Lincoln's grade school students learn history by re-living it at Lincoln Heritage Museum

[March 16, 2015]  LINCOLN - Friday morning, fifth grade classes from Northwest, Washington Monroe, and Central schools traveled to the Lincoln Heritage Museum on the campus of Lincoln College to take part in “A Walk Through the 1860’s.”

All of the students have been preparing to step into the Civil War era and portray people from that time. Students dressed as nurses, soldiers, politicians, spies, members of the Underground Railroad, authors, and generals and of course, Mr. Lincoln. Once the students walked through the door of the museum they became living history, totally immersed in the person they chose to represent.

After the students took their places in the museum, visitors, mostly students' family members, walked through and listened to the presentations. One teacher was heard to remark that her students learned more preparing their presentations and listening to those of their fellow students than they could have from just reading a history book.
 

The students became the person they had selected. Generals talked about battles, nurses talked about taking care of the wounded, and authors talked about the impact their writing had on the course of our nation during the 1850’s and 1860’s. And, Mr. Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address. Visitors to the program hung on every word.

In the afternoon, the Central School students performed the Virginia Reel, a Civil War era dance, in the atrium of the museum.

Ann Moseley, interim director of the LHM, gave each class a short history lesson after their presentations. She spoke of how Abraham Lincoln left Springfield en route to Washington after he was elected President, and Ulysses S. Grant passed through Springfield one week later. They did not meet in person until 1864. She asked the students if history would have been different if they had met in Springfield in 1861. She stressed to the students that each person they pass during their busy days may be destined for greatness, including themselves.

Mr. Lincoln achieved greatness during his time in central Illinois, on the national stage and in world history. “We all have the potential to make positive contributions to our community, our country, and to the world, just like Mr. Lincoln,” she said.

The morning and afternoon proved to be the busiest in the Lincoln Heritage Museum’s short history. Over 150 students took part and more than 180 visitors took in the living history presentations.

[Curt Fox]