Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Ingersoll.
Hi Josh, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My name is Josh Ingersoll, and I’m the Director of Historic Sites for the City of Raleigh. I’m a Raleigh native who grew up playing soccer at the downtown Salvation Army and baseball at Lions Park. Throughout my life, I’ve always loved learning about history. When I was in undergrad at UNC, I was looking for a summer job when I saw an opportunity at Mordecai Historic Park for a tour guide. What was just a fun summer job turned into a career that has included leading trolley tours of Raleigh, creating exhibits at the City of Raleigh Museum, crafting education programs at the Pope House Museum, teaching kids about farming at Oak View Historic Park, and finally returning back to Mordecai Historic Park in my current position. These days, I manage tours, education programs, and special events at four different historic sites and the bright red trolleys rolling through downtown. It has been my pleasure to welcome and teach thousands of Wake County students about the history of our city and create unique programs and events to educate and entertain those around us.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
What is often the hardest part of my job over the years is also the most rewarding. When dealing with the past, there are many difficult topics that you have to address. Whether discussing slavery, the fight for Civil Rights, or the history of marginalized groups, you have to address painful topics which still have deep emotional ties to people. However, one of the great things about historic sites is that we create a space to have these conversations. Historic sites are reminders of where we come from, the past triumphs and failures, and teach lessons on how we can grow into better people and better communities.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
What I am most proud of is the education program at Mordecai Historic Park. Over the past nine years that I have been the director, we have hosted over 40,000 students from all over Wake County and the surrounding areas. Our education program teaches children about the Mordecai House, life in the 1800s, the enslaved people who once lived at Mordecai, and the story of President Andrew Johnson who was born here in Raleigh. Children can come to Mordecai and learn about the past in a unique setting while getting a great experience.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Organization. As the Director of Historic Sites, I manage multiple teams. We have an education team, trolley drivers, trolley guides, special event staff, and rental staff. Each of these teams work fairly independently of each other and are nearly all part-time staff. There are a lot of moving pieces that have to be maintained as we collectively serve the nearly 75,000 people who step foot in one of my spaces every year.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://raleighnc.gov/parks-and-recreation/places/mordecai-historic-park
- Other: https://raleighnc.gov/parks-and-recreation/services/historic-resources-and-museum-program/historic-raleigh-trolley
