Benjamin Neumann

Computer Scientist and Public Historian

Projects

This page highlights selected projects that combine public history, digital methods, research, and community engagement.

House of the Good Shepherd, Milwaukee

Benjamin Neumann standing in the drum circle room at the Indian Community School.
Presenting at MKE Every Child Matters 2026, Indian Community School.

This ongoing research project examines the history of Native girls who attended Milwaukee's House of the Good Shepherd between 1884 and 1890.

The project explores how institutional decisions, federal policy, and local circumstances shaped the lives of the girls and their families, while also examining how the School is remembered in Milwaukee today.

Research findings are currently being shared through public presentations and an evolving historical manuscript.

Read more about the Native history of the House of the Good Shepherd.

Milwaukee County Grounds Cemeteries

My engagement with historical preservation began in high school with my Eagle Scout leadership project, creating a historical marker for a pauper cemetery. The skills and insights I gained, from organizing memorials to coordinating with government officials, later informed my service as a board member and treasurer of the Descendant Community of Milwaukee County Grounds Cemeteries, Inc. There, I applied both governance and technical skills, including GIS mapping, to document cemetery conditions and support preservation efforts.

My engagement with historical preservation began in high school with my Eagle Scout leadership project, creating a historical marker for a pauper cemetery. The skills and insights gained—from organizing memorials to coordinating with government officials—laid the foundation for my current role as board member and treasurer of the Descendant Community of Milwaukee County Grounds Cemeteries, Inc.. Here, I continue to apply both governance and technical skills, including GIS mapping, to document cemetery conditions and support preservation efforts.

Benjamin Neumann in a Boy Scout uniform posing with a newly installed memorial marker.
Standing by a newly installed sign at one of the Milwaukee County Grounds Cemeteries, a project that helped shape my later work in historical preservation.

As vice-president and treasurer of the Descendant Community of Milwaukee County Grounds Cemeteries, Inc., I contributed to organizational development, website creation, GIS mapping, and community engagement.

Through this work I gained experience in preservation advocacy, genealogical research, cemetery documentation, nonprofit governance, and public engagement with difficult histories.

Read a case study on using maps to narrate the August 2025 regional floodings on the Milwaukee County Grounds.