(opens in a new tab)45 Years of History Associates Incorporated
A celebration of decades filled with curiosity, collaboration, and a shared belief that history is a powerful tool for every organization.
45 Years of Turning History Into Insight
Explore HAI's 45-year journey through our interactive anniversary timeline, showcasing the milestones, people, projects and innovations that have shaped our company since 1981.
Discover how we've evolved from a historical research firm into a trusted partner in heritage services, litigation support, digital storytelling, archival management, and more, while remaining committed to helping organizations preserve their past, understand their present, and plan for the future.
Browse the timeline to see how every chapter of our story reflects the insight, rigor, and partnership that continue to define HAl today.
Watch Our Story
2024
2024: Strengthening Our Culture, Expanding Our Impact
HAI proudly earns Great Place to Work for the sixth consecutive year and joins the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S.
2023
2023: Curating Legacies. Celebrating Milestones. Cultivating Futures
HAI establishes the Milestone Collective (originally known as the “Anniversary Collective”) to help organizations commemorate their most meaningful anniversaries and milestones through archival storytelling, strategic engagement, and immersive event experiences.
2022
2022: Launching the Next Generation of Preservationists
HAI partners with Howard University and the African American Heritage Preservation Foundation to create an internship program that gives Howard undergraduate students hands-on experience in archiving, public history, and interpretive planning.
2021
2021: Celebrating 40 Years of Research, Discovery, and Experience
Growing from a few subject matter experts into a multidisciplinary company serving clients worldwide - we've dedicated the last 40 years to growing, evolving, and discovering new ways to put the past to use for our clients.
2020
2020: Reimagining History Associates Incorporated
We are HAI, "The Research, Discovery, and Experience Company". Our new name reflects the organization we've become and the value we deliver for our clients today – and into the future.
2018
2018: Immersing Students in History
History Associates partners with Pearson K-12 Learning to develop Project Imagine: U.S. History, a digital learning experience that uses compelling stories and primary sources to bring the past to life.
2017
2017: Enhancing Immersive Exhibits
Historians collect nearly 500 images from the American Colonial era to support experiential exhibits at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, which opens in April, 2017
2016
2016: Promoting a Legacy
History Associates begins processing Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s Dr. Hector P. Garcia Papers. The project will promote the legacy of this important civil rights activist.
2014
2014: Engaging Broad Audiences
History Associates content experts develop engaging exhibits for the newly renovated White House Visitor Center, which opens to the public in September 2014.
2014
2014: Preserving Digital Content
In partnership with the Robert C. Byrd Center for Legislative Studies, History Associates’ digital archives team develops best practices for the preservation of electronic congressional records.
2011
2011: Celebrating 30 Years
Employees past and present come together with clients, family, and friends to celebrate History Associates’ 30th anniversary at the National Archives in downtown Washington, D.C.
2010
2010: Serving National Parks
Company archivists win a major contract to survey and process thousands of feet of archival material at more than sixty National Park Service sites nationwide.
2009
2009: Documenting 21st Century Conflict
Unable to access recent government records, historians answer legal questions arising from Operation Iraqi Freedom using primary source material mined from social media platforms.
2008
2008: Managing Collections
As they inventory, catalog, and relocate more than 30,000 artifacts for the U.S. National Archives, History Associates staff members develop strong collections management expertise.
2007
2007: Creating Powerful Exhibits
The Normandy American Cemetery Visitor Center, an American Battle Monuments Commission site, becomes History Associates’ first permanent exhibit project open to the public.
2005
2005: Finding New Applications
Company historians demonstrate the broad applicability of their skills when undertaking new types of legal research. Their thorough research documents common knowledge and contributes to a favorable judgment for the National Football League.
2005
2005: Preserving Institutional Memory
The Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society hires History Associates to chart the history of securities regulation. Oral historians conduct more than 180 interviews with regulators and curate five online exhibits.
2004
2004: Going the Extra Mile
To help JPMorgan disclose its historical connections to slavery, researchers travel to repositories all across Louisiana, unearthing thousands of invaluable documents.
2003
2003: Crafting Interpretive Plans
Company historians create an interpretive plan for the Civil War Trust's Third Winchester Battlefield, transforming farmland into a heritage tourism destination.
2002
2002: Moving to a New Facility
History Associates moves to its current office building, which features a climate-controlled archival storage facility.
1999
1999: Telling Stories Online
History Associates undertakes its first major digital history project, developing an online encyclopedia to celebrate DuPont’s 200th anniversary.
1998
1998: Supporting Corporate Disclosure
History Associates staff members travel to more than thirty repositories worldwide to document Ford Motor Company’s use of forced labor at its German plant during World War II.
1997
1997: Documenting the Digital Age
History Associates, the National Science Foundation, and Microsoft bring together key figures from academic, corporate, government, and technology communities to discuss the preservation of electronic records.
1993
1993: Writing Professional Histories
A high-profile history of telecommunications giant MCI is published, strengthening History Associates’ reputation for producing polished, professional books.
1992
1992: Overcoming Setbacks
When two major Department of Energy contracts come to an end, History Associates generates new business by diversifying its services.
1986
1986: Acknowledging Growth
Inc. magazine recognizes History Associates as one of the 500 fastest growing private companies in the nation.
1984
1984: Developing Archival Capabilities
When Texas Instruments asks the company to help organize its records, History Associates hires its first professional to create an archive of the technology company’s historical records.
1984
1984: Putting Down Roots
History Associates moves into its first private office space in Rockville, Maryland, just north of Washington, D.C.
1982
1982: Serving the Legal Profession
Employees conduct painstaking research for clients requiring historical evidence for legal matters. This expertise forms the basis for History Associates’ Litigation Research service line.
1981
1981: Founding a Company
Philip Cantelon, Rodney Carlisle, Richard Hewlett, and Robert Williams incorporate History Associates on January 2.
1979
1979: Crisis Creates Opportunity
After writing the history of the Three Mile Island nuclear incident, four historians decide to start a pioneering company that will apply historical methods to contemporary research questions.