State Historic
Preservation Office
- National Register
- National Register Eligibility Assessment
- Courthouse Grants
- Tax Credits
- Archaeology
- Certified Local Governments
- History and Heritage
- Grants
- Section 106 Review
- Survey and Inventory
- Technical Assistance
- Commissions and Boards
- Report an Environmental Problem
The Harrisonville Courthouse Square Project
During the 2000-'01 school year the SHPO's Preservation Education Coordinator, Karen Grace worked with Carol Bohl, an eighth-grade teacher at Harrisonville Christian School to develop a multi-level pilot project focused on the Harrisonville Courthouse Square National Register Historic District. The project turned out so well that staff decided to share it with other teachers and the general public via the SHPOWeb site. The four-phase project involved a considerable amount of research at the Cass County Courthouse, Harrisonville City Hall, the local library, historical society and the SHPO's Cultural Resource Inventory as well as through oral interviews. The class was divided into five work groups, one for each side of the square and one for the courthouse. Each group was assigned to complete a poster (presentation board), a walking tour brochure, an oral history interview and a diorama of one side of the square or the courthouse as it looked in 1918. Student Project Syllabus Rather than do a traditional research paper, the class will complete several research projects based on the history of the Harrisonville Square. This will encompass a variety of skills including writing, documentation, interviewing and visual presentations. Each group of three students will research and document the following projects: PRESENTATION BOARD 200 points
WALKING TOUR BROCHURE 100 points Design a three-fold brochure of a walk through time for your side that would tell tourists about the history of the square or courthouse and other pertinent or interesting information.
ORAL HISTORY 50 points Interview at least one person who worked on the square to record their memories on either audio or video tape. Prepare questions ahead of time. Make the contact and set up the date. Be polite at all times. SQUARE DIORAMA Art class project
Working with your team, construct a model of your side of the square as it would have been in 1918. Try to make it architecturally correct. Storefronts should have names of businesses gleaned from research and details as found in available pictures. Where the Harrisonville Students Found Information Courthouse/City Hall Tax Assessor - record of ownership of real property and its value Probate Court - Wills, inheritors, estates Building Department - record of renovations Planning Department - Plat maps Library/Historical Society City Directories-names and addresses of owners and people who worked at businesses downtown; photos of owner's homes and businesses; advertising for businesses Newspapers (and clippings)-store openings and closings, ads for merchandise, owner's activities, important cases at courthouse, renovations, obituaries Sandborn Maps-record of ownership, site plan, building foot print, building materials Photos-buildings and their owners Books-histories, biographies, souvenir or vanity publications Private Collections photos, letters, diaries, artifacts Oral History Interviews with owners, workers or their descendants SHPO Cultural Resource Inventory National Register of Historic Places - town/neighborhood history, architectural style, architectural description, architect or builders, age, legal description, site plans, biographies of significant persons, photos, maps, floor plans, site plans. Statewide Survey Files-same as above County Files-booklets, brochures, letters, unpublished histories, photos, newspaper clippings Maps-survey, National Register, plat, topographic, Sandborn, bird's-eye views Research Library county/city/regional/state histories, ethnic histories, architectural histories, builder's handbooks and catalogs, planning, how-to information for homeowners, architectural encyclopedias and dictionaries, preservation periodicals (1968-2001), etc. Materials List for Harrisonville Project Presentation Board 1. posterboard or foamcore Walking Tour Brochure 1. computer with photo scanner and desktop publishing program Oral History 1. recording device either audio or video Diorama 1. white cardboard cubes Sample Timeline
|
