Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park

Description

Visitors can walk through one of Vermont's most beautiful landscapes, under the shade of sugar maples and 400-year-old hemlocks, across covered bridges, and alongside rambling stone walls. Ranger-guided tours of the historic 1869 Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Mansion and gardens explore the history of conservation; the stewardship ethic of the Marsh, Billings, and Rockefeller families' and community-based conservation in a more modern context. In addition to original furnishings and personal items, the mansion displays works of art that include some of America's finest landscape paintings, highlighting the influence painting and photography had on the conservation movement.

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

Ownership of Cultural Property

Description

Boston Public Library president Bernard Margolis and Athenaeum librarian and program director Richard Wendorf discuss ownership of cultural property and the question of whether the Boston Athenaeum should have become the Boston Public Library. The presentation outlines the early history of the Athenaeum and the history of the debate over whether the institution should become a public library.

An mp3 version of the lecture is also available for download.

Resources for Earth Day

Date Published
Article Body

With its origins in the rising environmental awareness of the 1960s and '70s, Earth Day gives students a chance to consider how human relationships with the natural environment have changed over time. How did pre-colonial and colonial North Americans relate to nature? How were their lives shaped by it? How did the industrial revolution in the U.S. change these relationships? What changes have occurred since then?

If you're looking for resources to teach the relationship of geography and natural science to U.S. history, visit our Earth Day spotlight page. You'll find website reviews, teaching strategies for using maps and the environment, quizzes, and more.

Many other organizations also offer Earth Day resources. Here are some ideas to keep you browsing:

  • Discover events and volunteer opportunities nationwide on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Earth Day page.
  • Browse articles, primary source collections, links, and more related to conservation history and present-day science with the Library of Congress's Earth Day reference guide.
  • Head back to the '70s with the National Archives and Records Administration's collection of Documerica photographs. (Documerica, an EPA project, asked freelance photographers to capture environmental problems on film.)
  • Explore the parks of the National Park Service (NPS), and learn about the history of the NPS on the PBS website The National Parks: America's Best Idea (a companion to Ken Burns's documentary of the same name).
  • Read presidential proclamations from past Earth Days on the White House's website.
  • Learn about the life of President Theodore Roosevelt, including his support of conservation, in the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History's journal History Now.
  • Introduce students to Earth Day with National Geographic Education's "Think Green" resource collection.
  • Follow a timeline on the history of Earth Day and watch videos on environmental science at History.com.
  • Learn how Earth Day got its start and explore environmental awareness activities at publisher Scholastic's Celebrate Earth Day hub.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Article Body

As stated on the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) website, the organization's "mission is to work with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people."

While the menu for the FWS website is daunting, skip the "Kids, Educators, Parents" section, and try "History." The former is aimed toward the exploration of nature and the biological sciences, and would need modification for the history classroom.

For starters, under "History," educators can find four virtual exhibits, covering the National Conservation Training Center, Pelican Island, conservationists Olaus and Mardie Murie, and an FWS vessel, the Otter. The exhibits are small and largely text-based, although the exhibit on Pelican Island provides historical images. While specialized, the exhibits may prove of use for regional West Virginia history or information on conservation movement founders.

Additional resources include nine small historical images; period documents related to Rachel Carson, the U.S. Commission of Fisheries, and professional jargon; articles on topics ranging from fishery history to the limits of agroecology; law enforcement and FSW timelines; lists, including individual stations' centennial time capsule contents (what did employees feel best represented their station?); and oral history transcripts. Note that there are links to larger document databases, including FWS news releases dating as far back as 1914, under documents. This is easy to overlook, as other featured items are more prominent.

The Fallen Comrades list also provides insight into historical events. Listed deaths include the 1958 disappearance of the F.W.S. Grumman Goose N-720 and an employee, Lindgren, murdered by Italian hunters in 1922. Lindgren's death was used by journalistic factions to increase anti-immigration fervor.

Additional information of historical significance, particularly statistics, is tucked throughout the site. Try reading about climate change, wildfires, and wetlands trends.

If your students are animal lovers, consider having them select an endangered species, perhaps from their state. Each species' page includes federal documents related to their identification and recovery. These documents display how government interacts, not just with society, but with the country's fauna, a component of history which often goes unremarked.

First Do No Harm

Description

From Colonial Williamsburg: Past and Present Podcasts

"Restoration presents a paradox when repairing old instruments could mean erasing their stories. Conservator John Watson walks the fine line."

Interested readers can also learn more about the material culture present at Colonial Williamsburg by exploring the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg website.

The Governor's Palace at 75

Description

The Governor's Palace is a Williamsburg icon. Chief Curator Emeritus Graham Hood discusses the work involved in reexamining the furnishing and decoration of its period rooms, to make them as historically accurate as possible.

Note: this podcast is no longer available. To view a transcript of the original podcast, click here.

Architectural Research

Description

Ed Chappell, director of architectural research at Colonial Williamsburg, talks about the research required to restore buildings to their colonial-era state, and how perception of how a building should be restored and presented changes over time and with the appearance of new information.

Treasure Keepers

Description

Colonial Williamsburg curator John Watson discusses the considerations curators and preservationists must make in deciding how to conserve, preserve, restore, and display historical artifacts.