Author: Kaytee Smith
Frank McMahon, Assistant Site Manager, Historic Halifax State Historic Site
Frank McMahon didn’t grow up in North Carolina, but his path to interpreting the state’s Revolutionary-era past began early, among the wooded landscapes of Pennsylvania, where a love for history, anthropology, and public lands first took root. A native of the Philadelphia area, Frank pursued a degree in anthropology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and later earned a master’s in park and resource management from Slippery Rock University.
Before joining the team at Historic Halifax, Frank’s career took him across the country. He worked in cultural resource management, served as an archaeologist with the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in Arizona, and spent several years as a park ranger at Valley Forge National Historical Park—an iconic site of the American Revolution. Those experiences helped shape his passion for connecting people with the past, especially through hands-on interpretation.
Now, as assistant site manager at Historic Halifax, Frank is often seen dressed as a soldier in the Continental Army or a delegate to North Carolina’s Provincial Congress. Each April 12th, he helps commemorate the Halifax Resolves, the first official action by a colony calling for independence from Great Britain. Through public events, historic trade demonstrations, and engaging costumed interpretation, Frank helps visitors understand North Carolina’s essential role in the nation's founding.
“I’ve put together costumes that interpret a number of occupations and social classes,” Frank says. “I usually prefer working-class 18th-century clothing because it’s more comfortable—and it connects us to the everyday people who shaped history in small but meaningful ways.”
His commitment to making history approachable extends beyond the historic site. Several years ago, while demonstrating 18th-century beer-making at the Powder Magazine Museum in Charleston, South Carolina, Frank decided to grab dinner in costume after the event. As he entered the restaurant, he overheard a father point him out to his young daughter: “Look, honey, a pirate.” Without missing a beat, the six-year-old corrected him: “He’s not a pirate... he’s an English colonist.”
That mix of amusement and awareness is exactly what Frank hopes to inspire.
“People may come for the costumes or the stories,” he says, “but the goal is always to help them walk away with a deeper connection to the past.”
One of Frank’s favorite upcoming events is the Labors of Halifax, scheduled for September 6, 2025—a program focused on the trades that built early North Carolina. It's another opportunity to spotlight the working people behind the history books and one more way Frank continues to preserve, interpret, and celebrate the state’s complex and compelling story.
Plan Your Visit to Historic Halifax
Experience history firsthand by visiting the Historic Halifax State Historic Site, where Frank and his colleagues bring the stories of North Carolina to you. Located at 101 N. King Street, Halifax, NC 27839, the site offers self-guided walking tours of authentically restored buildings, including the 1838 Jail and the 1790 Eagle Tavern, and much more!