Dr. William Katerberg

Curator of Heritage HallDirector of the Mellema Program in Western American StudiesProfessor of History

Departments:

Biography

Over the years, to get away and relax, I’ve traveled far afield, to places like Peru and India, and tempted fate by climbing the occasional mountain and jumping out of perfectly good airplanes. My current hobbies are a little more sedate and safe—mountain biking and road biking, brewing beer, and photography. You can see some of my photography at my photography blog on WordPress or on my photography portfolio.

Education

Redeemer University College, Canada
B.A., Calvin College, MI
M.A., University of Notre Dame, IN
M.A., Ph.D., Queen’s University, Canada

Professional Experience

I am the curator of Heritage Hall, the archives for Calvin University, Calvin Theological Seminary, and the Christian Reformed Church in North America.

I am also the director of the Mellema Program in Western American Studies.

You can also find me in my office in the Historical Studies department in Hiemenga 472.

Academic Interests

The North American West
Native American history
Dutch North American history
Rephotography
Digital Humanities

With Carol Higham at UNCC, I am working on a book on Senator Henry L. Dawes and his daughter Anna Laurens Dawes, both of whom were influential in promoting reform movements and legislation that promoted the acculturation of Native Americans to modern U.S. life and values.

I also am working on rephotography projects. One explores Dutch American and local history sites in West Michigan and Michigan more widely. A second will focus on Reformed churches on the Plains. Rephotography, or repeat photography, involves photographing a landscape or cityscape in its current state and comparing it to old photographs. It is a way of exploring change and continuity visually. You can see some examples here and here and here.

Finally, I am editor of Origins, the magazine published by Heritage Hall, and Origins Online, the blog of Heritage Hall.