*Special Release* The History of Santa Claus

You are once again listening to PreserveCast. Today I'm joined by archaeologist, professor, and a great friend, Dr. Kat Sterner, an assistant professor of anthropology at Towson University and the director of the Baltimore Community Archaeology Lab. This episode covers community archaeology and its impact.

Welcome to Revolution@250, a special production of PreserveCast, in partnership with Preservation Maryland and the Maryland Center for History and Culture. Our hosts are Katie Caljean, President and CEO of the Maryland Center for History and Culture and Nicholas Redding, host of PreserveCast and President and CEO of Preservation Maryland. In 1818, 42 years after the shot heard around the world cracked across a Massachusetts field, John Adams was asked to reflect on the meaning and impact of the American Revolution. In this brief letter, Adams explained that,   The American Revolution was not a common Event. Its Effects and Consequences have already been over a great part of the globe. And when and where are they to cease? But what do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean the American War? The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the Minds and Hearts of the People.  Revolutionary thought and thinking did not end with the Treaty of Paris, nor did it begin at Lexington and Concord. In this special podcast series, we’ll explore the revolutionary ideas that were catalyzed and accelerated by the self-evident idea that all men are created equal and what bold and new thinking that declaration has forged.  In our first episode we discuss abolitionist John Brown with historian Dennis Frye.    

Today we talk with Benjamin Takis, founding attorney of Takis Nonprofit Law, a Washington, D.C.–based firm serving nonprofit organizations in tax, governance, employment law, and business transactions. Ben explains why strong legal foundations and smart governance are critical for nonprofits — especially those stewarding historic places. As co-founder of Sustainability Education 4 Nonprofits and a frequent national speaker on nonprofit law, Ben brings practical guidance to help organizations stay compliant, resilient, and focused on their mission.

Gene Kansas, an award-winning cultural developer, preservationist, and social entrepreneur, joins us to discuss his book Civil Sights (UGA Press, 2025), which examines the Sweet Auburn Historic District in Atlanta, the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Sweet Auburn was a hub of Black commerce, community, and civil rights activism that helped shape Dr. King’s early life. As the district declined after the 1960s, preservation efforts emerged to protect its history, including MLK’s childhood home, culminating in its designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1976 and ensuring this powerful civil rights landscape endures.

Dr. Jeremy C. Wells is an award-winning historic preservation scholar, teacher, author, consultant, and musician. He is an expert in US-based and international historic preservation theory, practice, and public policy; social science applications in historic preservation; community-based preservation/conservation and urban planning; and higher education teaching and administration. His latest book, Managing the Magic of Old Places: Crafting Public Policies for Human-Centered Historic Preservation was released by the University of Tennessee Press in October 2025. More here: https://utpress.org/title/managing-the-magic-of-old-places/

New year's greetings from PreserveCast! Today we're talking with Lori Beth Finkelstein and Michelle Fitzgerald from Johns Hopkins museums about Homewood Museum’s recently opened If Homewood’s Walls Could Talk: A History of an American House. Lori is the Philip Franklin Wagley Director & Curator of Johns Hopkins University’s Evergreen Museum & Library and Director of Homewood Museum. Michelle is the Curator of Collections at Johns Hopkins University Museums, which is comprised of the university’s two historic houses, Homewood Museum and Evergreen Museum & Library. She has curated several exhibitions at Hopkins, including the new Homewood exhibit. 

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...HAPPY NEW YEAR! As we await 2026 we're talking with Dr. Alexis McCrossen, an author and Professor of History at Southern Methodist University, who is now working on book about the history of New Year’s observances in the United States, tentatively titled, Time’s Touchstone: New Year’s in American Life. She is also the author of Holy Day, Holiday: The American Sunday (Cornell University Press, 2000) and Marking Modern Times: Clocks, Watches and Other Timekeepers in American Life (University of Chicago Press, 2013).  

On the last Monday before Christmas Day, the PreserveCast team brings you a special release on the history of Santa Claus. You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen . . . but what about the jolly old elf holding the reins? St. Nicholas, Old St. Nick, Sinterklaas, or simply Santa Claus. He’s gone by many names – but where does this rich and seemingly timeless tradition come from? On this special edition of PreserveCast, we’re headed down a winding reindeer path to uncover the rich history of Santa Claus and how he came to define the modern celebration of Christmas.

Julia Berg and Sarah Mason are veteran Maryland public school educators and co-founders of Digging Deeper Educational Consulting, established in 2024. With nearly 30 years of combined classroom experience, they have taught middle school social studies, developed curriculum for elementary and middle grades, and led professional development at the school, district, state, and national levels. Their expertise centers on helping educators navigate difficult classroom conversations around hard history, including the Holocaust and race-based slavery, through evidence-based inquiry. As contributors to Gibbs Smith Education’s textbook series aligned with Maryland’s newly revised 6th and 7th Grade Social Studies Standards, Julia and Sarah are recognized as middle school social studies standards experts and champions of culturally responsive instruction.

Today we're joined by Dr. Paige Figanbaum, executive director of Nevada Preservation Foundation (NPF), to discuss Nevada's landscape, the "Endangered Sites” list, and the preservation of the Howard Hughes House.  Prior to her current role at NPF, she served as lead historian and program manager for the organization’s Home + History Las Vegas festivals, where she researched, curated, and developed a range of walking tours, bus tours, and educational events throughout Southern Nevada. Paige continues her advocacy, collaborating with organizations statewide to preserve Nevada’s cultural heritage.