James Michael Lindgren

Born and raised in suburban Chicago, Jim Lindgren used to walk daily to and from school past eye-catching homes built in Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, and Prairie designs, including one by Frank Lloyd Wright himself. Little did he then know that he'd be walking urban and rural landscapes through much of his life as he studied and taught about historic preservation, history museums, and historic sites in America. On the history faculty of SUNY Plattsburgh since 1984, his books are part of his series, titled "Preserving America's Past." More recently, he has added maritime history to his already keen focus on historic sites on shore. That was the case with PRESERVING SOUTH STREET SEAPORT (2014) and PRESERVING MARITIME AMERICA (2019); the latter tells the story of the origins and development of the nation's great maritime museums.