Object Project

Katelin Staton takes us along the story of a New Year's Eve tradition in Cherryville, North Carolina--firing off a reproduction Civil War musket. Come along to hear about tipsy mummers and nineteenth-century firearms.

In this season's second episode about St. Patrick's Day, Nick Shelley shares a family recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage. This classic holiday nosh tells us more about the resilience of immigrants in America than the rolling hills of Éire.

With a small souvenir coin, Madeline Rorie takes us back to the early days of America's most libertine holiday: Mardi Gras!

Matthew Parker unpacks the story and meaning behind a rather dark holiday object--a small pin shaped like a a gallows, created in support of those unfairly convinced in the Haymarket Affair of 1886. In doing so, he introduces us to the once-radical history of Labor Day.

Patrick McGovern's episode taps into the feeling of Christmas. . .and then historicizes it! He connects the creation of a now-kitsch item--the snow globe--to the hobby of collecting and the honing of a Gilded-Age Christmas aesthetic still resonant in our lives.

John Keyser's contribution to the "Holidays" season offers a story of human perception of time in the service of technology rife with fascinating material details of a very familiar object: the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball. Tune in to find out why we drop the ball to celebrate a passing year!

Chandler Hicks offers a thematically consistent episode about a vinyl recording of a Martin Luther King, Jr., speech delivered to members of the District 65 Distributive Workers of America union. Marrying form and content, Hicks uses this record to discuss King's legacy in relation to Martin Luther King Jr., holiday.

Haedyn Brewer delves deep into a 1912 Wells Fargo Chinese Lunar New Year Calendar. This podcast takes you on a global journey of immigration, geopolitical negotiations, and the financial settlement of the (former) Wild West.

Brylie Branham taps into her Irish-American heritage to analyze a set of Scottish Great Highland Bagpipes, or in Irish, Piob Mhór (Pee-ob Mor). Tune in to learn what the material aspects of these music makers have to do with St. Patrick's Day and Irish American celebrations!

UNCW Graduate Student (and Object Project veteran) Melissa Howdershelt takes us back to the early days of America's most lovable Mouse. Join us to find out how a modest sewing pattern for a Mickey Mouse doll embodied hope and joy--and keen business sense--during the Great Depression.

UNCW graduate student Garrett Gray brings us back to childhood with the very first issue of the Superman Comic Book in 1938. From the labor and production of the object, to its representative meaning, this artifact bridges the gap between the Great Depression and growing international crises.

Listen as Taylor Meadows revs up for a fast-paced trip to the 1930s via the 1935 V-8 Ford Touring Sedan. From gangsters to practical housewives, this sleek, innovative automobile's role in the Great Depression may surprise you.

Join UNCW grad student Alyssa Holton to explore the changing world of quack medicines during the Great Depression through the lens of a small, clear glass bottle.

Public History MA student Hannah Transou regales us with the dark and hazardou details of a spiritual--and technological wonder. Was this Depression-era electric ouija board cursed? You decide.

Public History Master's student Brianne Snyder joins us to talk about the material culture and social history of a long-time Cape Fear hot spot. Learn how the Dixie Café--still a local favorite--adapted to the strains of the 1930s.

Graduate student Ryan Richards joins us to discuss the aesthetic and social meanings of radio receivers in a time of economic crisis. Hear about the technological advances and Art Deco designs that made beautiful radios a hallmark of the 1930s and 1940s.

Karla Berrios explores the turbulent race context surrounding Baby Nancy, "the first Black baby doll made by African Americans for African Americans." Berrios takes us through the racist history of previous Black dolls, negatively stereotyped by their white creators. Baby Nancy's debut in 1969 follows on the heels of race riots, emerging from the site of one of the most well known cl...

Audrey Ross details what a cast iron children's toy from the late nineteenth century tells us about racial and economic instruction for white children. Through gross stereotypes of Black children and simple mechanical devices, such popular items taught racial prejudices alongside values of thrift and industry.

In this episode, Chase Warchol examines a 1940s Boy Scout Uniform. Come along with us to hear how the material details of this paramilitary garb represents the fears and hopes of a generation. Embedded in the hunter green socks and khaki pants are the ways in which the designers' ideals of nature and masculinity fit into mainstream aspirations for American boys.

Brian Fiore walks up through a sensory journey of a nearly universal childhood staple: Crayola Crayons. Through examining a 1903 box of crayons on display at the Smithsonian Museum of American history, Fiore looks at the production, distribution, color names, and more of these iconic items.

Edward Tatum, UNCW MA student and Colonial Williamsburg enthusiast, tells us all about the historical importance of the "Pudding cap." Pudding caps were toddler crash helmets whose material details offer information about its owner's class and status and about societal ideas about childhood at the dawn of the American Revolution. 

Graduate student Aryn explores the making and meaning of the 1898 Memorial installed in Wilmington, North Carolina more than a century after the violent events of Nov 10, 1898. Along the way, Aryn looks at the false historical memories that forestalled public acknowledgment of the role of white supremacy in the coup and massacre and examines the political process of memorialization.

In the seventh episode of this season's Object Project, undergraduate Brian explores the violent white supremacists, The Red Shirts. Through examining the material and meaning of the symbolic garment, Brian shows how intimidation was central to many steps of the conspiracy to overthrow democratically elected officials, costing many Black lives along the way. 

Undergraduate History student Buket describes how a small personal pin worn on a man's lapel over a hundred years ago leads us to a century-long legacy of violence and political control. The Wilmington Light Infantry played a central role in the coup and massacre of 1898. The men who wore such a badge have last names that still resonate powerfully in Wilmington today. 

Graduate student Maddie outlines the intimidating role of an expensive, high-powered weapon in the massacre and coup of 1898. The almost -100-pound rapid-fire gun may not have taken many lives on November 11, but it was given place of privilege in the white supremacist plans to take over Wilmington.