Eric’s Vita

In 2014, Eric Plaag established Carolina Historical Consulting, LLC, a historical consulting firm operating throughout the Southeast and based in Boone, NC.

As a result, his vita is no longer updated on this site. To see what Eric is up to professionally, please visit www.CarolinaHistorical.com/about/,  go to the “Our Team” section at the bottom of the page, and click on the link for “full curriculum vitae.”

For the early 2015 version of his vita, see below.

 

Eric W. Plaag
703 Junaluska Road
Boone, NC 28607
(828) 773-6525
ericplaag @ gmail.com (no spaces)

Education

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, Ph.D., History, 2006. Fields: US History to 1877, Public History (preservation studies and material culture), and Culture, Identity, and Economic Development. Additional graduate work in photography and documentary filmmaking.

GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY, M.F.A. Creative Writing, 1994

COLLEGE OF WILLIAM AND MARY, B.A. in Religion, secondary concentration in Philosophy, 1988

Dissertation

“Strangers in a Strange Land: Northern Travelers and the Coming of the American Civil War.” Advisor: Mark M. Smith; Readers: Thomas J. Brown, Don H. Doyle, Jill Lepore (Harvard University)

Work History (Non-Teaching)

Founder and Principal Consultant, Carolina Historical Consulting, LLC, National Register of Historic Places nominations and evaluations, historic property surveys, preservation planning consultation, commissioned local and institutional histories, freelance archival research, and other public history and historic preservation projects, 2014-Present

Historian, Department of History, University of South Carolina, contract project to complete a history of USC’s College of Arts and Sciences since 1801, 2014-2015

Independent Historical Consultant, National Register of Historic Places nominations and eligibility evaluations, commissioned local and institutional histories, freelance archival research, and other public history and historic preservation projects, 2002-2014

Historical Technician, South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of South Carolina, historical writing, consultation, and National Register eligibility evaluation of historic federal and state properties, 2008-2013

Guest Curator, SilverYana: The Photography of F. Tobias Morriss, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, May-December 2010

Project Coordinator and Guest Curator, Natural Curiosity: The University of South Carolina and the Evolution of Scientific Inquiry into the Natural World, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, October 2006-November 2007

Dean of Students, New England Conservatory of Music, July 2000-July 2002

Regional Director, Portsmouth and Salem Campuses, Graduate and Professional Studies, Franklin Pierce College, March 1998-July 2000; Director, Portsmouth Campus, December 1996-March 1998; Assistant Director, August 1996-December 1996

Publications

Public History Consultation Projects

“To the Prosperity of Society”: A History of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of South Carolina, history commissioned by the College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Carolina (in progress, 2015)

“Of the Highest and Noblest Type”: A History of the Robertville Baptist Church, history commissioned by the congregation of the Robertville Baptist Church (in progress, 2015)

Dr. James A. Fulmer House, Fountain Inn, SC, National Register of Historic Places nomination, 2015.

J. C. Richardson House, Robertville, SC, National Register of Historic Places nomination, 2014

Port Royal Elementary School, Port Royal, SC, National Register of Historic Places nomination, 2014

Sherman’s March Through South Carolina, author and principal field historian in cooperation with SCIAA, funded by two-year grant from American Battlefield Protection Program (completed work for hire), 2013

History of the South Carolina National Guard, co-author in cooperation with SCIAA (completed work for hire), 2013

United States Post Office, Boone, NC: A Brief History, on behalf of the Cultural Resources Department and Historic Preservation Commission, Town of Boone, 2013

Faces of the Guard: South Carolina’s National Guard Armories, website content author in cooperation with SCIAA and the South Carolina National Guard (completed work for hire, 2013)

On the Waters of the Wissahickon: A History of Erdenheim Farm, commissioned history, Columbia: University of South Carolina, privately published, 2012 (reprint forthcoming, USC Press, 2015)

Lawtonville Baptist Church, Estill, SC, National Register of Historic Places nomination, 2012

