Participant Info

First Name
Kelli
Last Name
Huggins
Country
United States
State
NY New York
Affiliation
Catskill Center
Website URL
https://kellihuggins.com
Keywords
animal history, New York history, dog history, local history, museum studies, public history, 19th century, Gilded Age, early 20th century, United States, agricultural history, Catskill Mountains
Availability
Media Contact
Additional Contact Information
PhD
other credentials

Personal Info

Photo
About Me

I earned a Master’s Degree in History and a Museum Studies Certificate from the University of Delaware. In addition to my work in museums, I teach history and public history courses as an adjunct at Elmira College. I formerly worked as the Education Coordinator at the Chemung County Historical Society. I am a cultural historian whose research interests include the history of human-animal interactions and agricultural history.  I particularly gravitate towards topics that are a little quirky. I won the 2016 and 2017 Researching the Empire State Writing Contests for my essays “Flocks of Kittens and Litters of Chicks: Interspecies Adoption in New York, 1880-1920” and “Death Rays: The Murder That Put X-Rays on Trial.” I am working on my second book, a history of canine celebrity in the late 19th century. You can learn more about this project, which is largely a dual biography of two train-riding dogs, Railroad Jack and Owney, at www.findingrailroadjack.com.

Recent Publications

Curiosities of Elmira: The Last Labrador Duck, Professor Smokeball, The Great Female Crime Spree & More, March 2017.

“‘Learn to Make Poultry Pay:’ The Philo National Poultry Institute and the Business of Birds,” The Chemung Historical Journal 60, no. 4 (June 2015).

“The Mascot,” New York State Archives Magazine 14, no. 4 (Spring 2015). 

“It’s a Dog’s Life in Chemung County,” The Chemung Historical Journal 59, no. 1 (September 2013).

“Gambling on Garfield: The Creation of Alpo Cat Food and Its Brand Identity,” Madison Historical Review 10 (May 2013).

Media Coverage
https://www.timesunion.com/7day-breaking/article/Train-hopping-dog-from-Albany-named-Railroad-Jack-12753798.php#photo-15232344
Country Focus
United States
Expertise by Geography
United States
Expertise by Chronology
19th century, 20th century
Expertise by Topic
Local & Regional, Museums, Public History, Rural & Agrarian History