The Story of…

HSCC’s job is to be the premier storyteller for Carroll County, recounting the stories of the people, places, and events that have influenced and continue to influence its history and to place those accounts within the broader context of the American experience.

Derived from the Late Latin “storia,” the words “history” and “story” were, prior to the 16th century, synonymous and defined as a “connected account or narration of some happening.” The sense that a story was a “narrative of fictitious events meant to entertain” arose in the 1500s, while the view that a story was a euphemism for “a lie” dates from 1690s. Today the concept of “storytelling” has come full circle and is known as narrative nonfiction within the historical community. In effect, calling history “storytelling” countermands the notion that the history discipline is stuffy, dusty, and full of useless dates.

It is the Historical Society’s charge to utilize its resources—its collection of objects, documents, photographs, historic buildings, and grounds—and its educational expertise to chronicle the ongoing activities of the county’s people and to make this information accessible to everyone in relevant ways.