. He facilitated and funded the opportunity for students to not just sit and listen to history, but to practice being historians! They researched, documented, and shared information about an object they found to be interesting from their local history museum.
Later that evening, Mike and I visited Cincinnati's local history museum, which is a part of the Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC). Located in the old Union Station, CMC includes a history museum, a natural history museum, a learning lab, a children's discovery area, and a holocaust education center; not to mention incredible architecture and breathtaking mosaic murals.
During our visit, CMC was closed to the public and featured staff throughout the center to give behind-the-scenes tours, highlight objects from their collections, and facilitate hands-on learning opportunities, such as using a printing press to create a custom AASLH bookmark. I won't bore you with detailed descriptions of the fascinating conversations or enthusiastic commentary on their skillful usage of typography and clever design choices, but I will share two highlights:
Finding a connection between Cincinnati and the McLean County Museum of History.
Viewing a massive model train display of Cincinnati, with our own resident model train enthusiast (Mike).
So what do Cincinnati and the McLean County Museum of History have in common?
Safes! Mosler safes to be more specific.
The Mosler Safe Company operated in and around Cincinnati from 1867 until 2001, making some of the world's sturdiest safes — sturdy enough to survive the Hiroshima nuclear attack. Mosler was also trusted to build the vault formerly used to store and display the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights.
McLean County installed Mosler safes on three floors of the courthouse following the great fire of 1900, to ensure the county's vital records were safe, too. Today, the McLean County Museum of History uses the safes to store various items, including what Bill Kemp claims to be the largest cookbook collection in Illinois south of I-80. Check it out in the second-floor library stacks on your next visit!
Also, on your next visit to the Museum, if you haven't already, check out our newest award-winning exhibit, A Deadly Deception: The Asbestos Tragedy in McLean County. Mike and Susan, the exhibit's co-curators, accepted the Leadership in History Award from AASLH on Friday, September 12, 2025. During the award ceremony, AASLH made note of the extensive research that went into this exhibit to tell an increasingly relevant and universal tale through the microcosmic lens of what happened at the UNARCO plant in West Bloomington.
Seeing Mike & Susan on stage alongside history professionals from around the country was a proud moment. It was also a powerful reminder that the work we do matters. Preserving and sharing local history matters. Our local history is American history, and at this pivotal moment in our country's history, it's more important now than ever that we share it. As we approach the semiquincentennial, we must reflect and connect. We must educate and collaborate to keep sharing the stories of the people who came before us. Perhaps it will inspire those who come after us.
