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.
And having lived in the Midwest, Washington, Chicago, and Dallas, my perspective was different than that of many people who had spent all of their life in New England or the Northeast. And coming from a business/marketing and tech background, much of it spent in start-ups, my approach to "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 has grown to be the largest event of its kind in the nation, with 350+ people from across the country attending History Camp Boston every year.
It 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 two and three day events that draw people from across the country. We are currently doing a series about the formation of our nation and the events of 250 years ago.
The History List Store
To support The History List, in 2016 I started The History List Store with our trademarked "History Nerd" design
I care deeply about the quality and the historical accuracy of everything we offer. And nearly everything you see in our store is our own design and nearly everything is made in America.
And that's why I consider what we offer as "Made by America."
In late 2023 I added Rare Finds. The 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 includes his handwritten notate 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. These are announced in a special mailing that 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. 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