JAY — Students in the Our Hands on History class at Spruce Mountain High School shared what they had learned about the Civil War and Norlands Living History Museum with students in Janet Ventrella’s 6th grade reading classes.
Susan St. Pierre and her students have been transcribing and scanning items from Norlands that are being made into an online exhibit at Maine Memory Network. The efforts are the result of a Local and Legendary Grant awarded to the school and Norlands by the Maine Humanities Council, Maine Historical Society, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
A lively discussion occurred between the two groups of students. One sixth grader said families had to work.
High school student Emilly LaFleur said, “The war affected the entire community. All the men were sent off. There were no men to support their families.”
One student suggested imagining what would happen if all the mill workers were sent elsewhere.
It was noted that women often disguised as men to try to help.
High school student Nick Esty told of the many nurses in field hospitals. They acted like mother figures and helped boost morale by sending letters. “They gave a sense of normalcy,” he said.
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