Persell Students Look Into Jamestown’s Past

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Persell Students Look Into Jamestown’s Past
By S. Alexander Gerould
From the Jamestown Post-Journal, Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Did you know the area around Brooklyn Square in Jamestown used to be completely different than it is now?

For students from Persell Middle School, they’re aiming to find out what happened.

As part of a class project, eighth-graders from the school have been learning about what the city looked like in the past, including examining old photographs and maps and talking to individuals who were around Brooklyn Square during the urban renewal project of the late 1960s. The students are working with Pamela Brown, Jamestown Public Schools record management coordinator.

‘‘I showed them some of the primary source documents in our archives,’’ Ms. Brown said. ‘‘Right now they’re doing research, so we’ve been looking for different documents.’’

Started in December, students chose a topic which interested them. Many chose the so-called ‘‘Lost Neighborhood.’’

‘‘The other questions we had was what’s this deal with the lost neighborhood,’’ said Jeff Kresge, a social studies teacher who is helping with the project. ‘‘I don’t have the answers to this one. They’re really discovering. They’re really being historians.’’

To answer that question, a group of students met at the Fenton History Center recently to further conduct research.

‘‘They’re piecing together the neighborhood,’’ Ms. Brown said as the group looked over black and white photographs of the area and tried to place them where they once stood.

‘‘It’ll be interesting to find out what actually happened,’’ said eighth-grader Holly Johnson.

The students have also created a Web site, www.jamestownpublicschools.org/podcasts/99jkresge/Lost_Neighborhood/Lost_Neighborhood_Home.html, chronicling their efforts and research. On the Web site, visitors can see photographs and read student blogs and unanswered questions about the area.

‘‘We see this project as a community service,’’ Kresge said, ‘‘both to teach those who may be unaware of this piece of Jamestown history and for those who lived through it to have an outlet to share their experiences with younger generations. We’d love to speak to members of the community who have data.’’

The students hope they are successful in answering the question of what happened to the ‘‘Lost Neighborhood.’’

‘‘It’s for people who love social studies,’’ said Taylor Estrada, eighth-grader. ‘‘We’re historians.’’