Historic Newton:Jackson Homestead and

Museum

Happy 200th Birthday!

Architecture Federal-style house Larger windows with

fewer panes Elliptical fanlight Central hall with four

rooms on each floor Status and

sophistication Confidence of new

republic

Ellen Jackson

“The building of the…house was an event of public interest, it being a fine house for the time and Newton being so small a town that few houses were built in a year.”

--Ellen Jackson

What goes on at the Jackson Homestead today?

Archives:Newton Highlands Station after Blizzard

of 1978

Painting of Totem Pole Ballroom, Norumbega

Park

Collections

Exhibitions

Public and Family Programs

Education Programs!!!

Underground Railroad

Family Life in the 1800s

Native Americans

Coming soon: MAPS!

How do historians study the past?

Artifacts

Documents

Photographs and drawings

Oral history

Artifacts

What is an artifact?

An artifact is something

that was made or used

by people in the past.

Documents

Ellen Jackson’s Annals of the Jackson Homestead

The Jackson Family

Oral Tradition: Controversy! Scandal!

Code songs, long part ofthe Underground

Railroadprogram, have recentlybeen debunked byNational Park Servicescholars. They are a

veryimportant part of ourprogram. What to do? Please…HELP!

Pre-Visit Activity

Cherished Possessions: Students bring in their most valued possession. Partners interview each other with guided questions and make up one or two improvised questions on their own.

Purpose: They will gain an understanding about artifacts and what you learn about people by studying objects that belong to them. The activity also familiarizes them with techniques of oral histories and what can be learned from an interview. Plus, it’s fun!

Post-Visit Activity

Jackson Buddy: Pick one member of the Jackson family that you learned about today. Write and illustrate a short journal entry from their point of view about their everyday activities and chores. Your illustration should include one artifact you studied at the Jackson Homestead. In what ways are they similar to you? How are they different?

Purpose: Students can identify a person from the past and directly compare their daily lives and experiences. Emphasizes students as historical actors themselves.

Questions Do you think small, local history museums are as

attractive to educators as larger institutions such as the MFA, Plimoth Plantation, or Old Sturbridge Village?

Do you think children are interested in museums or bored by them?

How could a small museum like the Jackson Homestead reach out to more teachers about their various programs?

Visit the Jackson Homestead!

For more information, go to www.historicnewton.org

My direct line: 617-796-1453

Email: acarter@newtonma.gov