Alaska Historical Society

05/22/2026

05/22/2026

“Contingency is the mother of possibility. The chance for positive change stands before us.”

Thank you to everyone who joined us in person and online for our first Critical Issues Lecture with Joanne B. Freeman.

Joanne was a powerful speaker for our Anchorage viewers - and she’s looking forward to her Fairbanks visit tomorrow!

Watch the recording of her talk AND find the link and information for the Fairbanks/Zoom talk at:
https://alaskahistoricalsociety.org/lecture-and-discussion-series/

05/21/2026

Don’t forget to join us in Anchorage (or online) tonight and in Fairbanks (or online) tomorrow for talks with renowned historian Joanne B. Freeman! Find info at: https://alaskahistoricalsociety.org/lecture-and-discussion-series/

Joanne also does frequent video livestreams on historical topics. Last night’s featured some Alaska shout outs 🫎 : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RzeAlYxTCF0&ra=m

From Alaska!

05/13/2026

One of America’s most preeminent historians and a leading expert on our nation’s early formation, Joanne B. Freeman, will speak in person at two events in Anchorage and Fairbanks May 21 and 22. The author of numerous award-winning books and a consultant for the Hamilton Broadway musical, Freeman is a frequent guest in documentaries and a commentator on national media.

In Anchorage (and virtually), Freeman will discuss the notion that Americans tend to think about the nation’s founding as inevitable, a series of “of courses.” But in truth, it was a series of improvisations on a big scale; like the present day, no one knew what would come next. How did this shape their thinking?

The Great Experiment? Creating a Nation
7 p.m. Thursday, May 21
Anchorage Museum
Virtual link (Crowdcast): tinyurl.com/freeman-250

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In Fairbanks, Freeman will discuss the ways in which revolutions are dividing moments, forcing people to take sides—sometimes for unpredictable reasons. Often, they expose the many ways in which a people aren’t divided. Freeman will explore what drove people apart as well as brought them together—a topic that speaks to the present day.

Taking a Stand: The Perils of Revolution
5:30 p.m. Friday, May 22
Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center
Virtual link (Zoom): https://alaska.zoom.us/j/87679436436

05/08/2026

Are you a student/emerging professional looking to attend the Alaska Historical Society Annual Conference? Explore this scholarship opportunity by May 31: https://alaskahistoricalsociety.org/student-and-emerging-professional-awards-2/

The Alaska Historical Society annually makes two Student and Emerging Professional Awards to attend and present at the fall conference, which this year will be in Homer, October 7-10.

Students researching an Alaska history topic and professionals engaged in Alaska history or cultural work and employed fewer than five years are eligible. The awards are for airfare, lodging and a conference registration. Applicants are to make a presentation at the meeting. Information on how to apply is on the AHS website; the deadline is May 31.

05/04/2026

Have you explored the latest Alaska History News? In it, find stories like "Eagle carefully preserves gold rush era treasures", "Spill inspired action to retain value of state’s oil", and a special feature on AHS Board Member Mark Rice!

Access the newsletter, for free, here: https://alaskahistoricalsociety.org/publications/alaska-history-news/

"Mark Rice is a natural fit for an Alaska Historical Society board member as a professional historian who studied history in college, is married to a historian, and has other nonprofit history-related board experience. Rice is a newcomer to the AHS board, joining in March 2025. He now serves on the 2026 conference program committee and loves being part of Alaska’s “history community.”

Become a AHS member: https://alaskahistoricalsociety.org/membership/

04/27/2026

One of America’s most preeminent historians and a leading expert on our nation’s early formation, Joanne B. Freeman, will speak in person at two event in Alaska - in Anchorage May 21 and Fairbanks May 22.

In Anchorage, Freeman will discuss the notion that Americans tend to think about the nation’s founding as inevitable. But in truth, it was a series of improvisations on a big scale and no one knew what would come next.

Let us know you're coming: https://www.facebook.com/share/17G6DWmHjh/

Fairbanks talk details are coming soon!

About Joanne B. Freeman:
A Yale University professor of history and American studies, Freeman is the author of numerous award-winning books, a consultant for the Hamilton Broadway musical and frequent commentator on national media. Her most recent book, The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to the Civil War, explores physical violence in the U.S. Congress and what it suggests about American sectionalism.

Freeman’s Alaska presentations are especially timely as the nation prepares to mark its 250th anniversary next year. Her visit is part of the Alaska Historical Society’s multi-year Critical Issues Lecture Series designed to encourage Alaskans to learn about their
history to improve public discourse.

04/15/2026

Tomorrow: Cook Inlet Historical Society Presents: The Quest to Restore and Display “A Parade of Alaska History,” the Country’s Largest Bas Relief Art Project In 1976

In Person at the Anchorage Museum Auditorium or Online via Crowdcast, Free and open to the public.

To register for the online event, click here: http://crowdcast.io/c/wqsvg31n82v3
No registration needed if attending in person.

This lecture is a presentation on the restoration of the twenty sculpted murals adorned the mezzanine of Anchorage’s Alaska Mutual Savings Bank.

In December 1976, members of the Cook Inlet Historical Society and the Anchorage Historical and Fine Arts Museum attended a private showing of the country's largest bas relief art project, four-years in the making. The twenty sculpted murals adorned the mezzanine of Anchorage’s Alaska Mutual Savings Banks on the corner of 5th and F. Guests received the book “A Parade of Alaska History”, written by Alaskan authors and historians, Herb and Miriam Hilscher, which recounts the events depicted in the panels created by well-known sculptors James Tapscott of Anchorage and John Svenson from California. These murals were intended to be a permanent and lasting contribution to Alaskans, visitors, and art of the Western world. Just thirteen years later, however, the fate of this monumental undertaking took a dramatic turn.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS: Jim Tapscott’s daughter, Lynn Maier, and the Hilscher’s daughter Hilary - who were classmates at West Anchorage High - will present their quest to see their parents’ legacy preserved. They’ll be joined by noted Alaskan bronze artist Pat Garley, who is skillfully restoring these exquisite murals to their original grandeur.

Register now for Cook Inlet Historical Society Presents: The Quest to Restore and Display “A Parade of Alaska History,” the Country’s Largest Bas-Relief Art Project in 1976 on crowdcast, scheduled to go live on April 16, 2026, 07:00 PM AKDT.

04/09/2026

New, free historical resource: Eyewitness Booklet #10: If Our Claim Should Prove Rich

This booklet includes letters, diary entries, and newspaper accounts that tell the experiences of gold seekers who left the Klondike, followed the Yukon River, crossed the U.S.-Canada border and explored, named and established a short-lived townsite on one of the first creeks they reached in their search for gold.

Access it and the other Eyewitness Booklets for free here: https://alaskahistoricalsociety.org/discover-alaska/eyewitness-booklets-series