Scarsdale Historical Society and Cudner-Hyatt House [NY]

Description

The Scarsdale Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Scarsdale and the Central- and Mid-Westchester area, NY. The society operates two historic properties, the circa 1734 Cudner-Hyatt House and an 1828 Quaker meeting house. Topics addressed include daily life in the late 19th-century, the Civil War, and the Lenape people.

The society offers exhibits; two-hour curriculum-based educational programs with a lesson, tour of the Cudner-Hyatt House, activities, and a take-home project; one-hour educational programs; group tours; Scout activities; three themed traveling trunks with artifact replicas; and outreach presentations for schools. The exhibits and Cudner-Hyatt House are partially wheelchair accessible.

Menu for the First Thanksgiving

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corn
Question
At the first Thanksgiving did the Pilgrims/Native Americans eat roasted kernels of corn or popped corn, or was there no corn served in that matter at all?
Answer

Only two sources contain eyewitness accounts of what has become known as the "First Thanksgiving." Neither account mentions whether corn was roasted, popped, or served at all. Yet it seems plausible that what Edward Winslow, a founder of the Plymouth Colony who was to become its governor in 1633, described as Indian-Corn indeed was included in the feast and in fact may have been boiled.

In a letter dated December 11, 1621, one year to the day after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, Winslow wrote that the previous spring the settlers had planted some twenty acres of Indian corn, in addition to some six acres of barley and peas, and that while the harvest of barley was only "indifferent good" and the peas "not worth the gathering" he related that "we had a good increase of Indian-Corne." Governor William Bradford, in his account of Plymouth Plantation written years later, stated that during the first summer, “there was no want," with waterfowl, turkey, and venison in abundance, in addition to "about a peck a meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to that proportion."

Corn and kidney beans were staples of the Pilgrim diet.

If these accounts are to be believed, Indian corn, seemingly a staple of the settlers' diet, likely would have been eaten during the three-day harvest feast with the Wampanoags that Winslow also described. A 1674 account of Indian life by Daniel Gookin, superintendent of the Indians in Massachusetts, related, "Their food is generally boiled maize of Indian corn, mixed with kidney beans, or sometimes without."

Bibliography

Timothy J. Shannon, Indians and Colonists at the Crossroads of Empire: The Albany Congress of 1754. Ithaca: Cornell University Press; Cooperstown: New York State Historical Association, 2000.

Research & Reference Gateway: History - North America

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Logo, Rutger's University Libraries
Annotation

This site furnishes hundreds of links to primary and secondary sources on North American history. An eclectic collection, it includes links to library catalogs throughout the world, archival collections, texts, journals, discussion lists, bibliographies, encyclopedias, maps, statistics, book reviews, biographies, curricula, and syllabi. Materials are arranged by subject, period, and document type. Try "History-North America" for the widest variety of vetted sources. Special resource collections include "America in the 1950s," "New Americans: American Immigration History," "The Newark Experience," "U.S. Business History," "U.S. Labor and Working Class History," and "Videos on the U.S. and American Studies."

Resources for Columbus Day

Date Published
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Design drawing for stained glass window of Christopher Columbus, LoC
Article Body

How do you prepare for Columbus Day (October 10)? Is it a day off for your students, just another school day, or a teachable moment? You may be tempted to leave the holiday alone in the classroom. It can bring up issues related to colonization and colonialism, global contact, the definition of heroism, and the purpose of holidays—and that's just scratching the surface.

But it also presents an opportunity to discuss and explore these issues, and to ask what we know about history. How do we know about Columbus's voyages? About the man himself? About the lands and peoples he encountered? What primary sources passed this information down to the present day, and who created them? What information and viewpoints are missing? How have views of Columbus and his voyage changed over time? What materials record those changing views? When was Columbus Day first celebrated as a holiday?

Detail, spotlight page

We've gathered all of our resources on Columbus, Columbus Day, and his voyages in one Columbus Day Spotlight page to help you and your students answer these questions and more. Take a look at Learning Resources for primary and secondary sources, Teaching Resources for strategies from other teachers, and Quizzes to test your knowledge!

(And remember, the 9/11 and Constitution Day spotlights are still available. We'll continue to add new resources to all of our spotlights throughout the year, so bookmark them and check back frequently. Keep your eye out for new spotlights on Veterans Day and Thanksgiving next month!)

Common-Place: The Interactive Journal of Early American Life

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Oil on canvas, John Usher Parsons, Self-portrait, John Usher Parsons, 1835
Annotation

A scholarly journal focused on early American history and run by professional historians. Published in September, January, April, and July, and constituted by interdisciplinary essays, reviews, and "object lessons," the journal hopes "to reach a broad audience of the educated public." Toward this end, the site offers a forum for readers' responses and discussions, space for librarians and archivists, and an "ask the author" feature.

As always with journals, the quality of the site will largely depend upon the quality of the contributors. The editorial board and first two issues, which present 12 items each, suggest a high level of interest from prominent scholars of early America. Whether these scholars can attract a broader readership is a question unanswerable as of yet. A salutary project that holds promise for teaching and research alike.

Roanoke Island Festival Park [NC]

Description

Roanoke Island Festival Park is a 27-acre state historic site and cultural center celebrating history, education, and the arts. Visitors can step aboard the Elizabeth II, a representative 16th-century sailing vessel; visit with Elizabethan explorers and soldiers in the Settlement Site; tour the Roanoke Adventure Museum, which explores 400 years of Outer Banks history; and view the docudrama, "The Legend of Two-Path."

The park offers exhibits, tours, demonstrations, performances, educational programs, research library access, and recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Fremont Indian State Park and Museum [UT]

Description

Visitors to the Museum can discover artifacts, petroglyphs, and pictographs left behind by the Fremont Indians. During construction of Interstate 70, the largest known Fremont Indian village was uncovered. This museum preserves treasures from the site, including pottery, baskets, and arrowheads.

The site offers a short film, exhibits, tours, workshops, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum [UT]

Description

The Museum houses the largest collection of Ancestral Puebloan (Anasazi) pottery on display in the Four Corners Region and allows visitors to explore an authentic Puebloan village behind the museum. In addition to permanent collections, Edge of the Cedars offers special exhibits, festivals, and events throughout the year. Dynamic exhibits at Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum feature outstanding photography, fine art, current topics in archaeology, and contemporary Native American crafts. Festivals, programs, and special events promote traditional values through storytelling, craft workshops, and an Indian art exhibit.

The site offers exhibits, workshops and classes, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Anasazi State Park Museum [UT]

Description

This ancient village in the heart of Utah's canyon country was one of the largest Ancestral Puebloan communities west of the Colorado River. Now called the Coombs Site, it is believed to have been occupied from AD 1160 to 1235 and may have housed as many as 200 people. Archaeological excavations at the site have revealed more than 100 structures and have produced thousands of artifacts, some of which are on display in the museum. In addition to museum collections, visitors may also explore the Coombs Site, located directly behind the museum.

The site offer exhibits.