Facebook history groups are emerging as a unique platform for individuals to document and share personal and communal memories. Users from various towns and cities across the U.S. contribute photos, stories, and artifacts about local places and histories. These groups often contain valuable information that might not be recorded anywhere else. Authorities like John Marks from Historic Geneva use these platforms to engage with the community, digitizing collections and facilitating connections between residents and local history, enhancing understandings of their neighborhood's past.
"There'll be a corner store, and we have one name for it, and then people remember all of the owners over time," says John Marks.
"Say I post a picture of a factory that was here, and they say, 'you know, my mom worked there, and I have X, Y and Z from that factory,'" Marks says.
"I'll reply to the post and say if you ever want to donate it, we'd love to have you give me a call."
Marks says he typically spends a few hours a month preparing and scheduling posts, researching what the museum knows about particular images.
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