Historical Researchers

Going Beyond the Phase I Environmental Site Assessment

Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) reports provide historical overviews of contaminated sites and are often key resources in environmental and toxic tort litigation. However, despite the requirement that they meet set standards, in reality, ESAs often have certain limitations when it comes to historical analysis. Historical research, a required component of ESAs, is often extremely basic and sometimes conducted by personnel without extensive training in historical research methodology. In our experience, ESAs typically check all of the required boxes for historical research but seldom go deeper, consequently leaving out critical historical information. This has proven especially true for properties active prior to the 1970s, or with complicated owner/operator histories. From minor errors in dates and names to misidentification or omission of potentially responsive parties (PRPs), there are possible risks in relying on the incomplete picture typically provided by an ESA. 

TRG Announces Historic Property Research Services

Every house has a story. Unraveling it requires tracking down its paper trail, which can be time-consuming and daunting if one doesn’t know where to look. In-depth knowledge of archival resources can help maximize the historical details for individual homeowners as well as for business owners and real estate brokers. TRG has assisted property owners in compiling complex house histories throughout the Washington, DC area. Our familiarity with local, state, and federal agencies, not to mention local historical societies and libraries, has allowed us to uncover records on behalf of property owners that are typically strewn about various archival collections and online databases. 

October is American Archives Month - 2023 update!

October is American Archives Month! That means archives from around the country will promote their collections and archivists will share their knowledge all month long online. As you know, our line of work is dependent on the good folks who care for and curate historical materials. We here at TRG look forward to this month as it helps give us a sense of current trends and happenings in the archives field.

We last wrote about this fun event in 2019, but much has changed since then.

Meet the Team Tuesday: Bennett Koerber

Today’s post in our Meet the Team series features Senior Research Associate Bennett Koerber, who holds an MA and Doctor of Philosophy in American History. In support of his PhD dissertation titled “Liberal Arts Football: Athletics, Academics, and American Higher Education, 1906-1948,” he traveled to federal, state, and local archival repositories across seven states. Now, he is bringing his research expertise and passion for history to TRG. To learn more about Bennett, read his Q&A below.

Meet the Team Tuesday: Maayan Rosen

Today’s post in our Meet the Team series features Junior Research Associate Maayan Rosen, who holds both a BA and MA in History. She has extensive knowledge of historical research methods and has conducted research for our environmental and corporate succession projects. Maayan has also assisted in developing comprehensive provenance sheets and chronologies as part of these research efforts. To learn more about Maayan, read her Q&A below.