Meet Your Neighbors: Life Beyond Tweets and Texts in Old City

Preserve your history with Susan Hanson

Between our clients, our Blogs and our Tweets and Texts, we have come to know some of Philadelphia's most intriguing experts. Susan Hanson happens to be one of them. Why's that? Well, she currently runs a consulting practice called Perspective from History Behind the Scenes, which offers writing research and personal history services to individuals, businesses, churches, schools and other community organizations. Do you need your history documented? Leave it to Susan Hanson.

Since most of the writers we know focus on the future, present, or immediate past such as when the latest technology device will come out or the latest scroll on CNN, etc., it seems like many of us would rather not dwell in the past. We are constantly gazing ahead. Hanson's business gives us something different and truly wonderful, an opportunity to preserve stories in a very personal way, even though we are racing forward without the time to document beyond our daily tweets and texts.

"I established History Behind the Scenes, my consulting service for history museums, historic sites and cultural institutions, in 2001," explains Hanson, "With the slowdown in the economy, museums and other projects were being put on hold or disappearing altogether and with the rise of interest in memoirs and personal history, I decided to branch out and seek private clients earlier this year. Perspective is a new branch of my business in my new city. I certainly hope many here will be intrigued by what Perspective has to offer."

Through her work, Hanson has encountered stories with personal ties to her own history.

"I organized a large private archive and developed the life story of a woman, who lived an amazing life as an Office of Strategic Services (OSS) official during World War II and later as a high ranking civil servant. Since the archives were my aunt’s and the clients were members of my extended family, the project had aspects of both the professional and the personal. Most of all, it brought into focus the world of the “Greatest Generation” that is fast receding from living memory."

Hanson's office location of Old City puts her in the midst of some of Philadelphia's most well-preserved and storied historical sites. It's hard to walk the streets of Old City without feeling a little pang of nostalgia. How does Hanson like working in the Historic District of Philly?

"After a career in living history museums, it makes me feel very much at home professionally and personally. I feel especially gratified that so many visitors from all over the world walk our streets and take in the pivotal history that happened there. It really is my kind of place."

It can be challenging to dig deep into history and piece together a story. Heavy research and fact-checking are an important part of Hanson's writing. At the end of the project, she feels quite accomplished.

"Usually, I have mixed feelings that range between feeling deeply satisfied about the life story that has emerged from all of the research and writing and wishing that there was time or money to do more. People generally react positively, saying the client was lucky to have me around."

Thank you Susan Hanson, for offering us such a wonderful and meaningful service.

Let us not forget where we came from.