Philadelphia. The City of Brotherly Love. The place my heart decided to settle.
Imperfect. Maddening. Beautiful. Ugly. Inspirational.
I wonder what my life would look like had my husband and I not decided to return here. Would I refer to myself as a writer, storyteller, public historian, preservationist, genealogist, activist, or photographer, if I had spent the last twenty years walking down different streets?
It’s rare for me to walk outside my door and not take a photo along the way. Here are some of my recent favorite cityscapes:
Somewhere along the way I became interested in what roots us to place. Is it blood ties? Or merely walking the same streets hundreds of year apart? What connects us?
I descend from many restless souls. In recent years I have traveled across the country hunting down all the places my DNA lies buried. I am less interested in venerating my ancestors and more interested in uncovering the characteristics that get passed down through the centuries. I am still learning about my deep American roots. I definitely don’t like everything I’ve uncovered. But it is a part of our heritage and I am determined to make sense of it all. Or perhaps merely shine a light.
In recent years my focus has been on elevating the hidden stories of women, especially the work of women in the early preservation movement.
Poke around this website and you will discover varied topics in my blog posts, photo blogs, and published essays, from a brain left to science to the birth of the Jaws of Life, a journey through Leukemia or even just a journey around the block.
Read my most recent contribution to Hidden City Philadelphia HERE
If you have questions/comments or would simply like to connect, please send me a message. (If you like a photo and would like to use it, please ask nicely.)
Follow me on Instagram for visits to historic sites, daily walks, and lots of cats and flowers!
Instagram Live Feed:
Mickey Herr 