On the 28th of October, Holy Cross’s 8th grade class made a visit to Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. This historical site teaches people of all ages the ways of years past. It features many different buildings dating from 1695 to 1943. Each building or home is distinguished in its own way according to the time period. Many of the homes displayed actual photos and items that belonged to past residents.
Strawbery Banke, formerly known as Puddle Dock, was first established in 1620 when settlers came from England to begin a new life. The oldest building known to Strawbery Banke is the Sherburne House, which was built in 1695, more than 300 years ago, and owned by Joseph Sherburne. The most recent addition, the Shapiro House, was built in 1919 and owned by the Shapiro family who were Jewish immigrants and who came to Strawbery Banke for religious reasons.
While at Strawbery Banke, students attended an Immigration Workshop, and each student had to take on the role of an actual person who was a past resident of this area. Students had to learn about the person’s life story, culture, and beliefs. They went to the respective buildings and acted as though they were living the life of the immigrant. While at the houses, students had to role play as well as answer many questions about what they did in their everyday life to where they came from and why. Some buildings showed you the inventions of the day that helped people and yet others showed you the foods that people ate. Altogether students learned about the ways of the world back then.
The 8th grade students of Holy Cross did not just learn about the past, they also learned about immigrants from all over the world and about their different ways of life. We also learned how grateful we must be for everything that we have today. The people before our time were not so lucky but they still managed with what they had. The 8th graders left with a bounty of historical facts as well as a respect for their for their ancestors.
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