Messiah University History Program

09/15/2025

We're excited to announce that Messiah University's history faculty and students were involved in the rediscovery of Washingtonia, a long-lost 19th-century refugee colony founded by American physician Samuel Gridley Howe on the Isthmus of Corinth, Greece in 1829.

In 2017 and 2023, Professor David Pettegrew and more than 10 Messiah University history students worked with Professor Albert Sarvis and his students from Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, Professor Kostis Kourelis of Franklin & Marshall College, and Dr. Nikos Poulopoulos of University of Missouri-St. Louis to locate a colony that housed more than 225 people displaced by the Greek War of Revolution. The team rediscovered its location in 2023 through archival sleuthing, GIS, drone surveys, and an overlooked 1830 map.

The story of the discovery is featured in Archaeology Magazine and will be published fully this fall in the Journal of Greek Archaeology.

Check out the article in *Archaeology Magazine*:
https://archaeology.org/issues/september-october-2025/letters-from/searching-for-washingtonia/

And the story map collection edited by Messiah alum, Alexandra Shehigian, and written by a dozen students of Messiah and Harrisburg University: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/2f28ca611b524fbbb5071368f644e1a1

Plus this great new documentary short by alum, Keli Ganey:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbdu3HtCwnA

In May of 2023, a lost colony from 1829 was discovered by a group of students and their professors. Now, their story of how they got there comes to light. Fe...

04/30/2025

We’re sad to see Dr. Huffman retiring after so many wonderful years of academic scholarship and teaching, but thankful for all he has dedicated to education and research. Educated in Medieval Studies, European History, and German Studies, Dr. Huffman has taught diverse topics from survey courses like Knights, Peasants, Bandits to seminars like Tudor-Stuart England to theory courses like Historiography. He has also held several administrative roles since first joining Messiah’s faculty in 1994. Centered around in his academic research of the Rhineland and Cologne, he has published several books (see below) and articles in both English and German.
Thank you for all that you’ve done, Dr. Huffman! We’ll miss you!

03/07/2025

It was wonderful to be part of National History Day again this year and congratulations to those moving on to State Competition!

We loved seeing the creativity and dedication of these students in their performances, papers, exhibits, documentaries, and websites. This year’s theme of Rights and Responsibilities shone through stories of women’s rights, mental health advocacy, responsibility in war and so much more.

Huge thanks to all the Messiah faculty, students and community volunteers who made this possible! Thank you to all the students, teachers and schools that participated this year, and we hope to see you all again next year!

02/24/2025

All Messiah History alums will wish to know of Professor Joseph Huffman’s plans to retire at the end of this academic year. His tenure at Messiah since he arrived in 1994 has filled with many accomplishments. These include: serving as department chair, school dean, director of the Center for Public Humanities, and Distinguished Professor of European History, as well as teaching and advising hundreds of the students over the past thirty years. An on-campus reception for Professor Huffman has been scheduled for April 16th. Interested History alums are encouraged to contribute to this event by writing a hand-written note (sent to: Jim LaGrand, Honors Program, One University Ave., Suite 3044, Mechanicsburg PA 17055), writing an email message, or recording a video message (emailed to: [email protected]). Please send messages by April 4th. This will allow time for them to be collected and collated, so they might be offered to Professor Huffman at his reception.

02/18/2025

We're excited to announce that Messiah University History students and faculty have collaborated with Messiah's Center for Public to launch a new mobile app: Harrisburg Historical. The website and app brings to life the diverse stories and significant places of the greater Harrisburg area. Thanks to the many students, faculty, staff, departments, and community partners for making this possible. Read more here with links to download.

Yesterday marked a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to make the rich history of Pennsylvania’s capital region more accessible to the public. After two years of dedicated work by student…

10/16/2024

It was wonderful to meet Judge Jennifer JP Clancy last week! This notable Messiah alumni shared her experiences and career with the HPIR students and faculty.
While at Messiah, Judge Clancy was a Political Science major on the pre-law track. But like many college students, she also pursued her love for athletics and built a community on campus. After graduation, she attended law school, but continued to work closely with Messiah as an alumni and then on the board for several years. Now, she serves her community in York County, PA, as a magisterial district judge. It was inspiring to see how Judge Clancy’s education, determination and heart for others has shaped her career.

09/05/2022

This year, we are so proud to say our very own Dr. Joseph Huffman was asked to give the Convocation address to kick off the 2022-2023 academic year!

In his address, titled "University Education in Uncertain Times," Dr. Huffman spoke on the challenges to university education in this era of multiple crises and anxieties about our uncertain future.

The current climate of depression and distraction in our schools and universities, our nation, and the world make it so difficult to focus on education, but Dr. Huffman urged us to see that higher education is our "response to this troubled age." It prepares us to face historical times and prepares the next generation to inherit the world...in whatever state it may be in.

Dr. Huffman, utilizing a compass metaphor, urged us to find a short-term horizon each semester, be guided by the love of learning as our compass, and be motivated by gratitude for the privilege of a higher education and the graceful support of fellow educators and students alike.

Dr. Huffman emphasized the importance of leaning on each other, rebuilding “a sense of satisfaction, engagement, and belonging in our academic work,” and the pleasure of embracing new knowledge and beauty.

With his words, Dr. Huffman simultaneously challenged and encouraged all of campus -- from student to professor. It was an honor to hear him speak and we are so blessed to have such a professor within the History program!

08/31/2022

This past Saturday the History and Politics & International Relations department had our annual picnic! We had such a fun time playing Kubb and Cricket, while also enjoying great food and fellowship! Here are each of the classes of majors and the professors! Can you find your class?

05/07/2022

Congrats to our 2022 History graduates!

04/27/2022

This quote of the week provides an insight into the complex relationship between the historian and truth and fiction.

04/06/2022

This quote of the week highlights a key struggle of the historian: to look at the knowledge as it is generally presented along with the additional, forgotten facts and stories of the past. We must be aware of the biases of sources for and against certain individuals, groups, or stories, and critically think about each story presented in order to do history well.