Palmetto Theatre, Hampton, SC, National Register of Historic Places nomination, 2012

Historical Survey and Evaluation of 15 SCARNG Armory Complexes, South Carolina, eligibility review (completed work for hire, 2012)

Historical Survey and Evaluation of the Inchon 1000-Inch Miniature Anti-Tank Range, Fort Jackson, South Carolina, eligibility review (completed work for hire, 2012)

As Other People Now: Fort Jackson and the Sandhills of Richland County, SC, settlement history of the Fort Jackson area (completed work for hire, 2011)

All That Time Has Spared: Fort Frederica National Monument, administrative history of Fort Frederica National Monument (completed work for hire, 2011)

Hampton County Jail, Hampton, SC, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2011

Union Church of Port Royal, Port Royal, SC, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2010

Cedar Grove Evangelical Lutheran Church, Leesville, SC, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2010

John Lawton House, Estill, SC, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2009

Conestee Mill Complex, Greenville County, SC, historical advisor and contributing writer, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2009

Manning Commercial Historic District, Manning, SC, historical advisor and contributing writer, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2009

Providence United Methodist Church, Providence, SC, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2008.

Hope Rosenwald School, Pomaria, SC, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2007.

Mary H. Wright Elementary School, Spartanburg, SC, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2007.

Dantzler Plantation, Holly Hill, SC, National Register of Historic Places Nomination, 2007.

Resources Associated with Segregation in Columbia, South Carolina, 1880-1960, National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Nomination, co-author, 2005.

Guide to Online and Library Resources, Department of History Website, University of South Carolina, co-author, 2003.

Book Chapters

“’There Is An Abundance of Those Which Are Genuine’: Northern Travelers and Souvenirs of the Antebellum South,” Dixie Emporium: Consumerism, Tourism, and Memory in the American South, University of Georgia Press, 2008.

Articles in Refereed Journals

“‘Let the Constitution Perish’: Prigg v. Pennsylvania, Joseph Story, and the Flawed Doctrine of Historical Necessity,” Slavery and Abolition 25:3 (2004): 76-101.

“New York’s 1741 Slave Conspiracy in a Climate of Fear and Anxiety,” New York History 84:3 (2003): 275-99.

Book Reviews

Review of Delia’s Tears: Race, Science, and Photography in Nineteenth-Century America (Molly Rogers), Journal of Southern History 77:4, (2011).

Review of Traveling South: Travel Narratives and the Construction of American Identity (John D. Cox), South Carolina Historical Magazine 108:1 (2007): 119-21.

Review of Justice of Shattered Dreams: Samuel Freeman Miller and the Supreme Court During the Civil War Era (Michael A. Ross), Slavery and Abolition 26:1 (2005): 159-60.

Review of The Great New York Conspiracy of 1741 (Peter Charles Hoffer), New York History 86:3 (2005): 301-04.

Encyclopedia Articles

“R. F. W. Allston.” The South Carolina Encyclopedia, edited by Walter P. Edgar. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2006.

“Richard I. Manning.” The South Carolina Encyclopedia, edited by Walter P. Edgar. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2006.

Introductions to Books

Introduction. Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville. New York: Barnes and Noble World Digital Library, 2002. MS Reader eBook. Reprinted in traditional book form, 2003.

Introduction. The Education of Henry Adams, by Henry Adams. New York: Barnes and Noble World Digital Library, 2002. MS Reader eBook.

Presentations

“’He Says He Was a Union Man’: Sherman’s March and the Civilians of the Rivers Bridge Vicinity,” 150^th Anniversary Commemoration Series, Rivers Bridge State Historic Site, Erhardt, SC, February 2015.

“’For the First Time I Am Ashamed’: Rattled Yankees and Inconsolable Civilians in the Wake of the Burning of Columbia,” Burning of Columbia, 150^th Anniversary, South Carolina Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum, Columbia, SC, January 2015.

