Photo: John Sucansky
Dave Johnston brings American history to life.
On July 4, the United States will mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but the Plymouth History Center has a year’s worth of historical programming already well underway. The Founders 250 Series is a 12-part lecture series that has been providing an overview of the American Revolutionary period from 1750–1850.
Dave Johnston, also known as the Traveling Professor, kicked off the monthly lecture series with a prelude to the Revolutionary War and has since brought the chronological series up to the presidency of George Washington. “You could certainly pick and choose [which to attend] based on content,” historic site coordinator Ryan Barland says. He notes that some topics are expected to be more popular than others, like the lecture from 2–3 p.m. June 18 at the Plymouth History Center about the life of Benjamin Franklin.
Regardless of topic, Barland says Johnston is an eminently engaging speaker. “He tends to wear historically accurate clothing for the period, so he will dress up in similar clothing to George Washington [for example],” Barland says. “He really tries to make the lectures feel more like a conversation.”
The Founders 250 Series alternates location between the Plymouth History Center and the Plymouth Community Center, with the lecture from 2–3 p.m. July 23 about the lives of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson being held at the latter. Find the schedule for the rest of the series at history.plymouthmn.gov.
