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Exploring American History At The Local Level

One day I was walking down an old rural street in my hometown. I had walked down that street a hundred times throughout the years and I was so accustomed to seeing the same things I never gave much thought to what I was passing. Then one day something happened. Walking down the same street I heard a loud CRASH! I turned around and saw an old barn that I had passed a hundred times had collapsed.

For a moment I couldn't help but pay homage to that old barn.

At one point that old barn was a new barn. Someone probably sat down and drew a blueprint, gathered some friends or family, and made arrangements to build a new barn. They poured their sweat into that barn and worked a couple long days to get it done. Someone probably got a splinter, a couple guys probably cracked a few jokes while taking a break, and when it was done somebody was probably proud of their work.

Then life moved on. Decades passed like ocean waves and finally that once new barn became old and rotted. Then one day when a young teenage boy was walking down an old dirt road, with nobody around, it fell.

The point is that even the smallest things have a story behind it.

Every large metropolis had a beginning and every small town had local heroes. Street signs are named after them and monuments in the cemeteries memorialize them. While they are forgotten their accomplishments have usually influenced the local community in many ways.

So what is the point of learning local history?

Two reasons:

  • If you enjoy history, then you enjoy a good story and the best stories are provided on the local level.
  • If you are doing family research, then the events of the small town will shed light on why a family member did something that you may not understand.

Local history gives perspective.

I want to explore the local culture and hear the different stories.

I believe that by learning these stories I will gain more perspective on the History of America.

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