The Evolution of Public History

Amanda Roper is a public historian who has spent her career working to preserve historic places and share traditionally underrepresented stories from America's past. She has been Director of the Lee-Fendall House Museum and Sr. Manager of Public Programs & Interpretation at Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House, both in Alexandria, Virginia. In 2018, Amanda was recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation on their list of 40 Under 40: People Saving Places for her significant impact on historic preservation and her contributions to the public's understanding of why places matter. 

Amanda is currently researching and writing a book about the history of women in preservation. She is a 2025-2026 Research Fellow at the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon. And, she also has been listening to Historically Thinking for a surprisingly long time–or so she claims.

For Further Investigation

• Amanda Roper – Official Website
• Lee-Fendall House Museum & Garden
• Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House
• McLeod Plantation Historic Site
• Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor
• National Trust for Historic Preservation – 40 Under 40
• George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon
• Society for American Archivists – Women’s History Resources
• National Association for Interpretation
• Richard Moe, "Are There Too Many House Museums?"
• "Resource or burden? Historic house museums confront the 21st century"
• "Historic House Museums: 'A quirky, dusty, and endangered American institution"?
• Amanda Roper, "There is No Such Thing as Too Many Historic House Museums"