Smithsonian Connections at Oak Hill Cemetery

Today we’re excited to welcome Laura Hackfeld to the Historic America Journal. Laura is a senior staff member at DC’s Historic Oak Hill Cemetery and her article is all about the cemetery’s notable interments and their connection to America’s greatest institution of learning…

Sometimes There's A Man: Remembering Chuck Yeager

As The Big Lebowski tells us, “Sometimes there’s a man, well, he’s the man for his time and place.” That’s Yeager - the very definition of American manhood; a rugged, whip-smart, patriotic, devoted, courageous fighter pilot who rose from humble beginnings in rural West Virginia to enlist as a teenage private in the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) and would go onto to become one of the most famous pilots in history.

Aaron KillianFebruary 12, 2021Historic America Tours, historic america, Chuck Yeager, Air & Space Museum, Smithsonian, Supersonic Flight, Bell X-1Comment

Book Review - The Red Man's Bones

Using a string of far-flung military outposts as base camps for adventure, Catlin crisscrossed an untamed landscape, all-the-while painting a tremendous volume of Indian portraits and native scenes. The images were unlike anything the world had ever seen.

In the Heart of the Confederacy, a new Civil War Museum

The American Civil War Museum, a new institution formed out of a merger between the American Civil War Center and the Museum of the Confederacy, sits on the banks of the James River. If, as the museum’s CEO Christy Coleman says, the Civil War “saved and redefined what the American republic would be,” the new museum redefines the war’s legacy as perpetually bound to our always-fraught present.

Aaron's DC Photo Journal, March 28 Edition

This past Saturday I ventured to the National Mall to do some on-site research (and go to the Kite Festival). I took a lot of pictures. Enjoy!

Aaron KillianApril 1, 2015Kite Festival, National Mall, Hirshhorn Museum, Smithsonian, Smithsonian Castle, Washington MonumentComment

Flying Solo With My First Busload of Kids, Part II

The saga continues...

Flying Solo With My First Busload of Kids

Some of you might remember my recent series of posts on tour guide training - all done in an effort to prepare for my first real experience with a group of visiting school kids. Well, that first experience is officially in the books. Interested to hear about it? Here goes.

Training Day: Part II

If you remember last week's post, I updated you on my first-of-three-days training with WorldStrides. That means I've got two more days to tell you about!