“Traveler’s Time: Temporal Dislocation and Sectional Identity in the Antebellum South,” American Historical Association conference, Philadelphia, PA, January 2006.

“’There is an Abundance of Those Which Are Genuine’: Northern Travelers and Souvenirs of the Antebellum South,” Dixie Emporium Symposium, sponsored by the Watson-Brown Foundation and the Institute for Southern Studies, University of South Carolina, Thomson, GA, October 2005.

“Making Sense of the Old South: Northern Travelers and the Coming of the American Civil War,” Cleanth Brooks Graduate Student Forum, St. George Tucker Society Conference, Thomson, GA, August 2005.

“‘Let the Constitution Perish’: Prigg v. Pennsylvania and Justice Story’s Codification of Historical Necessity,” South Carolina Historical Association Annual Meeting, Columbia, SC, March 1, 2003.

“Blending the Online and Traditional Models of Teaching: The Next Paradigm for Adult Education,” Center for Internet Technology in Education Conference, March 23, 2000.

“Insiders, Outsiders, and Cather’s Internal Storytelling,” Graduate English Student Association Conference, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, June 5, 1993.

Other Professional Experience and Service

Chairperson, Digital Watauga Project, Watauga County Historical Society, 2014-Present

Chairperson, Town of Boone Historic Preservation Commission, 2014-present; Member, 2012-2014

Board Member, Downtown Boone Development Association, Boone, NC, 2013-present

Trustee, Appalachian Theatre of the High Country, Boone, NC, 2012-present

Chairperson, Archives and History Committee, Appalachian Theatre of the High Country, Boone, NC, 2012-present

Historical Preservation Consultant (volunteer), Appalachian Theatre Task Force, Boone, NC, 2011-12

Peer Reviewer, Winterthur Portfolio, 2011

Peer Reviewer, Slavery and Abolition, 2009

Grants and Awards

American Battlefield Protection Program, National Park Service grant, 2010-12 (awarded to SCIAA, served as Historian on grant project team)

Mellon Research Fellow, Virginia Historical Society, 2004

Mary Catherine Mooney Fellow, The Boston Athenaeum, 2003-2004

Second Prize, Humanities Division, Graduate Student Day, University of South Carolina, 2003

Graduate School Fellow, University of South Carolina, 2002-2006

Winner, North Shore Community College Council on International Education Mini-Grant for Curriculum Development, “The Immigrant in America,” Spring 1996

Photography

Publications

Ineffable Light, Blurb Press, 118pp, 60 images (in progress, 2014).

“F. Tobias Morriss: A Place in Our Memory,” Jasper, 2:3 (Jan./Feb. 2013): 30-33.

While in This Place, Limited Edition Group Portfolio, 11” x 14” handcrafted linen box with 20 original prints, 2007.

“Foundation, Ft. Livingston, Grande Terre” and “Coming Home” in 2007 Jubilee Anthology, Nicholls State University Press, 2007.

Affiliations

Artist Associate, ArtWalk, Boone, NC (2011-2012)

Associate Artist, Workhouse Arts Center, Lorton, Virginia (2011)

Selected Exhibitions

Eric Plaag: Retrospective Exhibition, solo exhibition, Jones House Community and Cultural Center, August 2014

Friends and Family Exhibition, juried exhibition, Workhouse Arts Center, September 2011

The Illusion of Truth: Three Photographers on Implicit Memory, Vista Studios Gallery 80808, Columbia, SC, August 2010

Summertime and the Art Is Good Lookin’, curated exhibit, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, May-August 2010

Contemporaries Artist of the Year Competition, juried competition, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC, May 2010

Wonder and Curiosity, curated exhibit, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, March-May 2009

But One Man Alone…, solo exhibition, USC Arts Institute, University of South Carolina, June-December 2008

In Black and White: Louisiana’s Retreating Coast and Communities, curated exhibit, Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, April-August 2008

