Presence and Absence in Pennsylvania
Bust of Captain John Carlton by John Fisher, c. 1786.
The sculpture, in the collections of the York County History Center, is a keystone object through which to dissect the intersectionality of historical place on the Susquehanna River and the ways in which indigenous memory has been wiped from south central Pennsylvania identity and common cultural knowledge. The bust is an example of the use of material and visual culture to expand the upcoming commemoration of America 250. This essay will be published in the special issue of the American Historical Review, “’76 Objects,” which will appear in the summer of 2026, for the Semiquincentennial. The material was presented at Ft Ticonderoga’s Material Matters annual conference (2024) and at the Pennsylvania Historical Association annual meeting (2024).