A New Leader on a Journey Through Hallowed Grounds
by Morgan Hensley
Journey Through Hallowed Ground (JTHG), a National Heritage Area spanning the 180 miles from Gettysburg battlefield to Jefferson’s Monticello, has been called “Where America Happened” and the “Cradle of Democracy.” Who else could be a better fit to oversee the Waterford-based nonprofit than Bill Sellers, a former college president and history enthusiast?
Sellers was raised in Lexington, Mo., seemingly destined for a life dedicated to history. “I grew up loving history,” he said. “Our house there was built before the Civil War. As a boy I read about Jefferson, Monroe, and Madison. I’ve come full circle.”
Sellers attended Harvard University where he played varsity football and ma-jored in history under the tutelage of Pulitzer Prize-winning historians Bernard Bailyn and David Herbert Donald. “They were two of the best in their field,” he said. “They cer-tainly instilled a love of history in me.”
After graduating, Sellers worked on several Congressional campaigns, later earning his Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri School of Law and entering private practice in Kansas City, Mo. In 2008 he was inaugurated as president of Went-worth Military Academy & College in his hometown of Lexington. During his tenure, he increased enrollment and fundraising, helping to save the institution that had been teetering on the brink of closure before his arrival.
During that time, Sellers met Brent Glass, director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, who introduced him to JTHG. The organization was searching for a replacement for Cate Wyatt, who had presided over the organization since its inception in 2005 and was honored with the title of Founding President Emeri-ta once Sellers began last September.
The JTHG contains 15 counties in four states and has hundreds of partners, in-cluding nine presidential homes, 18 national and state parks, 21 historic homes, 57 historic towns and villages and hundreds of battlefields and other historic sites. The corridor was deemed a National Heritage Area in 2008 by Congress. In order to fulfill the criteria, the landscape must be a nationally unique natural, cultural, historic, or scenic resource. When the individual sites are linked, it also must tell a unique story about the U.S. And JTHG has many amazing stories to tell.
“A recent study showed that heritage tourism within our region accounts for over $700 million annually,” Sellers said. “Our organization has an impact in that, and we’re working to have a greater impact through partnerships and cooperation.”
Those partnerships help to ensure that the natural beauty and historical rele-vance of the area are not ruined by irresponsible development. “As more people move out here,” he said, “there’s more pressure. How do we keep our scenic byway a scenic byway?“
One way to preserve the beauty and history of the area is through projects like the Living Legacy Project. The endeavor commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War by planting 620,000 trees, one for every fallen soldier.
Preservation and education are inextricably linked for JTHG.“History isn’t al-ways taught well,” Sellers said. “There are great teachers, but students don’t always engage with history as well as they could.”
To counter this shortcoming, JTHG began Of the Student, By the Student, For the Student. Eighth grade students involved in the semester-long program study a his-torical subject, and by the end of the term, have written, produced, taped and edited a short film (with guidance from JTHG professionals) documenting their findings as they uncover the area’s rich history.
During the summer, JTHG’s “Extreme Journey” summer camp sends youngsters on guided canoeing, biking, and hiking trips through historic locations, providing them a way to interact with history experientially.
“Campers see that history forms a direct line to issues we’re facing today,” Sellers said. “We’re always looking to create a greater understanding and apprecia-tion of history through visiting and interpreting our partner sites.”