|
Featured Web Advertiser: |
|
|
Featured Web Advertiser: |
|
ECOTECH NETWORK Mapping the Journey through Hallowed Ground Here is a short quiz for you.
A recent Journey Through Hallowed Ground educational summit at Oatlands Plantation started with these and a few other ice breaking questions. (The answers are at the end of this article.) The summit's participants focused, in part, on the development of an interactive map as one of the best ways to educate children and adults alike about the history and cultural resources of the long corridor, much of which is in Virginia. THE JOURNEY
On April 15, Congressman Frank Wolf (10th) introduced legislation in the Congress to create a four state National Heritage area known as the Journey Through Hallowed Ground (JTHG). Senators Warner and Allen introduced identical legislation in the Senate, and if approved, JTHG would become the nation's 28th National Heritage Area. The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Corridor starts in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and extends 175 miles south through Maryland, into West Virginia, ending at Monticello in Virginia. The variable width corridor includes, according to JTHG, "the largest concentration of civil war sites and battlefields in the country; six presidential homes; 13 national park units; 47 historic districts; 13 National Historic Landmarks; Revolutionary War sites; one million acres on the national register; dozens of National Trust 'Main Street' communities and historic downtowns; Native American historic sites; African American historic sites; and, two world heritage sites: Monticello and the Rotunda at the University of Virginia." THE ROLE OF MAPS IN THE JOURNEY The map of the corridor that identifies these sites was prepared by the JTHG in 2001. It's a paper map that can also be viewed at the organization's website at www.hallowedground.org (follow the Get Involved link to obtain a copy). The participants of the educational summit focused on additional web based mapping opportunities.
Maps are an important part of the JTHG educational program. One goal of the educational outreach program is to place the map in every classroom in the region and the country. In her opening remarks, Cate Mcgennis Wyatt, president of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground said the JTHG, "is not a history lesson, but a civics lesson." The group then brainstormed the, "most effective programs to engage students, teachers, and administrators." Professor Brown Morton, head of the historic preservation program at the University of Mary Washington, spoke on the justification for JTHG and historic preservation. He said that the most important distinction is not the appearance of a place, but its function in the present day community. According to the professor, "We have failed because we talk about historic preservation as a product, not a resource." Dr. Morton said that we should value the social infrastructure and identify the contribution many places make to the value of a place beyond standard historic significance. He asked the gathered educators to help him develop a formal and scientific based methodology for identifying and measuring the quantifiable value of a community's tangible assets. One of the participants later noted that, "It's not just the history but also the science, including remote sensing, GIS, soils, and others." Science can help to predict, identify, quantify, and explain historic resources. Bill Brazier, social science instructional supervisor for the Loudoun County Public Schools, noted that there is a scientific revolution occurring in the study of history. In exploring how to best educate both children and adults in these concepts, the group ultimately focused on a few strategies including their favorite, the development of a virtual tour and classroom. Think of an interactive map of the corridor through Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. EARLY MAPS OF THE CORRIDOR There is a long history of mapmaking in the corridor. At the southern end, in central Virginia, is Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was the architect of Monticello, author of the Declaration of Independence, President of the nation, and founder of the University of Virginia. He was also a surveyor who produced survey plats of Monticello in 1778 and again circa 1809. The originals reside in the collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Thomas Jefferson learned surveying from his father Peter. Peter Jefferson and Joshua Fry, a professor of mathematics at the College of William and Mary surveyed the boundary between Virginia and North Carolina, and later produced a detailed map of Virginia and parts of adjacent states. Thomas sometimes accompanied his father on his expeditions, where he learned surveying. Later, he taught surveying to Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The corridor leaves Virginia north of Leesburg, the town where the Battle of Balls Bluff was fought on October 21, 1861 (about a mile from my house at Edwards Ferry.) Leesburg, one of the oldest towns in Northern Virginia, was once called Georgetown in honor of King George II. Originally an outfitting post during the French and Indian War, it was platted in 1758 from land originally held by Lord Fairfax. The town was renamed in honor of the influential Lee family of Virginia when Leesburg became the county seat of Loudoun County. The original survey of the town is on display at the Loudoun Museum in Leesburg. The plat was produced in 1759 by John Hough, a farmer and surveyor who had done work for Lord Fairfax. His client was Nicholas Minor who, when he learned that the newly designated county seat was included on land that he owned, had Hough prepare the 70 lot plat. Also in the collection and on display is a copy of Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia. This book, published in 1802, is opened to a map of the state. THE ROLE OF MAPS IN THE EDUCATION PROGRAM The purpose of the legislation to create the four state National Heritage Area is to preserve and interpret American history and the histories of all the various peoples who have lived here, to promote tourism, to recognize and interpret the effect of the Civil War, and to enhance a cooperative management approach already under way among the states, local governments, the private sector, and area citizens.
The proposed legislation mandates the development of a management plan which would include, among other things, visitor education and educational programs for students of all ages. One of the early educational goals was met in January 2006 when History 298, The Journey Through Hallowed Ground, was offered at the Northern Virginia Community College in Sterling, Virginia. The course is taught as a partnership between Northern Virginia Community College and Loudoun County Public Schools. It is taught as part lecture and part field trip in order to engage the students, many of whom are also teachers, in the JTHG. It was built as a modular course to make it portable, and the hope is that it can be replicated in colleges throughout the corridor. A committee has been formed to develop the interactive map of JTHG. A logical starting point would be to use the state's orthophotography as a base, and local GIS resources could also be tapped. The map may include photos, video and other resources that help make the corridor come alive, and to tie together the cultural landscape as suggested by Professor Morton. The answers to questions are:
There are numerous sites in the corridor where one can find historic maps and for which maps have been made. I have named a couple, but it's up to you to find more. A good place to start is the Library of Virginia, though there are many other libraries and museums throughout the corridor. Monticello is open every day of the year except Christmas. The hours this summer are 8 am till 5 pm, though you should check the website at www.monticello.org for any changes. The Loudoun Museum is open Monday and Wednesday through Saturday from 10am till 5 pm, and Sunday from 1 to 5 pm. You can also visit them at www.loudounmuseum.org. There are free tours of the Balls Bluff battlefield on Saturdays and Sundays at 11 am and 2 pm through the end of October. Happy exploring! |
Larry Stipek is the Loudoun County GIS Coordinator and a statewide authority and speaker on the subject of geographic information systems and their applications. For more information: |
