Session

About this Session

Women have always been central to the making of New Jersey’s history, yet their lives, labor, and leadership remain underrepresented at many historic sites. The Revolutionary She brings together curators and site directors to explore practical, research-driven strategies for centering women’s experiences in interpretation, collections, and public programming. Rather than treating women’s history as additive or symbolic, this session focuses on integrating women as essential historical actors whose work shaped political movements, economies, households, and communities.

Panelists will examine how archival research, material culture, archaeology, and site-based storytelling can uncover women as political organizers, workers, strategists, caretakers, and community builders across time periods. Case studies from New Jersey historic sites will demonstrate successful approaches to incorporating women’s histories into exhibitions, tours, educational initiatives, and digital interpretation, while remaining grounded in rigorous scholarship.

The session will also address common challenges faced by historic sites, including limited documentation, entrenched interpretive narratives, and assumptions about audience interest. Panelists will discuss strategies for navigating these obstacles, including creative research methodologies, cross-institutional collaboration, and interpretive reframing that makes women’s histories legible and compelling to the public.

Designed for professionals working directly with historic properties, The Revolutionary She offers concrete tools and collaborative models for transforming historic sites into spaces where women’s histories are visible, accurate, and central to public understanding of the past. The session emphasizes sustainability, rigor, and accountability, encouraging participants to move beyond temporary programming toward long-term interpretive change.