Do you like learning about the history of your town?
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
United States
November 13, 2012 8:46pm CST
I was just doing a class project where I had to research 3 different companies. One of the companies I had to research was our local hospital. I had to research their history. I learned something very interesting. My town used to have an Idiot Asylum back in the late 1800's. It was actually called the State Idiot Asylum and then eventually renamed to State School for Mental Defectives.
Here's a link to a website with some info on our Idiot Asylum:
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nyononda/hospitals/idiotsasylum.html
This prompted me to do a search on some other histories of my city, and I found a website with a lot of old pictures. It was fun looking at buildings that are still standing today but used for something else. We used to have a canal going through our town.. it's actually like the longest man made canal in North America or something, called the Erie Canal. It went from Lake Erie to the Hudson canal, straight through NY state. Most of it is gone now, but there are pictures of when it was up and running through our downtown area. Erie canal is the main reason my town is here today! Many of the buildings around it are still there, but what used to be the canal is all streets now.
Do you like learning about the history of your area or looking at pictures of your history?
1 person likes this
23 responses
@Mavic123456 (21893)
• Thailand
14 Nov 12
Of course it is always nice where your town started and how much it has improved if it has improved. It is nice also to know the people before, though my town was not our origin. We just transferred there. But there is where we grew together with my sisters and brother. I am so happy that you have enjoyed learning about your town. good thing old pictures were kept and archived. Good for you. five claps for you and 5 claps for your town, too. hope it keeps developing and improving.
@GardenGerty (160696)
• United States
14 Nov 12
Our public library has a room dedicated to the history of our entire county. It is sad in some ways to look back over the history of the treatment of the disabled, and I bet you earned a lot doing the research. There are songs and stories about the Erie Canal. Our town puts a lot of emphasis on the history of our area.
@GardenGerty (160696)
• United States
14 Nov 12
An interesting read. Since I work with the adult disabled and used to work in Special Education in our school it is of interest to see the history of how they were treated and educated progressed.
@GardenGerty (160696)
• United States
14 Nov 12
@Kat, I am much older than you, so I do not know what they teach now, and I never heard from my kids, but when I was in about sixth grade I know we studied the Erie Canal in Social Studies, it was a major part of the Westward Expanion in the north east part of the country. It was vital to the improving commerce of the area.
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
14 Nov 12
Yes. I moved here over thirty years ago....and just recently saw pictures of the town from the 20's....its amazing to see the downtown like it was...and there was at one time even a college! They have done many things to preserve the old buildings but each renovation takes millions to accomplish. It is so very interesting!
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
14 Nov 12
We apparently used to have an armory and a military academy. The armory is now a children's museum and the military academy is a regular high school.
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
14 Nov 12
I live in St. Louis, MO. There are so many things about this city I think it would be hard to learn them all. Of course our big one is the Arch.
At the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, Richard Blechyden, served tea with ice and invented iced tea. Also, at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, the ice cream cone was invented. An ice cream vendor ran out of cups and asked a waffle vendor to help by rolling up waffles to hold ice cream.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
14 Nov 12
That's interesting.
Syracuse has the most polluted lake in North America. Or at least we did.. they've been working on cleaning it up.. but basically all my life they've said you can't swim in the lake because it's far too polluted from the factories that used to put all their waste into the lake.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
14 Nov 12
Was it really spooky or did it just seem spooky because movies have made asylums into a scary thing?
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
14 Nov 12
I'm sure seeing those things, your imagination got the best of you.
I don't know if I'd have the nerve to go into a building like that. I'd be way too scared!
@mariaperalta (19073)
• Mexico
14 Nov 12
I do, but only because I live in the capital city of Mexico. In school we had to learn about it.
@robspeakman (1700)
•
14 Nov 12
I would imagine that is quite interesting, the history of Mexico. The Spanish rule and influences. The language and religion they brought. The Romans brought Christianity to Pagan Britian.
@beamer88 (4259)
• Philippines
14 Nov 12
I've always been fascinated by history. It was actually one of my favorite subjects when I was still studying. Pity though that the city I live in here in the Philippines is relatively new so its history isn't quite that deep yet. It was only in the late 1930's when it was founded. Prior to that, it was a vast area of land privately owned by a very wealthy family of Chinese-Spanish descent. This family has a very interesting history, though, but discussing it might take up too much space 
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
14 Nov 12
American history doesn't date back nearly as far as histories from other cultures. I'd love to visit some other places sometime and learn about their history.
@asliah (11137)
• Philippines
21 Dec 12
hi,
i could say yes,i really wanted to study and learn the history of my place or my town,and even the place that i have been visited,like when i was in Baguio together with my family,i had an interest to learn and study the history of Baguio if where it came from or how can people started to make it city.
@verolop29 (1096)
• United States
14 Nov 12
Hmm..an asylum for idiots!?! That's kinda sad and...a little weird because I have never heard of that before which make me want to know more! Thanks for the link by the way
I love history now. Back then I didn't like history the way I do now.
