About The History List
How it started . . . and how we got to today.
Decades after a career in business and new ventures, I moved to New England, bought an old house (c 1780), and started getting involved in my local community's history organizations.
Having lived in the Midwest, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Dallas, my perspective was different than that of many people who had spent their entire life in New England. And coming from a business/marketing and tech background, much of it spent in start-ups, my approach to sharing history was different than almost everyone I met.
I started The History List in 2011 in the Boston area to help connect local history organizations and those in the area interested in history. It's grown to become the largest list of history-related events and exhibits covering the region.
In 2014, I started History Camp after attending a tech event at MIT that had a unique format that welcomed everyone to present.
History Camp Boston has grown to be the largest event of its kind in the nation. In August 2025 more than 400 people from 27 states came for 50+ sessions and four tours.
History Camp is now a project of The Pursuit of History, a non-profit organization I co-founded in 2019.
In 2023 we launched Pursuit of History Weekends, small group, deep dive, history-where-it-happened events two or three days in length that draw people from across the country. Our travel series, The Pursuit of History for Our Nation's 250th, goes to two cities every year through 2033 for a deep dive into the formation of our nation and the events of 250 years ago. (A short article in my grad's school's alumni magazine provides additional background.)
The History List Store
To support The History List, in 2016 I started The History List Store with our trademarked "History Nerd" design.
Today we have hundreds of products, nearly every one is our own design and nearly every one is made in America.
In late 2023 I added Rare Finds. These original historic items have ranged from a presidential appointment signed by President Thomas Jefferson and his Secretary of State, James Madison, to a report on Gettysburg National Cemetery owned by the man who designed the cemetery and that included his handwritten note about standing near Lincoln when he gave his address, a striking poster about The Great War, and a hand-colored 1762 map of North America. Our Rare Finds mailing goes out across the country at 9 pm Eastern every Thursday night.
The History List and The History List Store are separate and not a part of non-profit organization The Pursuit of History. However, some products created by and for The Pursuit of History are available in The History List Store. Those items are clearly marked and 100% of the proceeds from the sale of those items goes directly to The Pursuit of History.
The common thread through all of these efforts is connecting people to history.
My thanks to my colleagues who work hard as we continue to expand The History List Store:
- Danella — Store operations
- Gia — Store operations support
- Larisa — Social media and customer service
- Claire — Video and special projects
- Paul — Customer service
- Kevin — Site operations and infrastructure
- Fabio — Fulfillment operations
You are the reason
You are the reason we have grown to become the largest creator of original branded products that people with a passion for our nation's history love.
I'm always happy to hear from you. In fact, after getting several questions I did the short video below.
If you have a question or suggestion about the products we design and offer, please send me a note. I read every message and we capture every idea.
— Lee Wright | Founder | The History List | History Camp | The Pursuit of History