Spring for Art!, curated exhibit, McKissick Museum, University of South Carolina, March-May 2008

2008 USC Art Department Auction, Capstone Building, University of South Carolina, April 2008

52nd Annual USC Student Art Exhibition, juried competition, McMaster Art Gallery, University of South Carolina, February 2008

Photogra3, Vista Studios Gallery 80808, Columbia, SC, January 2008

Contemporaries Artist of the Year Competition, juried competition, Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, SC, November 2007

Coastal Landscape Photography, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, Cocodrie, LA, May 2007

Memento Mori, City Art Gallery, Columbia, SC, April 2007

Mediafest 2007, juried competition, University of South Carolina, April 2007

2007 USC Art Department Auction, Capstone Building, University of South Carolina, April 2007

51st Annual USC Student Art Exhibition, juried competition, McMaster Art Gallery, University of South Carolina, February 2007

Salon des Refusés, juried show, McMaster Student Gallery, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, February 2007

Collections

Office of the President, University of South Carolina

Thomas Cooper Library, Rare Books Collection, University of South Carolina

College of Arts and Sciences, Office of the Dean, University of South Carolina

McMaster College of Art, University of South Carolina

Other Professional Experience

Managing Editor, While in This Place, Limited Edition Group Portfolio, 2007

Juror, Riverbanks Zoo Annual Photography Contest, Columbia, SC, 2007

Film and Video Production

Documentaries

Nubby Linen, or a short history of the Christopher Wren Singers (2007), producer, writer, editor, original camera; digitization of archival video, audio, and photographs for use in production

The Girl in the Dream (2007), producer, writer, editor, original camera and sound; digitization of archival Super 8 film, video, and photographs for use in production

USC Photovoice International (2007), first camera, lighting technician

Untitled, Topper Archaeological Site (partial web release, 2007), assistant camera, crane operator

Had We But World Enough, And Time (2006), principal production editor; camera, sound, writing, and editing on “We Have Embarked!” segment

Community Harvest (2006), co-editor, special graphics effects assistant

Neither Here Nor There (2006), co-editor and production assistant

Dramatic Work

Black Jax (2006), actor (“Doctor”) and voiceover work

Awards

Award of Merit, 52nd Annual USC Student Art Exhibition, McMaster Art Gallery, University of South Carolina, February 2008

Third Prize, Black and White Photography, Mediafest 2007, University of South Carolina, April 2007

Award of Merit, 51st Annual USC Student Art Exhibition, McMaster Art Gallery, University of South Carolina, February 2007

Teaching

American Public University (Online)
Instructor, December 2011-November 2012, Graduate Courses in Historic Preservation

University of South Carolina
Instructor, September 2004-May 2006, US History Survey I & II
Graduate Teaching Assistant, January-May 2004, US History Survey I
Graduate Research Assistant, Dan Carter and Patricia Sullivan, August 2002-December 2003

Franklin Pierce College
Instructor, Division of Graduate and Professional Studies, January 1994-August 2000, various courses in American Studies, Creative Writing, English Composition, American Literature, English Literature, Mass Communications, Effective Speaking, Philosophy, and Core Curriculum Humanities Courses

Endicott College
Adjunct Instructor, September 1995-May 1997, US History, American Culture, and Effective Speaking

North Shore Community College
Adjunct Instructor, January-May 1996, Effective Speaking, English Composition, and State and Local Government

New Hampshire College
Adjunct Instructor, January 1996-August 1996, English Composition and Introduction to Drama

Keene State College
Adjunct Instructor, September-December 1994, English Composition

Johnson State College
Adjunct Instructor, External Degree Program, March-June 1994, Philosophy

Community College of Vermont-Brattleboro
Adjunct Instructor, January 1994-August 1995, English Composition, Introduction to Religion, and Core Curriculum Humanities Courses

Current Professional Affiliations

American Historical Association
National Council on Public History
Organization of American Historians
St. George Tucker Society (Fellow)

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