Reconstructing Historic Landmarks

"Cogent and consistently engaging, this book greatly enriches the discourse of heritage conservation. Wayde Brown lays bare its inevitable admixture of atavism, alienation and appropriation while acknowledging changing endeavour to capture temporal and cultural authenticity. He deserves particular praise for his articulate review of theory as well as practice, and attention to dominant settler but also indigenous patrimony through his adept selection and interrogation of a sequence of major reconstruction projects across North America. The analysis of these projects properly acknowledges the importance individual actors, and thus the play of prejudice and presumption in the staging of touristic historical recall through place and artifact."

Rhodri Windsor-Liscombe, The University of British Colombia, Canada

"Wayde Brown provides offers a fascinating look at reconstructing historic places that have been destroyed. Opinion has been divided over the value of rebuilding lost heritage. Some favour it for providing a clear picture of what has vanished, while others complain that it introduces new, and sometimes incorrect, ideas about the past. Brown treats this controversial subject generally, while also focussing on well-selected past examples."

Harold Kalman, private scholar, Canada

"Reconstructing Historic Landmarks: Fabrication, Negotiation, and the Past is evocative and broadly documents the reconstruction processes and the struggles to align with the public narrative in Canada and the United States. With this book, Wayde Brown invigorates the discussion on reconstruction and authenticity. He clearly illuminates the dichotomy between the opportunities and constraints of evidence-based approaches and the romantic poignancy of the public narrative that arise when reconstructing historic buildings and contexts."

Robert A. Young, University of Utah, USA

"For more than a century, reconstruction of lost and demolished historic buildings has been a significant manifestation of the historic preservation movements in the United States and Canada. Reconstruction of historic buildings is arguably a peculiarly North American expression where colonial experiments, migration, geo-political conflict, and economic and technological change left abandoned places and buildings in their wake. Wayde Brown has gathered here the fascinating histories of the reconstruction of several dozen historic buildings and places in Canada and the United States. Brown’s investigation of a transcontinental sample of reconstructed buildings is a welcome reintroduction to the powerful allure these places exerted and the individuals and organizations who mounted efforts to return them and the history they witnessed to visibility and visitation. Brown’s broad ranging inquiry reminds us that the resurrection of lost buildings not only reconnected past and present but reflected the renewal, and sometimes the invention, of privileged narratives. In an era of "fake news," Brown’s artful summaries of the research and wrangling that lay behind the reconstruction of historic buildings he explores deepens our understanding of how reconstructions have made "lost" history real for generations of historic sites visitors. Brown acknowledges criticisms leveled at reconstructions in the past but draws new attention to their ability to shed false narratives for new ones that bring attention to the agency of historical groups often overlooked in breezy narratives that mask the complexities of historical processes."

Carter L. Hudgins, Clemson University, USA

"Among the remarkable achievements of this highly readable work is Brown’s success in demonstrating the power of the individual to shape collective memory. As much as reconstructed historic landmarks such as Fort Ticonderoga represent group (and often state) action, Brown adeptly illustrates how such sites have frequently been the work of a few key actors, whose personal goals and motivations still permeate these re-created historical spaces—and thus continue to communicate which historical narratives deserve to be prioritized and celebrated."

Philip Herrington, James Madison University, USA