Mapping as Discovery
Traditionally, reconnaissance surveys lead into intensive surveys and in depth archival research. In the case of the Asian Americans in Maryland Historic Context Statement, thinking of surveying as a cyclical and iterative process may yield the most comprehensive and detailed results. Using intensive surveys and research to map out properties and surveys of areas of concentrations to identify additional properties will build the list of significant properties and aid in their understanding. The process of mapping to discover new properties that comes out of this iterative process will be important to identifying sites in a survey area as large as the state of Maryland.
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As many resources lack traditional forms of integrity or are not apparent from visual survey, finding resources tied to Asian American heritage will need to rely on other methods. Using information collected from community engagement and archival research and mapping out identified sites will provide points to begin research from. Newspaper ads, photos, business cards, bulletins, or other archival information may give addresses of sites worth investigating. For example, a trip to the Maryland Historical Society archives yielded multiple findings about Chinese Americans in Baltimore. An oral history from Leslie Chin [1] mentioned two Chinese cemeteries in Baltimore, one at the end of North Avenue and one at Louden Park cemetery. Photos from their collection also gave addresses of important sites and provided imagery of the buildings during their period of significance. Social media resources such as Facebook’s Baltimore Old Photos group [2] can also yield photos and stories about sites.
A search through the group reveals a scan of an ad which led to the discovery of a grouping of buildings near the 2400 block of N Charles Street. Comments from another post led to the discovery of another building on the 200 block of Fayette Street. |
Post in Baltimore Old Photos Facebook Group (upper left, New China Inn. Photograph. Baltimore Old Photos Group. Facebook, 2016. https://www.facebook.com/groups/779324542159457/). 200 Block of Fayette Street (upper right, 200 Block of Fayette Street. Photograph. Google Maps. Google, 2020. https://www.google.com/maps). 2400 Block of Charles Street (below, 2400 Block of Charles Street. Photograph. Google Maps. Google, 2020. https://www.google.com/maps).
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Census data can also be used to help narrow search areas and correlate population shifts. Censuses dating back to 1870 noted Chinese as a race/ethnicity category. [3] Japanese began to be included as a category in 1890 and more groups were added starting in 1920. Using GIS to map this data could point out major concentrations of Asian American groups and track their shifts over time.
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In addition to archival resources, community engagement methods can yield significant information to inform the survey. SurveyLA’s use of outreach demonstrates how public knowledge can be used to inform the survey process. Facilitators held meetings, used social media tools, recruited volunteers, and trained community leaders to gather their own information in order to help identify and investigate the heritage resources of LA’s diverse population. Asking targeted questions about place during oral histories, at community events, or through social media platforms will be important to identifying resources that have not been well documented. If someone mentions a place during an oral history interview, it is important to make sure to get an address or block location, as the business name may not be easily accessible through a search or archival materials. Putting out a call for information on social media could also yield great results. Posts in the Baltimore Old Photos group about Chinese American sites generate dozens of comments about related sites. At community events, “vox pops,” or short one-question interviews, could quickly gather information about a variety of sites.
Possible questions to pose to community members include:
• What was your favorite Chinese food to get in Baltimore? Where was the restaurant located?
• Where did you go for groceries?
• Were there any laundries or family associations in the area? What other Chinese-owned businesses were there?
• Where was the local hangout? Where did you spend your leisure time?
• Where did you live? Did you have family nearby?
Integrating community engagement and archival research into the site discovery process through mapping exercises will be a vital part of identifying resources associated with Asian Americans in Maryland, especially those without obvious physical characteristics.
1. Leslie Chin, “Leslie Chin, Immigrant from China,” interview by Stephen Knipp, 30 November 1977, Maryland Historical Society Oral History Office.
2. Baltimore Old Photos Facebook Group, Facebook, 2020, https://www.facebook.com/groups/779324542159457/search/?q=chinese.
3. “What Census Calls Us,” Pew Research Center (Pew Research Center, February 6, 2020), https://www.pewresearch.org/interactives/what-census-calls-us/.
4. Ken Bernstein & Janet Hansen (2016) SurveyLA: Linking Historic Resources Surveys to Local Planning, Journal of the American Planning Association, 82:2, 88-91.
Possible questions to pose to community members include:
• What was your favorite Chinese food to get in Baltimore? Where was the restaurant located?
• Where did you go for groceries?
• Were there any laundries or family associations in the area? What other Chinese-owned businesses were there?
• Where was the local hangout? Where did you spend your leisure time?
• Where did you live? Did you have family nearby?
Integrating community engagement and archival research into the site discovery process through mapping exercises will be a vital part of identifying resources associated with Asian Americans in Maryland, especially those without obvious physical characteristics.
1. Leslie Chin, “Leslie Chin, Immigrant from China,” interview by Stephen Knipp, 30 November 1977, Maryland Historical Society Oral History Office.
2. Baltimore Old Photos Facebook Group, Facebook, 2020, https://www.facebook.com/groups/779324542159457/search/?q=chinese.
3. “What Census Calls Us,” Pew Research Center (Pew Research Center, February 6, 2020), https://www.pewresearch.org/interactives/what-census-calls-us/.
4. Ken Bernstein & Janet Hansen (2016) SurveyLA: Linking Historic Resources Surveys to Local Planning, Journal of the American Planning Association, 82:2, 88-91.