Cover of Lingering Inland
Andy Oler joins Middle West US, writing about _Lingering Inland_ essays about the Midwest.
Oler writes: “_Lingering Inland_ sets out to provide the space and time for Midwesterners to explore their stories as well as their places.”
middlewest.us/lingering-ov...
Check out this little teaser for Lingering Inland posted at Middle West US (thanks for the opportunity, @friefeld.bsky.social!) middlewest.us/lingering-ov...
“I Predicted the 2008 Financial Crisis. What Is Coming May Be Worse.”www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/opinion/finan...
I recently wrote a short post on Abraham Lincoln, the nation's founders, and the Declaration of Independence for Lincoln250.org
www.lincoln250.org/post/lincoln...
A bit late sharing my review of Jon White and William Griffing’s _Great and Good Man:First-Hand Accounts of Abraham Lincoln._
Lincoln’s last decree
Public historian and museum educator Ashlee Anderson joins Middle West US to talk about what might be Abraham Lincoln's last decree, currently in the collection at History Nebraska.
Hear the story at middlewest.us/podcasts/
(photo courtesy of History Nebraska)
Winner of the 2024 Nebraska Book Award, THE FIRST MIGRANTS, by Richard Edwards and @friefeld.bsky.social weaves together the narrative histories of the six most important Black homesteader communities.
Save 40% during our Bison Books Sale: bit.ly/BisonBooksSa...
Brooke Morgan, Curator of Anthropology at the Illinois State Museum, joins me to discuss a Clovis point from Illinois, a Midwestern artifact that is approximately 13,000 years old.
open.spotify.com/episode/6aMe...
Sarah E. Lirley shares the story of Estelle Johnson's suicide from her new book _Sudden Deaths in St. Louis: Coroner Bias in the Gilded Age_.
Check it out at MiddleWest.us
The untold story of the first Black families who claimed a piece of the American West against all odds. @friefeld.bsky.social , University of Illinois Springfield , UIS Center for Lincoln Studies , discusses: faculti.net/the-first-mi...
#history
Always nice to receive a good review!
Family sitting around the table with Jake Friefeld
Family sitting around the table with Jake Friefeld
Jake Friefeld
Hey! Episode 2 of #BackToTheFrontier dropped today—how do ya think our families are doing?
Jacob Friefeld in the frontier
The first episode of Back to the Frontier dropped—a show available on HBO Max and the Magnolia Network that challenges 3 families to live like 1880s homesteaders. It was an absolute joy to be part of this production!
Monument of Johann Strauss
Strauss by night
It was a pleasure presenting at the Midwest History Conference on Black Freedom in Illinois with Brian Mitchell and John Lupton.
We lamented not getting a photo of our panel, so I had fun with ai. May I present the bizarro-world Brian, Jake, and John presenting to a large but oddly small audience.
Friefeld posing between two Wild West characters
I had a great time presenting on Black Homesteaders in photographs at the South Dakota State Historical Society Conference in Deadwood last week!
I’m terrible at getting photos while I present, so here is a picture of me with Wild Bill Hickok and Jack McCall.
Historian and a musician on a stage in a bar.
Historian and a musician on a stage in a bar.
Last week historian Christian McWhirter and musician Randy Erwin put on a great show, playing Civil War Era music and providing historical context for the songs. The Springfield community is so lucky to have a knowledgeable Lincoln scholar like McWhirter to guide us through the Civil War Era.
"US companies legally collecting digital advertising data are also providing the world a cheap and reliable way to track the movements of American military and intelligence personnel overseas, from their homes and their children’s schools to hardened aircraft shelters"
A group of scholars gathered around a Lincoln statue
A group of people at a banquet
Every year I look forward to the Lincoln Forum. The engaging presentations by first-class scholars are a big part of that, but getting to spend time talking about Lincoln, his era, and his legacy with friends and colleagues makes it truly special.
Campus in autumn
Last month I had the pleasure of attending the Nebraska Celebration of Books and accepting the Nebraska Book Award for Nonfiction History. I had a great time answering audience questions and talking with talented authors! Always a joy to be back on UNL’s campus.
Great to be recognized for this exhibit. Was a joy working with Christian and the exhibits team.
Last week I had a wonderful time with good friends and colleagues at the Lincoln Forum in Gettysburg. Thoroughly enjoyed my panel on Black life after emancipation. Here I’m pictured with dear friends at the spot Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg Address 160 years ago.
