Hollen Barmer and Miranda Crotsley are the co-founders of Land and Kin Collaborative, a business dedicated to history and genealogy for people and places. They have been working together on house histories and family tree mysteries since 2014, serving clients around Western Pennsylvania and the United States. Since 2022, they have presented public workshops and conducted consulting sessions on investigating house histories. In addition, they collaborate with partners to uncover, research, and present local history topics ranging from enslavement in 18th and 19th century Pittsburgh to mysterious explosions and sensational trials of the 1920s.
When they are not digging into the history of old houses or telling neighborhood stories, they work in fields that involve storytelling, investigation, and history. Miranda Crotsley is an educator and Program Coordinator in PA State Parks at Jennings Environmental Education Center where she researches and develops programming around park natural and cultural history including a reconstructed 1820s-era tavern inn, an original 19th century one-room schoolhouse, and a 20th century abandoned coal mine. Hollen Barmer is a strategic communications manager, working with technical researchers to tell the stories of their work.
Hollen and Miranda are also married, and live in Swissvale with their dog, Buddy. In their free time they have a variety of hobbies and interests both together and apart. They love to travel as much as they can, especially on walking/hiking adventures. Miranda co-organizes the Swissvale Edible Garden Tour and other garden initiatives in Swissvale, and Hollen can often be found helping out with the plant sales and garden tour, too. Miranda also weaves and teaches weaving and other fiber classes at Contemporary Craft in Lawrenceville. Hollen is very involved at East Liberty Presbyterian Church where she has been a member since 2002 and an elder since 2022, serving on committees such as Facing Systemic Racism and the Reparations Task Force. Hollen also created/founded the Pittsburgh Lenten Fish Fry Map, and has recently taken up Shape Note Singing.
landandkincollab@gmail.com