Connecting ESSEX LINCs

Last LINCs seminar for 2nd Cohort discusses Populating in Beverly!

On a cold winter's day in January, our cohort of 25 local Essex County educators met to explore the topic of Populating New England and the Nation, at the Historical Society in Beverly. Professors Brad Austin and Bethany Jay helped teachers think about where and why groups of people came into and moved out of Essex County and how that has impacted the history of local towns and the U.S.as a whole. From the start of communities that date back to the early 17th century, up through the mid nineteenth century, Essex County towns have played a major role in U.S. history. Items discussed included; Native American settlement, North American slavery, the patterns of European population, and the move West.

Teachers also toured the Beverly Historical Society with curator, Darren Brown, and heard more about their resources and educational programs. In the afternoon, Salem State History professor, Emerson Baker joined our cohort to help us examine the subject of gravestones, burying places and memorials. The main lesson for this workshop concerns gravestone images which are both unique to our region and indicative of a wider trend. Our museum educator, Rebecca Zimmerman, has prepared a “fact sheet” based on information about how images have changed based on ideas about “death”.

“I am not a classroom teacher – but I think the Internet access to this type of information is fabulous. We are so tied to the community over time, that if you scratch the surface, kids readily offer up ancestors that have stories entrenched in the history of the community.” stated one participant.

Teachers brought materials highlighting an historical figure from their community and constructed a folder with a copy of a “winged skull,” cherub, or weeping willow. Images of graveyards and mourning pictures created by Essex County women were also discussed. In addition, a Gloucester town meeting document mentioning commemoration of the death of George Washington in 1800 was made available to participants.

One of our participating Essex County teachers recently sent in photos of how his students have used the lesson presented here. Mr. Perry, of the West Elementary School in Andover, had his class use the folders they created to enclose a short report on Nat Turner. Here are some of their projects!

Primary source materials are all available here on our website. Photos of local graves and burial grounds can be found in our primary resources section. Links to websites which further explore this topic can be found there as well!

This workshop concludes this series of the Essex LINCs sessions. Participants have found a new rich way of inserting primary source materials into their classroom experiences. Over and above the lessons presented here, teachers are seeking out and using such materials as anecdotes and first person recounts of events which are significant in both local and U.S. history. All participants are charged with creating pre and post lesson activities which will soon be posted on this website. They are also eligible for inclusion in our Summer Institute series of workshops which will take place this summer.

“(LINCs) helped me see that getting my hands on primary sources is not as complicated as I previously thought,” one teacher commented.

A new cohort of tecahers will begin the next round of seminars, starting in February. Twenty-five Essex County educators have been accepted in a competitive application process. The orientation for the new cohort will take place in January at Salem State College. Two more cohorts will be formed before the end of our grant next year. Contact us to see how you can become a part of this great program!

Connecting ESSEX LINCs: Connecting Elementary Teachers, Sources, and Scholarship to Explore Local History in a National Context.

Beverly Public Schools (BPS) in partnership with Salem State College (SSC), the Essex National Heritage Commission (ENHC) and the National Archives and Records Administration—Northeast Region (NARA) presents Connecting ESSEX LINCs: Connecting Elementary Teachers, Sources, and Scholarship to Explore Local History in a National Context. This project increases elementary school teachers’ knowledge, understanding and appreciation of events and topics in American history through an intensive professional development program.