Laura Milsk Fowler, Ph.D.
Research Interests and Projects
My research current project looks at the history of Chicago’s downtown railroad terminals as a place where one can see the complexities of public space. Built initially as temporary structures in the middle of the nineteenth century, the buildings quickly became centerpieces of the railroad and of the burgeoning city in the Midwest. Through this I study the history of Chicago, the railroad industry, immigration, urban history, public space, and the applications of race and gender in these spaces.
Other projects include the Croatian Heritage Project, a community research project that is exploring the history of the Croatian community in Southwestern Illinois throughout the twentieth century.
I also direct the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program in Museum Studies. For more information, please contact our web page at www.siue.edu/MUSEUMSTUDIES.
Research interests: U.S. History, 1850- present, History of Illinois, History of Chicago, Urban History, Immigration and Ethnicity, History of Transportation, History of Museums, Public History, and Museology.
Assistant Professor, Department of Historical Studies
Director, Museum Studies Program
Selected Publications:
“Mapping Movement: Spatial Narratives in Popular Cartography.” With Diedre Egan, Darin Jensen, and Nichole Wiedemann. Available online at http://www.newberry.org/smith/exhibits/popcart/movement.html . 2006.
“Railroad Stations,” in Encyclopedia of Urban History. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, forthcoming.)
Book Review of H. Roger Grant, Getting Around: Exploring Transportation History. (Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing Company, 2003). In History News, July 2005.
Encyclopedia Entry, “Railroad Stations,” in Encyclopedia of American Urban History (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press), forthcoming.
Encyclopedia entries, "Union Station at Chicago," "O'Hare Airport," and "Midway Airport." Encyclopedia of the Midwest. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, forthcoming, 2005.
