[MassHistPres] History Camp on March 28 includes sessions on historic preservation

[Lee Wright]

History Camp will be held in Boston this year at the Harriet Tubman House on Saturday, March 28.  History Camp is organized by volunteers and uses an “unconference” format.  Anyone can attend, but you must register.  (Note that the venue is within 5 minutes of the Mass Ave T stop on the Orange Line and within 10 minutes of covered parking.)

This year 19 sessions have been posted so far, including three that may be of particular interest to those involved in historic preservation: "Researching the Old Homesteads of Marlborough," "This Side of Paradise: The tragedy and triumph of a small town in MetroWest,” and "Living History:  Historic House Museums and the Classroom Teacher." (Descriptions below).  Other speakers include JL Bell (Boston 1775)l, Liz Covart (Uncommon Place Book), Elizabeth Sulock (Newport Historical Society) and Kirsten Hammerstrom (Rhode Island Historical Society), Henry Lukas (Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History), Erik R. Bauer (Peabody Institute Library), Colleen Janz (Susan B Anthony Birthplace Museum), Paula Bagger (Hingham Historical Society), and Annie Murphy (Framingham History Center).  

If you’d like to present, add your session to the wiki (www.HistoryCamp.org <http://www.historycamp.org/>) or send me a note (lee at historycamp.org <mailto:lee at historycamp.org>).  Last year’s History Camp filled up days in advance, so if you’d like to participate, register soon: http://historycamp2015.eventbrite.com <http://historycamp2015.eventbrite.com/>. 

— Lee Wright  |  Marlborough 


"Researching the Old Homesteads of Marlborough" from Chandra Lothian, Marlborough Historical Society Trustee.   There were 124 paintings of local homesteads and landscapes done by noted artist Ellen M Carpenter over the period 1875-1908.  These paintings appear in the book, "Historical Reminiscences of the Early Times in Marlborough, Massachusetts," by Ella Bigelow, published in 1910. Today the paintings are easy to find: They're on display at the Marlborough Library.  But what about the houses?  Are they still standing?  What became of them?  In this session I'll discuss my multi-year project--obsession?--with finding all of them and creating a site history for each, with photographs taken from the same angle and location as the original paintings.  I'll describe the resources I used for researching old houses and sites, and show you the result, with "Then and Now" photographs.  

"This Side of Paradise: The tragedy and triumph of a small town in MetroWest" from Peter Golden.  From its primordial origins as a Native American fishing camp to the present, Natick, Massachusetts has experienced a series of astonishing events and extraordinary transformations. Join us as we explore the genesis of this unique community and the lessons it has for all.

"Living History:  Historic House Museums and the Classroom Teacher: The Age of Medicine and Midwifery" from Patricia Violette, Executive Director of the Shirley-Eustis House.  The primary goal of any Living History Program is to provide a hands-on, experiential learning environment which fulfills the need for a creative approach to social studies. Living history is designed to stimulate student interest in learning about the human side of history and involves not only social studies but English, mathematics, and science as well as the arts and music. It is applicable at an elementary, secondary, and graduate level, but has proven especially effective at the middle school level.  This session will also focus on The Age of Medicine and Midwifery as an example of living history education.  Session participants will experience how a midwife develops skills and abilities required to become a midwife. By identifying medicinal plants and preparing simple remedies, participants will be able to understand how midwives were an important part of the 18th-century.   Participants will compare and contrast midwifery of the past to midwifery today by engaging in hands-on activities and making connections to the growth of technology. These guided activities will help them to better understand how living history can bring together the new and traditional, social and educational practices and how to relate personal skills, aptitudes, and abilities to future career decisions especially when related to the role of women. 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.cs.umb.edu/mailman/private/masshistpres/attachments/20150313/38cfb224/attachment.htm>