Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Meeting with Hoboken Historical Museum

Today, Bob Foster, Director of the Hoboken Historical Museum met with members of the Hoboken Curriculum Committee at Calabro School in a follow up to an earlier meeting this spring with Dr. Petrosino and the Museum staff. The meeting was very productive and we look forward to the participation of Mr. Foster and his colleagues in being a valulable external source of expertise as the Committee moves forward.

The following is a list of possible local history topics that the Hoboken Historical Museum put together recently...many of these topics will be adapted for students in grades 4 and 5 in the District's revised curriculum.

1. Physical geography and geology of local area: mapping skills, Hudson River, Palisades
2. Original settlers: Lenni Lenape Indians
3. European settlers: Henry Hudson (Dutch) and English settlers
4. Revolutionary War: Bayard and Stevens Family
5. One Hundred firsts in Hoboken: things that were invented or used first in Hoboken
6. Stevens Family as inventors and city developer.
7. City of Hoboken from township to city: 1800-1855, incorporation, street grids and street planning, taxation, roads, sewers and forms of government
8. History of the waterfront from Elysian Fields to commercial port to Hudson River walkway
9. World War I
10. the Great Depression
11. Immigration and migration: Germans, Irish, Italians, Puerto Rican, African-American, yuppies
12. Genealogy
13. Transportation: ferries, railroads and PATH
14. City animals
15. Industry: manufacturing and de-industrialization
16. Music and arts
17. Built environment: roads, buildings, parks
18. Oral histories