Today I accompanied several groups of 4th graders to the museum. We never entered a building! Instead, we used the "Be Building Detectives" lesson plan found at the Arkansas History Hub and found on the page to the right. Submitted to the Arkansas History Hub by Emily Pennel, the lesson encourages students to investigate architecture. Students were separated into groups and armed with pens and clipboards. The lesson helped the students to pay particular attention to all the details of a particular architectural style.
In addition to the investigation, students had fun peeking into the windows of the Potts Inn. Many swore they saw plates move, portraits wink, and shadows move... This was just enough to whet their appetites for their big tour in May when the Pottsville Jr. High 8th graders will lead the 4th graders on group tours through the museum.
My hope is that by investigating the architecture, students gained vocabulary and experience that will help them appreciate the architecture in their hometown!
Thank you, Emily Pennel, for a terrific activity in Arkansas History!
Thoughts, ideas, and news about Potts Inn Museum in Pottsville, Arkansas.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
March is Archeology Month in Arkansas
It is a hot afternoon in 1541 as the Spaniards, led by Hernando DeSoto, cross through Arkansas. They have been traveling for months, searching for gold and claiming land for the King of Spain as they travel. They encounter some Native Americans: the Quapaw. The Quapaw instruct them to make their way further west.
After two grueling years, the men are still scrabbling through brush, tall pine forests, and slogging through swamps. Still they have found no gold. They carry with them armor, weaponry, and the provisions of a military party. They travel by foot and on horseback. What items from this long-ago expedition have been recovered by modern archeologists?
Imagine a young Cherokee boy as he passes through the Arkansas River Valley on his way to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. It is the 1830's. What would this boy carry with him? What might he leave behind?
The first European settlement west of the Mississippi was at Arkansas Post. From 1686 to 1763, the Post served as a French settlement and trading post. The Post changed hands in the middle of the 18th Century, becoming briefly a Spanish holding and then went back to the French after the American Revolution. Finally in 1803, when Louisiana Territory was purchased from the French, the Post became part of the United States. In all those years, with settlers and Native Americans living and working near the Post, what kinds of artifacts would have been left behind?
Archeologists work to solve these mysteries and many more. Take a look at some archeology links:
Archeology State Parks
Raven's Dream (a story of Native American rock art)
What will be left behind a century from now? What "artifacts" will we leave for archeologists in the future? Broken computer parts? Wrecked cars? Remnants from old shopping malls? It's an interesting thought. The next time you throw something away, consider it leaving evidence of your way of life.
After two grueling years, the men are still scrabbling through brush, tall pine forests, and slogging through swamps. Still they have found no gold. They carry with them armor, weaponry, and the provisions of a military party. They travel by foot and on horseback. What items from this long-ago expedition have been recovered by modern archeologists?
Imagine a young Cherokee boy as he passes through the Arkansas River Valley on his way to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. It is the 1830's. What would this boy carry with him? What might he leave behind?
The first European settlement west of the Mississippi was at Arkansas Post. From 1686 to 1763, the Post served as a French settlement and trading post. The Post changed hands in the middle of the 18th Century, becoming briefly a Spanish holding and then went back to the French after the American Revolution. Finally in 1803, when Louisiana Territory was purchased from the French, the Post became part of the United States. In all those years, with settlers and Native Americans living and working near the Post, what kinds of artifacts would have been left behind?
Archeologists work to solve these mysteries and many more. Take a look at some archeology links:
Archeology State Parks
Raven's Dream (a story of Native American rock art)
What will be left behind a century from now? What "artifacts" will we leave for archeologists in the future? Broken computer parts? Wrecked cars? Remnants from old shopping malls? It's an interesting thought. The next time you throw something away, consider it leaving evidence of your way of life.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Butterfield Overland Mail Route Subject of Study by National Parks
The National Parks Service is conducting a feasibility study for the purpose of collecting data regarding the inclusion of the Butterfield Overland Mail Route in the National Historic Trails! There is a public comment period, which extends through May 12. 2012. Here's a link to the NPS website which details the project and give periodic updates. There is a form where the public can comment.
