FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 20, 2024
MEDIA CONTACT: Cody Hefner (513) 608-5777, chefner@cincymuseum.org
Four Cincinnatis presents person-centered documentary of the city's history
Collection of essays by historian Dan Hurley reflects 45-year career; proceeds support Cincinnati Museum Center's History Library and Archives
CINCINNATI – Lovers of history and Cincinnati diehards will want to add a new book to their holiday list this year. The new project compiles over four decades of research and writing by historian Dan Hurley with the city of Cincinnati – with all its character and characters – as his muse.
Four Cincinnatis and Other Essays features a series of 88 essays written by Hurley in his 45-year career as a public historian. The book is published by Cincinnati Museum Center in partnership with Mount St. Joseph University Press. Four Cincinnatis and Other Essays is available for purchase at Cincinnati Museum Center beginning November 25.
Among the essays are those written as weekly columns for the Cincinnati Post in 2006 and 2007, bi-monthly articles for Cincy Magazine from 2008 to 2020, special projects on the 1937 flood, Cincinnati Business Courier essays and previously unpublished essays from academic and public presentations and Hurley’s work with Leadership Cincinnati. Hurley has worked as a television reporter, newspaper columnist and museum professional, including stints as Assistant Vice President for History and Research at Cincinnati Museum Center and Interim President of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
“The motivation behind all my work as a public historian over the last 45 years has been to improve my community by empowering adults with the context necessary to become more knowledgeable and motivated actors in shaping our collective future,” Hurley writes in the introduction of Four Cincinnatis and Other Essays.
Hurley’s essays cover a broad swath of Cincinnati’s rich history, ranging from more traditional narratives on the naming – and nicknaming – of the city and iconic landmarks, to more complex examinations of Cincinnati’s history as both haven and hostile ground for people of color and the region’s long history with immigration.
“By focusing many of the essays in this collection on the local African American experience, Dan Hurley has helped center that experience at the core of the Cincinnati story,” said John Fleming, Ph.D., past president of the Association of African American Museums. “That includes original research on the 1841 race riots as well as oral histories with contemporary leaders like Theodore Berry, William Mallory and Dr. Lawrence Hawkins.”
While Four Cincinnatis adeptly considers history at the macro level on topics of urban planning and natural history, it shines at the micro level, putting individuals and interpersonal stories at the forefront when discussing politics, local identity, health care and events like the 1937 flood. Lifelong Cincinnatians will enjoy spending time with well and lesser-known figures including Daniel Drake, Jennie Porter, Albert Sabin, John Hauck and the Taft family.
“The breadth and richness of the essays gathered in this book are possible only because, since 1978, Dan Hurley has been working in the library and archive collections housed at Cincinnati Museum Center,” said Elizabeth Pierce, president & CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center. “The depth of those materials are critical to understanding our regional history in the context of larger social and political trends.”
Proceeds from the sale of Four Cincinnatis and Other Essays will support the care and maintenance of CMC’s History Library and Archives, ensuring that future professional and amateur historians will have access to materials that will help us all better understand the Cincinnati region and the human experience.
Four Cincinnatis and Other Essays is available for purchase at Cincinnati Museum Center beginning November 25.
