In Their Shoes: Exploring Daily Life in Rural 19th Century New England is a board game that offers students much-needed context for understanding and connecting to American History content and issues. Created in partnership with my colleague, Jennifer Manwell, the players represent local villagers (based on their town’s census information or provided characters), choose Turning Points Cards (based on historically accurate events), and use primary sources to create a historical fiction version of life in a New England village. Students spend “a century” in the shoes of nineteenth century rural New Englanders doing chores around the barn and home, going to school, trading their hand-made goods for needed resources at the General Store, and tackling social justice issues at an Underground Railroad Station and the Town Hall.  The game functions as a simulation and integrated thematic unit, encouraging players to create backstories for their characters, maintain Account Books, and engage in research. This simulation is intended to be an entry point for student-initiated inquiries and research for use with upper elementary, middle school, and even high school students.

To view samples from the simulation game or for information on purchasing the complete simulation, visit Historical Forensics: Simulation Game.

Below the simulation game image are several examples of our tool cards.  Historical Forensics offers five different decks of Tool Cards. There are cards focusing on the tools used in the processes of making butter, making maple syrup, and harvesting ice. The General Tool Cards deck focuses on tools used in the barn and home on small 19th century farms. The fifth deck explores changes to the New England landscape using photographs of the Harvard Forest Dioramas. These decks of cards offer a manageable way for children to interact with 19th century artifacts. The cards incorporate more than 100 photographs and prints from The Billings Farm & Museum, The Henry Sheldon Museum, and The Library of Congress. To view or purchase cards, visit Historical Forensics: Tool Cards.

These projects were funded in part by the Library or Congress, Teaching with Primary Sources, Eastern Region Program, coordinated by Waynesburg University.

Below are two posters that we presented at the Library of Congress regional conferences in Pittsburgh, PA.