History and Place: The Importance of Connection to the Physical World When Engaging in Intellectual Pursuit
When leafing through the most recent issue of the Magazine of History (the OAH’s monthly journal), I was struck by an article by Dustin Meeker on the power of place in teaching history. Those of us who are avid visitors to historic sites probably think that the importance of place in studying and teaching history is obvious, but in the age of shrinking budgets for education at all levels means trips out of the classroom are rare treats. So how do we bring a sense of place to our teaching without leaving the classroom? Meeker advocates taking students to libraries and archives and encouraging them to do research on local sites and events to engage them with a sense of place. But that kind of research trip is not always possible. One of the faculty members in NSU’s history department, Arnold Modlin, instructor of Geography, came up with a great idea for connecting students to the history of the places around them. Norfolk State University’s campus is close to the border between the city of Norfolk and Virginia Beach, and Witchduck Road, the source of many urban legends in the Tidewater Region. He had his students in his Introduction to Geography class research the history of Witchduck Road and how it got its name (it was named for the first and only witch tried in Virginia, Grace Sherwood). The assignment introduced students to the idea of tomography, the layers of names and associations assigned to a particular place or geographical feature. Students, many of whom grew up in the Tidewater region, knew the stories surrounding Witchduck Road and the supposed hauntings, but few knew the real and tragic story of Grace Sherwood. Resources: Meeker, Dustin. “National History Day and the Power of Place: Researching the History of Your State or Community.” Organization of American Historians Magazine of History 26:3 (July 2012): 19-24.