Source: S. G. Goodrich, The Animal Kingdom Illustrated (New York: A. J. Johnson & Co., 1885)
A few
more ideas for "going local"
Research Projects for Local History
Prepared by Professor Thomas Malloy, Mt. Wachusett Community
College and Barbara D. Robinson, for the Massachusetts Studies Project
Feel free to use these ideas to spark lesson plans or independent study topics. Check in with your local historical society,
public library and town hall for information and resources! You can find
local contact telephone numbers for your community - the public library, Town Hall, etc - on the Commonwealth
Communities website.
-
Research the establishment of your town/city: why it was granted,
who the original settlers were, the date of the charter, its first
town meeting, and the origin of the name.
-
Look into the first peoples' history of the area where your students live and study. This could be reflected
in present day place names. Look at Native American settlement patterns in relation to landscape and environment: Build upon a study of your watershed and its resources to understand first settlements by Native Peoples. Consult the Historical Atlas of Massachusetts.
-
Research a local place name such as a park, playground, a memorial
building, square or street.
-
Find out how transportation systems influenced the development of
a community; i.e., post roads, county roads, turnpikes, canals and
the railroad.
-
Look into a town’s early educational system. For instance,
were there any early academies or what was the extent of the district
system?
-
Research a historic site in town; i.e., a militia field, town pound,
mill site, monument or even a cellar hole.
-
Inventory a building of architectural distinction. When was it built,
its style, why that style at that time, who were the original and
subsequent owners, how was it used, its connection to the town’s
or region’s history.
-
Cemeteries: compare gravestones for different periods: kind of stone, motif, location in cemetery; do census studies to compare one period with today -ages at death, causes of death; look into burial practices and relation to community laws, standards. Make drawings and rubbings. Inventory a local cemetery. Look for various demographic trends. See
if a particular carver made a major contribution, and what was his
art form and favorite inscriptions.
-
Connect your community to national events. Every community contributed
troops and support to every war from the Revolution to Vietnam. Also,
every community participated in national elections. Find out your
town’s input to the state’s constitutional ratification
convention or a national election. Or, connect your town to a social
movement such as temperence and abolitionism.
-
Write a biography of someone of note from the community. Just about
every community has an individual who won some kind of national distinction
or who was involved in a national movement on the regional level.
An example of the latter could be a local captain of industry who
contributed to a community industrial development.
-
Conduct an oral history interview. This could be with an individual
who has experienced a national event such as the Great Depression;
or it could be with someone who experienced a regional event such
as the Hurricane of ’38 or the Worcester Tornado.
-
Research an ethnic enclave in your community and relate that group
to present day institutions, ie.e., a church, club, or festival.
-
Examine the school building in detail. Find site study, architectural and building plans. Have officer from planning officer or building inspector speak to students about local procedures. Have an architect explain how to read an architectural plan. Locate sewage, water, power and heating systems. Have students make drawings and write up a guided tour to your school building/systems.
-
Archeological History: Find out about past or ongoing "digs"; in your community, where sites are located, what has been excavated and where artifacts are analyzed and stored. What is the oldest evidence of human activity found? Who were the first people? What peoples came after them? Locate nearest Archaeological Society and see reference list. See also landscape ideas.
|
