By Dr. James J. Connolly
April 28, 2026
In addition to holding the Council Business meeting and the Editorial Board meeting for the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, SHGAPE organized several events at the Organization of American Historians annual conference (April 16-19). Friday morning, the Society held a session on “Government and Corruption in the First Gilded Age” that filled the room. It featured panelists Eric Yellen (also Chair), Andrew Wender, Ryan Hall, Elizabeth Garner Masarik, and Manisha Sinha. On Saturday, SHGAPE organized a second well-attended panel, this one on “Lloyd Ambrosius and his Historical Legacies.” Jeanette Eileen Jones chaired the session, which included panelists Kristin Ahlberg, Manfred Berg, Julia Irwin, and Ross Kennedy. (Read Dr. Jones’s Tribute to Lloyd Ambrosius here.)
The annual luncheon featured an address by Mia Bay entitled “The Streetcar Wars: Segregation and Social Change. The Society also honored recipients of several awards at the event. Visit the SHGAPE website for a complete list of awardees.
For more on the event, check out the photos below and look for an upcoming episode of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era Podcast.
And don’t forget to register here for the Society’s first stand-alone conference, June 4-6 in Chicago.
Dr. James J. Connolly
Editor-in-Chief, SHGAPE Website
George and Frances Ball Distinguished Professor of History
Director, Center for Middletown Studies
Ball State University