Some Key Concepts
chronology, connection, historical context, past/present, persisting themes and issues in history
Overview
ECHO Greenfield is constructing a Time Line at The LAVA Center to record the topics and issues we’ve discussed in our ECHO program series, and to invite all to stop by in person or contact us via email to add to/help build the time line.
Quotation
“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”
Andy Warhol
Guiding Questions
- What issues and/or topics are in the news now that get your attention?
- Is this topic or issue one that has been important in Greenfield’s history?
- How can you find out what was going on with regard to your topic or issue in historical times?
- What patterns, if any, do you notice when you look at what is in the news today versus what was in the news about the same topic in past times?
Links
- The Recorder – Daily newspaper from Greenfield, MA
- The Conservative Rebel: A Social History of Greenfield, Massachusetts by Paul Jenkins available at Greenfield Public Library; also Link to Genealogy and Local Resources for a variety of topics.
Project Suggestions and Ways to Practice
- Stop by at any point during our regular Saturday Salon hours and add yourself to our ongoing Time Line display. You might note the year you first came to Greenfield, whether because you were born in or near Greenfield or moved here at a later point, or you might add some significant event in your life that happened in the Greenfield area.
- Read a local newspaper or watch a local news program on television or the internet. Copy a headline or summarize what the story is about. Think about it both as a topic and an issue in order to research a story from an earlier time that is about the same thing. E.g., the new library could lead to researching the current library: when it began, whether it was always housed where it is now, etc. Or it could lead to researching how the City makes decisions about building new public buildings. It could also lead to researching other public buildings and whether there were debates or controversies about whether they should have been built. Summarize the older story or copy a headline that conveys the topic or issue. Email ECHO Greenfield with what you’ve learned so we can add it to the Time Line at The LAVA Center, or stop by during our regular Saturday hours to add it yourself.
