Lesson Plans Topic Cemetery Study for New Hampshire History: Meredith Bridge Focus Question   Boundaries X Technology and Science   Natural Environment and People   Nongovernmental Groups   Cultures, Races and Ethnic Groups   Material Wants and Needs   Politics X Self-Expression Era   Beginnings to 1623 Different Worlds Meet   1623-1763 Colonization and Settlement X 1763-1820s Revolution and the New Nation X 1801-1861 Expansion and Reform X 1850-1877 Civil War and Reconstruction X 1870-1900 Development of the Industrial United States X 1890-1930 Emergence of Modern America   1929-1945 Great Depression and World War II   1945-early 1970s Postwar United States   1968-present Contemporary United States Social Studies Standards Geography 10, 13, 14; History 17 Grade Level   Elementary   High School X Middle/High School   Middle   Elementary/Middle   All What Students Learn While this particular lesson centers upon a field trip to Laconia's Meredith Bridge Cemetery, it is applicable to cemeteries in any locality and easily expanded to include more activities. Students come to recognize the brevity and precariousness of life in the 19th century and come to understand the belief systems of the community as represented by gravestones and monuments, inscriptions, and stone carvings. Procedures In preparation for a field trip to the Meredith Bridge Cemetery, secure permission from the Laconia Parks and Recreation Department. Other towns and cities may have different departments in charge of local cemeteries. Before the Field Trip Have students brainstorm: What is a cemetery? Why do we have cemeteries? What is the purpose of a gravestone? An epitaph? A carving? During the Field Trip Provide students a survey form to use with a partner during their visit to the cemetery (see the Cemetery Survey). Assign each team a certain section of the cemetery to survey or a certain number of graves. Materials Included in the Lesson Cemetery Survey Bibliography Most entries listed below, as well as other teacher resources, are available through the New Hampshire Historical Society's Tuck Library and its museum store. Van Cloud, John. "Meeting Your (Film) Maker." Time (July 10, 2000): 65-66. Greene, Janet. Epitaphs to Remember. Chambersburg: N.p., 1962. Hannaford, Mary Elizabeth Neal. Cemetery Inscriptions, Meredith, New Hampshire. N.p., 1931. Hibbard, Mary Gale for the Daughters of the American Revolution. Old Meredith and Vicinity. Concord: Rumford Press, 1926. Jacobs, G. Walker. Stranger Stop and Cast an Eye: A Guide to Gravestones and Gravestone Rubbings. Brattleboro: Stephen Greene Press, 1973. Koerner, Brendan I. "A Matter of Grave Import." US News and World Report (June 12, 2000): 52-53. Strangstad, Lynette. A Graveyard Preservation Primer. Nashville: American Association for State & Local History and the Association for Gravestone Studies, 1988. Vaughan, Charles W. The Illustrated Laconian: History and Industries of Laconia, N.H. Laconia: Louis Martin, 1899. Assessment Tools and Techniques After the Field Trip Students could tally their survey findings. Discussion could center on these findings: Was life expectancy of the people more or less than the average of the time? Was life expectancy greater for those who lived near the end of the century? What was the incidence of infant or early childhood mortality? (Discuss common childhood diseases that are no longer a threat today.) What were the most common carvings or inscriptions found? Additional activities could include having students design a gravestone and epitaph from the drawing of a blank headstone that you supply them. Research could be conducted using local directories and histories of the nineteenth century to find biographical information. Newspapers of the period could supply possible causes of deaths. Telephone books and local maps could yield the names of the deceased on street signs or in the names of businesses. Credit This is an adaptation of a lesson created by Linda Hansen, a participant in the New Hampshire Historical Society's 2000 Summer Institute for Teachers. Introduction | Topics | Lessons | Curriculum | Teacher Exchange For more information, please contact the New Hampshire Historical Society (mfoynes@nhhistory.org) - Who Are We? - What's New? - Museum - Library - Publications - Membership - Museum Store - School Programs - Programs & Events - Questions & Feedback - Home - Copyright © 2007 New Hampshire Historical Society. Last Modified December 11, 2001.