In this paper, the author contends with the concept of a "usable" past and employs cultural history as a philosophical framework. More specifically, the author analyzes the use of cultural history to interrogate the founding and subsequent trajectory of the Ohio Valley Philosophy of Education Society (OVPES). This paper investigates how cultural history and public history allow the historian to create a "usable past," and how the historian can use limited resources to their advantage to create a historical account.