Potts Inn is located on the "Ox-Bow" Route from Memphis to Ft. Smith. Note the map, below.
Go to the National Park Service website and log your comments today! Let's get the Butterfield Overland Route recognized as an important historic trail through our great nation!
Potts Inn is located on the "Ox-Bow" Route from Memphis to Ft. Smith. Note the map, below.
Go to the National Park Service website and log your comments today! Let's get the Butterfield Overland Route recognized as an important historic trail through our great nation!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Logan County Ties
Before the electric chair, how did the state execute people? The surest, most humane execution up until the time of the electric chair was by public hanging. The last legal hanging in Arkansas occurred in Paris, Logan County, Arkansas, in 1914. Pamelia Potts' family name was Logan, thus the Pope County/Logan County connection. Here's a link to an article about the last public hanging in Arkansas. Last Hanging in Arkansas
Visitors can see the jail cell where Mr. Arthur Tillman was held until his execution and the gallows where he was hanged at the Logan County "Old Jail" Museum in Paris, Arkansas. If interested in the murder and trial, there are books available for purchase that detail the whole ordeal.
Visitors can see the jail cell where Mr. Arthur Tillman was held until his execution and the gallows where he was hanged at the Logan County "Old Jail" Museum in Paris, Arkansas. If interested in the murder and trial, there are books available for purchase that detail the whole ordeal.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
American History: What would we be without it?
How many historic connections can you and your students find to the Potts Family and/or Potts Inn? The Inn has stood for 160 years, and in that time has borne witness to much of America's history, good and bad.
The Gold Rush:
Mr. Potts was a pioneer, entrepreneur, and an adventurer. He, like so many, rushed to California in the 1840's seeking his fortune in gold.
The Trail of Tears:
The Trail of Tears proceeded through the River Valley, and Mr. Potts speaks of an encampment near his home (the earlier log home at the foot of Crow Mtn.). We know that some of the Potts sons served in the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy. We also know the Potts were a slave-holding family.
The coming of the railroad:
Following the closure of the stage coach route, the railroad came through Arkansas, and the Potts Inn housed railroad workers, still serving in the capacity as an inn.
Revolutionary War:
Go back further, the Revolutionary War. General Washington's encampment at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was on Potts land. It was here, that Isaac Potts, a Quaker, a Whig, and a Tory witnessed General Washington kneeling in prayer in the snowy woods. This encounter changed Mr. Potts views on the American "rebels" and on the war.
Click here to read about Mr. Potts' encounter with General Washington as quoted to Rev. Nathaniel Randolph Snowden.
The Gold Rush:
Mr. Potts was a pioneer, entrepreneur, and an adventurer. He, like so many, rushed to California in the 1840's seeking his fortune in gold.
The Trail of Tears:
The Trail of Tears proceeded through the River Valley, and Mr. Potts speaks of an encampment near his home (the earlier log home at the foot of Crow Mtn.). We know that some of the Potts sons served in the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy. We also know the Potts were a slave-holding family.
The coming of the railroad:
Following the closure of the stage coach route, the railroad came through Arkansas, and the Potts Inn housed railroad workers, still serving in the capacity as an inn.
Revolutionary War:
Go back further, the Revolutionary War. General Washington's encampment at Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was on Potts land. It was here, that Isaac Potts, a Quaker, a Whig, and a Tory witnessed General Washington kneeling in prayer in the snowy woods. This encounter changed Mr. Potts views on the American "rebels" and on the war.
Click here to read about Mr. Potts' encounter with General Washington as quoted to Rev. Nathaniel Randolph Snowden.
Challenge your students to find more connections to the Potts Family. What were members of the Potts family doing during the War of 1812? World War I? World War II?
What artifacts are housed at the Potts Inn from these wars?
Hint: check out the painting over the mantel in the ladies' parlor for a WWII connection!!!
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