Johnson Thriving in Post as New County Historian
Diving into the historical material that surrounds her, Sarah Johnson has the energy and excitement that stereotypically isn’t matched with the job of an historian.
On this day in mid-November, Johnson, the newly appointed Putnam County historian and Southeast resident, is taking a look at the life of Clinton J. Peterson, a Putnam resident and African American who fought in World War I. In a large book filled with newspaper clippings, Johnson is reading correspondents he wrote from France for a local newspaper, the Putnam County Courier.
“I don’t think World War I gets as much attention,” Johnson said. “Those veterans I think kind of got short drifted in the grand scheme of interpretation.”
It’s one example of the incredible and unique history the county holds. And after the death of Dennis Castelli, the former county historian, Johnson is now the closest person in the county to understanding the past of Putnam.
“I think Putnam County is a place where people come here on vacation and we get to live here all year round,” Johnson said. “So that’s pretty exciting.”
Johnson’s passion for history came from both her parents and grandparents. She was always interested where her ancestors came from and can remember going antique shopping with her parents, finding interesting collectibles. When asked what type of the historical items her family attained, she jokes, “how much time do you have.”
Johnson earned an undergraduate degree in history and received her masters from NYU in 1989. She has taught at the University of Maryland, Bard College and the Pratt Institute. Additionally, she was a full-time faculty member at Parsons School of Design and received her Ph.D from the University of Brighton in England in 2004.
More recently, she was research fellow at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, England and then became a visiting associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University School of Design in Pittsburgh.
County Executive MaryEllen Odell, in a press release, noted how impressed she is with Johnson, who set herself apart during the interview process.
“Sarah is an extraordinarily well- educated, experienced, capable and friendly woman who I feel will be a wonderful asset not only to the position of County Historian but to Putnam on the whole,” said Odell in the release. “She brings with her a deep commitment to preservation and a passion for sharing history, making it accessible to everyone. We were very fortunate to find someone like her to take over this important position.”
Johnson said she wants to push the historian office into a more digital age to make county history more accessible to residents. That plan includes taking digital photos of historical markers and putting them online so residents can search for them, launching a blog, and collecting oral history of residents in the area.
She also wants to do seasonal programming, depending on the time of year and also launch a survey to see what residents are interested in. With big shoes to fill, Johnson is looking forward to every historical discovery and bringing that passion to Putnam residents.
“When Reggie White, (the county archivist) took me through the records last week, I was just salivating because the titles of some of them in there were so compelling,” she said. “I can’t wait to get back and roll my sleeves up and dive into it and see what other treasures are there to be unearthed.”
