Shelby C. Neuhauser - Historian

Shelby graduated from the University of Colorado with her Master of Arts in American history with a minor in public history and a certificate in historic preservation with high distinction. She also received her Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, in history from the same institution. 

As an undergraduate, she worked as an intern for History Colorado in their school programs division as well as National History Day in Colorado as a mentor and competition judge.

Shelby specializes in Gilded Age history. Specifically, she has concentrated heavily on the women of middle class and elites society in that time period. Her research interests include the themes of culture, class, and consumption. Her thesis, Changing of the Guard: Louise Sneed Hill and the Emergence of Modern High Society in Gilded Age Denver, can be located on ProQuest. 

During her graduate studies, Shelby interned writing speeches for former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper at the Colorado State Capitol, assisted in various museum operations at Byers-Evans House Museum, and in communications and marketing as well as the archival department at History Colorado Center. Shelby also participated in the 2016-2019 History Colorado Cemetery Crawl historic tours acting as historic figures such as Countess Katrina Murat, Lena Stoiber, Mrs. Verner Z. Reed, Alice Polk Hill, and Louise Sneed Hill. As the leading historian on Louise Sneed Hill, Shelby has spoken to numerous groups about her research. In 2018, she was invited to speak to the Denver Westerner's. In 2019, she spoke at the Hill family meeting and conference in Philadelphia, PA,  the Rocky Mountain Interdisciplinary Conference in Boulder, CO and the Colorado Corral of Westerner's. In January 2020, she presented her program to the Brewster Chapter of the National Society Colonial Dames of America 17th Century. In October 2020, Shelby had the honor and privilege of serving as the keynote speaker for The Colonial Dames of America Fall Benefit for the Mount Vernon Hotel Garden and Museum. In 2021, Shelby shared her research with the Questers Colorado Springs group and the Mary Washington Colonial Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution. Currently, she works for the Sons of the Revolution in the State of New York as their Membership Manager.

Shelby had the wonderful opportunity to present her research on the restoration and preservation of the Colorado State Capitol at Colorado Preservation Inc.’s 2018 Saving Places Conference and on the Crawford Hill Mansion at the 2019 conference. Shelby's article on Louise Sneed Hill was published in the 2018 University of Colorado Historical Studies Journal and she also served as an assistant editor for the journal that year. Shelby served as the head editor for the 2019 University of Colorado Historical Studies Journal. She had another article published on her thesis topic, Louise Sneed Hill, in the Spring 2019 issue of Colorado Heritage magazine. She composed three articles for the Colorado Encyclopedia as well on the topics of Nathaniel P Hill, Alice Hale Hill, and Louise Sneed Hill. She was a Coulter Scholarship winner for Fall of 2018 and served as Vice President of marketing and communications for the CU Denver chapter of the Golden Key International Honor Society 2018-2019. At the end of her year of service Shelby received the outstanding officer of the year award from her chapter. Most recently, Shelby was awarded the 2021 Ward Family Prize in Public History from the University of Colorado. 

In 2018, Shelby won the first ever Three Minute Thesis competition on the CU Denver campus! As the only masters candidate, Shelby went up against 4 PhD candidates and clinched the win. 

Check out the video below to hear Shelby's winning presentation!