Characteristics of Census Tracts in Nine U.S. Cities, 1940-1960

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Logo, Data & Information Services Center
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A 28-page study, including charts, of 1960 census data compiled according to residence areas, or "tracts," within the cities of Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Newark, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Also provides census data for 1940 and 1950 with regard to Chicago and Detroit. Offers raw data and percentage computations on total population of tracts, number of males and females, African-American ethnicity, foreign origin, age, marital status, income level, education, units of substandard housing, rent amounts, employment figures, and salary levels. Also provides medical-related data, such as numbers of hospitals, hospital beds, pharmacists, and types of physicians in each tract. Of use for those studying mid-20th-century urban history. See "History Matters" entry Data and Program Library Service: Online Data Archive for information on other social science studies available at this site.

Preservation Trades Network

Description

"The Preservation Trades Network (PTN) is a non-profit membership organization founded as an education, networking, and outreach organization. PTN was established on the principle that conservation of the built environment is fundamentally dependent on the quality, availability, and viability of the skilled trades. We believe that opportunities for education, employment, and compensation of people in the trades are directly reflected in the quality of the built environment, and the effective stewardship of cultural heritage."

U.S. Brig Niagara and Erie Maritime Museum [PA]

Description

As homeport of U.S. Brig Niagara, the Erie Maritime Museum presents the story of Niagara as the reconstructed flagship of Pennsylvania and the warship that won the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. Offering a wide range of multimedia and interactive exhibits and coupled with lively interpretive programs, Erie Maritime Museum vividly illustrates Niagara's history and the region's rich maritime heritage. As the premier exhibit at the Erie Maritime Museum in Erie, PA, the Niagara is docked for public viewing September through May and intermittently during the summer each year.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, and educational programs.

Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum [GA]

Description

On January 28, 1942, 53 days after the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor, the Eighth Air Force was officially activated in the National Guard Armory on Bull Street in Savannah, GA. Today, the Museum honors the men and women who helped defeat Nazi aggression by serving in or supporting the greatest air armada the world had ever seen—the Eighth Air Force.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, educational programs, and research library access.

Stony Point Battlefield State Historic Site [NY]

Description

This site preserves the location of the Battle of Stony Point, one of the last major Revolutionary War battles in the northeastern colonies. This is where Brigadier General Anthony Wayne led his corps of Continental Light Infantry in a daring midnight attack on the British, seizing the site's fortifications and taking the British garrison as prisoners on July 16, 1779. The site features a museum, which offers exhibits on the battle and the 1826 Stony Point Lighthouse, as well as interpretive programs, such as reenactments highlighting 18th-century military life, cannon and musket firings, cooking demonstrations, and children's activities.

The site offers exhibits, tours, demonstrations, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Maine Maritime Museum

Description

The Museum presents visitors with exhibits brimming with art and artifacts; contemporary, interactive areas for children and adults; an historic shipyard with five of the original 19th-century buildings; a Victorian-era shipyard owner's home; an active waterfront; and a life-size sculptural representation of the largest wooden sailing vessel ever built.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, boat cruises, classes, educational programs, research library access, and educational and recreational events.

Close Reading for Vocabulary, Context, and Tone

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This student think-aloud shows a high school student reading a New York Times article about the Scopes Trial and working to make sense of its meaning. During this 74-second video, she identifies words she is unfamiliar with and draws on outside information in order to analyze the tone of the document. As a result of this close reading, she is able to better understand not only the meaning of the document, but also the viewpoint of its author—a big city reporter visiting a small town in Tennessee. A commentary on the think-aloud is also available and you can find the document the student reads here.

The Mystery of Radar in Hawaii

Description

From C-SPAN's Video Library:

"Historian Harry Butowsky discussed 'The Mystery of Radar in Hawaii.' In 1941 radar was a new technology that was being utilized at Pearl Harbor, but the infrastructure surrounding its monitoring was not fully developed. Mr. Butowsky used many slides while telling the December 7, 1941, story from the point that the Japanese planes were detected on radar to the ongoing discussion of assigning blame for the success of the surprise attack."

Early American Museum [IL]

Description

The Museum collects, preserves, and interprets the history of East Central Illinois, specifically Champaign County, for the education and enjoyment of present and future generations.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, educational programs, and recreational and educational events.

History Museum of Western Virginia [VA]

Description

The History Museum of Western Virginia presents artifacts and information relevant to the history of the western portion of Virginia. The site also operates the circa 1905 Crystal Spring Pumping Station, which provided water-based power for Roanoke, VA.

The museum offers exhibits, interactive curriculum-based outreach programs, interactive curriculum-based programs, and research library access. The pump station is open May through September. Student program topics include immigration, African Americans in the maritime industry, Native American life and leisure, pioneer art, Mali, Civil War soldier life, patriotic symbols, early international conflict, archaeology, rural life, steam locomotives in Southwest Virginia, the work and labor of sharecroppers' children, trade, exploration, and navigation. The website offers a virtual exhibit and a searchable collections database with images.