About

I’m a PhD student in the American Civilization program at the University of Delaware. My research as a doctoral student takes an architectural and social history approach to late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century thoroughbred breeding and training landscapes. Gilded Age elites and their descendants constructed major racehorse breeding and training farms on their country estates, which included barns, outbuildings, paddocks, training tracks, and other features.

Photo by Chelsea Payne

Thoroughbred breeding and training farms had unique social and labor hierarchies. White men often worked as trainers, jockeys, and exercise riders, while African-American men performed lower-status jobs because they were barred from obtaining trainer and jockey licenses. By the mid-twentieth century, women, too, worked in stables, despite significant sexism that made it all but impossible to advance to positions as successful trainers and jockeys. By studying such shifting racial and gender norms in their spatial contexts and in relation to a widespread and often iconic element of American life, I hope to offer new perspectives on the nation’s cultural history.

Photo by Christy Fesak

My background is in historic preservation and history. I have a Masters of Science in Historic Preservation from Clemson University and the College of Charleston. I also double majored in History and Historic Preservation at the University of Mary Washington. In my spare time, I enjoy playing cello, fiddling, and riding my horse, Copper.