Dr. Julie Holcomb
Interim Department Chair Professor in Museum Studies Graduate Program Director
Education
B.A., Pacific University
M.L.I.S., University of Texas at Austin
Ph.D., University of Texas at Arlington
Certifications
Certified Archivist, Academy of Certified Archivists
Academic and Professional Interests
Dr. Julie Holcomb is professor of museum studies. She teaches courses in museum, library, and archival collections management and ethics. She has led professional development workshops for the Texas Association of Museums and the Society of Southwest Archivists. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Dr. Holcomb chairs the curriculum subcommittee of the Diversity and Belonging Committee in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Holcomb is a member of the Academy of Certified Archivists, the Texas Association of Museums, the Society of Southwest Archivists, and the American Association for State and Local History.
Dr. Holcomb serves as the editor of Quaker History, a scholarly publication of the Friends Historical Association, and she is active in the Pennsylvania Historical Association. She has held faculty research fellowships at Swarthmore College, Haverford College, and the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Emancipation.
Selected Publications
Books
Exploring the American Civil War through 50 Historic Treasures. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2021.
Moral Commerce: Quakers and the Transatlantic Boycott of the Slave Labor Economy. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2016.
Southern Sons, Northern Soldiers: The Civil War Letters of the Remley Brothers, 22nd Iowa Infantry. DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 2004.
Articles
“The Timothy O. Webster Papers and the Pearce Civil War Collection: Using Civil War Military Collections for Women’s History.” Collections: A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals. 14 (Summer 2018).
“Blood-Stained Sugar: Gender, Commerce, and the British Slave-Trade Debates.” Slavery & Abolition. 35 (December 2014).
Book Chapters
“Women in the World of George W. Taylor: The Public and Private Worlds of Orthodox Quaker Women.” In New Critical Studies on Quaker Women, 1800-1920: Finding New Voices. Edited by Robynne Rogers Healey and Carole Dale Spencer State College: Penn State University Press, 2023.
“Quakers and Reform in Nineteenth-Century America: Friends’ Response to Anti-Slavery, Women’s Rights, and the American Civil War.” In The Quakers, 1830-1937: The Creation of Modern Quaker Diversity. Edited by Stephen Angell, Ben Pink Dandelion, and David Watt. State College: Penn State University Press, 2023.
Research in Progress
Dr. Holcomb is working on a biography of Quaker reformer and free produce activist George W. Taylor.
What is your favorite museum?
"One? Just one? The Pearce Civil War and Western Art Museum in Corsicana, Texas, is a favorite because I was involved in the creation of that museum and the development of its collections. In Texas, the Briscoe Western Art Museum in San Antonio and the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth are two favorites. Beyond Texas, the Liberty Bell Center, Independence Hall, and the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia are amazing. In Chester County, outside Philadelphia, I love visiting Longwood Gardens, the People’s Hall, and Ridley Creek State Park. All three are historic sites with personal connections to family history. The first two are affiliated with my ancestor J. Williams Thorne, a Progressive Quaker, abolitionist and carpet bagger. Ridley Creek State Park is home to the John Worrall House, which was built in 1682 by my husband’s sixth great-grandfather. The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati and the Museum of African American History on the Black Heritage Trail in Boston are important reminders of our nation’s history. Finally, I spent a memorable evening exploring Steamtown (Scranton, PA) with my husband. By the way, his favorite museum is the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg. So many museums, so little time!"
Primary Courses Taught
- Introduction to Cultural Collections Management (U)
- Ethical Issues in Cultural Collections Management (U)
- Archival Collections and Museums (U)
- The History and Curation of Book Collections (U)
- Ethical Issues in Museums, Libraries, and Archives (G)
- Archival Arrangement and Description (G)