I go to the historical places here all the time and where I live there are these old shops they're soo old that they give this creeky sound every time u walk on the floor! Just this past weekend I went to this other place just across the street from that little shop and everything in it costed more than $20! All it is is old stuff ppl didn't want anymore. I saw old pictures. There were being sold for a dollar! I didn't touch anything because I heard that some ppl place curses on their own things. I talked to the owner of that shop and she told me it used to be her great-grandmothers house and it the late 40's it was turned to something else and it's now a historical shop!
I am just was soo drawn to old places like that! I'm going to do some more exploring this coming weekend!!!
I love history now. Back then I didn't like history the way I do now.
I go to the historical places here all the time and where I live there are these old shops they're soo old that they give this creeky sound every time u walk on the floor! Just this past weekend I went to this other place just across the street from that little shop and everything in it costed more than $20! All it is is old stuff ppl didn't want anymore. I saw old pictures. There were being sold for a dollar! I didn't touch anything because I heard that some ppl place curses on their own things. I talked to the owner of that shop and she told me it used to be her great-grandmothers house and it the late 40's it was turned to something else and it's now a historical shop!
I am just was soo drawn to old places like that! I'm going to do some more exploring this coming weekend!!!
@41CombedaleRoad (5952)
• Greece
14 Nov 12
This kind of local history is what makes the subject come alive. I moved to a country town and did some research too, it was fascinating. There was a hill above the church which was the site on which the last protestant martyr was burned on a stake, his son had to light the fire. Can you imagine? The local hospital had once been the local Workhouse, something much feared and dreaded by the poor.
I discovered that one of the public houses was supposed to be haunted, that was exciting, and that the road running through the old part of the town had been the route on which the old stage coaches had run. This explained the huge doorways into the back of the pubs - room enough for a coach and horses to get in.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
14 Nov 12
I live less than a block away from a building that is supposedly haunted. Apparently it burned down twice, and people have seen ghosts in it. It's a bar and reception hall now.. and people still say glasses will fall off the walls for no reason, people feel like a cold chill, women will feel someone touching them or tugging their hair but nobody is nearby.
The business plays it up too. They have a mannequin or something they place in the windows sometimes on the higher floors.
Definitely spooky!
@robspeakman (1700)
•
14 Nov 12
I love history, even local history.
I was born and raised in a town called Wigan in the north of England. When the Romans invaded Britian over 2000 years ago, they turned the then village of Wigan into a Roman encampment - Roman artifacts are still being found today. Jump forward 1600 years and Wigan features heavily in the English Civil war. Carry on to the Industrial revolution and Wigan becomes a major player in the creation of industry in cotton, mining and transportation. Wigan became rich during this time and turned from a small town into a massive place of employment.
Moving to today, Wigan is home to the greatest football team in the World!!
WIGAN ATHLETIC FOOTBALL CLUB - My greatest love...
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
14 Nov 12
I'd love to visit England someday. The history it must hold.. because of course Europe is so much older than North America. Much of our history is based on Native Americans.. which I don't find as interesting.
@writethem (96)
• United States
15 Nov 12
I naturally love history, but never thought to research my own town's history. Thanks for the idea!
@robspeakman (1700)
•
14 Nov 12
I doubt very much you will earn anything from a one word response - Come on make an effort
@Anne18 (11029)
•
14 Nov 12
I enjoy learning about my area, espically as we moved ot the town and din't know too much about the history of the town.
Its amazing what has happened in a small town and how looking at old pictures how much it has changed.
There is a couple of very good old time websites about my town on the web and its lovley looking back at what has gone on. Makes me feel I really belong here
@wilsongoddard (7291)
• United States
14 Nov 12
I haven't been in this town for very long, but I do, vaguely, know a little about its history. I do want to learn more, though. I know that this town is rich in history--as are other towns in the region. I am certain that there are a lot of really interesting stories here beyond the ones (including a few ghost stories!) I've already discovered.
@bingskee (5234)
• Philippines
14 Nov 12
that's truly interesting! i would be very delighted to learn about the history of the area where i am now, although i heard a landmark in our area played a big part in the history of the whole country, i still would be interested to see pictures of old people, places and landmarks.
i think it was a lot of fun when you were doing the research.
@uchelink (200)
• Nigeria
14 Nov 12
Sorry to say i don't much about my town.... Although my dad told me how its originated and some things i need to know...
But i would want to know deep history of my town.
Well i will take it as a challenge i will do research about my town...
Happy mylotting......
@feixia (6)
• China
14 Nov 12
Yes, not only I like to lean about the history of my town but also the history of where i lived.it is a little town where i was born.when I was a child I always like to known the history of my countryside from the senior people.my hometown which named Taiping was a famous town among china before 1980 years ,but now it has recession . from the old street I can imagine how prosperity it was.
