Using Existing History Locations to Make a Living

Written by Michael Allen

During these strange Covid 19 times there are many history graduates, post graduates and keen amateur historians looking for ways to make a living. Perhaps as a recent graduate that first job is elusive, or your fixed term contract is not going to be renewed or simply you are not a history professional but your recent unemployment has urged you to look at self employment.

So here is an idea for you to make a living from existing history locations during and after Covid 19.

Just a note to all, I am not advocating guerrilla marketing where you exploit unfairly the investment and hard work of often time publicly funded institutions. No far from it. The ideas below can add value to the core historical place and there is also room to co-operate rather than compete with the prime operator.

Types of Historical Facilities

Historical Facilities can be categorised into 4 main types. These are:-

Major Facilities

Examples of these would be the Louvre in Paris, Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC or the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo

Outdoor Facilities

Stonehenge in the UK, Sherwood Forest, Alfama in Lisbon, The Alhambra in Spain and Urbino in Italy

Under-Developed History

This is when a historical location is known and there may be some facility or event of the site already. An example I have mentioned before would be the chain of Victorian Forts along the Milford Haven waterway in Wales

Unknown History

An unknown history location is when a keen historian knows something about the location, or perhaps information on in exists in living memory of locals. But other than that it is completely unknown. An example would be Roman settlement in West Wales.

Using these Locations to Make an Income

Major Facilities

In the case of major facilities, they will have existing rules and regulations (and commercial partnerships) regarding what third parties can and cannot do on the site. Some are very open to new ideas and others very strictly against.

A great example sits very, very close to the Amsterdam Royal Palace. A former lawyer has set up a photo studio where willing tourists can dress up as characters from the Dutch past and have photographs taken. It is a lively and fun experience and is very popular with tourists. Totally unconnected to the Royal Palace, but benefits from the footfall of the main attraction.

An alternative could be an app that you could build using a low cost builder like Appy Pie to create an unofficial guide to a facility. You can generate income from this using a straight sale of the app on the Apple or Android store, or sell advertising to create an income. If your app is comparable or better than the "official app" you will make money.

Outdoor Facilities

In some ways outdoor facilities are easier to find income from, than indoor facilities because access is not as tightly controlled. There are exceptions for example Stonehenge in the UK, where access is very tightly controlled.

But if I mentioned Sherwood Forest this is a very large area and an enterprising historian could establish walking tours and other attractions throughout Nottingham or indeed the whole "Robin Hood" area extending into Yorkshire.

If we extend this idea to city areas like Alfama in Lisbon, entrepreneurial historians can craft a whole range of new events linking existing facilities and attractions together in a meaningful way.

Under-Developed History

If you have ever heard the expression "it's a shame about that place X! They should do something about it for tourists," then you know there is some under-developed history just waiting to be brought to life.

This scenario is far, far more common than people realise. You would be surprised what major historical monuments, castles, modern history locations and wartime locations are not marketed at all. This "hiding in plain view" history represents a great opportunity for the enterprising historian.

Unknown History

This is perhaps the most exciting prospect of all and can be likened to treasure hunting. If your area has a totally forgotten history, or a history that has been denied by the mainstream, then this is a huge opportunity.

Just like the Roman settlement down here in Pembrokeshire, denied for decades by mainstream history. But you can only discover so many Roman coins before you start to raise an eyebrow.

Metal detecting safaris, detective based walking tours and plain briefings are all great opportunities.

So today I hope I have whetted your appetite or encourage you to rethink entrepreneurial activities in history and consider what you may be able to achieve as an entrepreneur.

Do feel free to direct message me if you would like to fins out more about what we do to help historians make a living.

Next time on Wednesday I will be writing about the Top Digital Ways to Make Money from History

Best Wishes Michael Allen - Founder HistoryBiz.com