Historic Hotels of America® Selects Christy S. Coleman for “Historian of the Year” Award

WASHINGTON, D.C. – September 24, 2026 – Historic Hotels of America^® is pleased to announce that Christy S. Coleman, Executive Director of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, has been named the recipient of the 2026 Historic Hotels of America^® Historian of the Year Award.

Historic Hotels of America is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and celebrating the finest Historic Hotels in the United States of America. Each year, the program honors the nation’s finest historic hotels, hoteliers, and historians through the Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence.

The Historic Hotels of America Historian of the Year Award recognizes an individual whose distinguished career has significantly advanced the preservation, interpretation, scholarship, and public understanding of history. The award honors nationally recognized historians, museum leaders, authors, filmmakers, and preservation advocates whose work has deepened appreciation for Americans' shared heritage and inspired millions to engage with the past.

For over three decades, Christy S. Coleman has established herself as one of America’s foremost public historians, museum executives, preservation leaders, and interpreters of the nation’s history. Her distinguished career has been defined by visionary leadership of nationally significant museums and historic institutions, unwavering scholarly integrity, and an enduring commitment to making history accessible to diverse audiences.

The 2026 Historic Hotels of America Historian of the Year Award will be presented to Christy S. Coleman at the Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence Ceremony and Gala during the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Conference at the Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection in Williamsburg, Virginia, on October 15, 2026, in front of an audience of owners, general managers, and other senior decision makers representing many of the finest historic hotels from across the United States of America and from around the world. The Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence honor historic preservation and timeless hospitality at historic hotels in various categories each year.

^{An artillery crew at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown fires a cannon in the Continental Army encampment. Credit: Visit Williamsburg}

“Ms. Coleman’s leadership has transformed the way Americans experience and understand history,” said Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Vice President, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “Through visionary stewardship and scholarship, she has inspired millions to appreciate America’s rich and complex past. In her leadership roles at the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the American Civil War Museum, and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, she has established new standards for preservation and public engagement.”

^{In Jamestown Settlement’s re-created Paspahegh Town, visitors walk among reed-covered houses reflecting the 17th-century communities of the Virginia Indians who have occupied Virginia’s landscape for centuries. Credit: Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation}

The award also recognizes Christy S. Coleman’s accomplishments as a historical advisor, commentator, and on-screen expert for acclaimed documentaries and productions, including Grant (2020), Abraham Lincoln (2022), Black Patriots: Heroes of the Civil War (2022), Harriet (2019), When the Monuments Came Down (2021), and Kevin Costner’s The West (2025). Her expertise and influence have brought history to audiences beyond museum walls while ensuring that the American story is presented with scholarly rigor and intellectual integrity.

Christy S. Coleman is the recipient of four honorary doctorates, the 2023 David McCullough Award for Excellence in American Public History, designation by TIME as one of the “31 People Changing the South,” and recognition by Worth magazine as one of the “29 Women Changing the World.”

“I am humbled to be an honoree of this award,” Christy S. Coleman said. “Thank you, Historic Hotels of America for recognizing my work and longtime belief in history as a catalyst for understanding and change.”

Tickets for the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Excellence Ceremony & Gala are available. The much-anticipated event will take place at the Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection in Williamsburg, Virginia, on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 7 p.m., to close out the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Conference. To learn more and register for the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Conference, with the option to purchase a Gala-Only ticket, click here.

^{At the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, a living-history interpreter cooks over an open hearth at the re-created Revolution-era farm kitchen. Credit: Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation}

About Historic Hotels of America^®
Historic Hotels of America^® is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and celebrating the finest historic hotels across America. The National Trust for Historic Preservation was chartered by U.S. Congress in 1949 and is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is leading the movement to save places where our history happened. To be nominated and selected for membership in this prestigious program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old; designated by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark, or listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places; and recognized as having historical significance. Of the more than 300 historic hotels inducted into Historic Hotels of America from 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, all historic hotels faithfully preserve their sense of authenticity, sense of place, and architectural integrity.

MEDIA CONTACT
Katherine Orr
Director, Marketing Strategy & Communications
Historic Hotels of America | Historic Hotels Worldwide
korr@HistoricHotels.org