By The FFL Buzz Team
Fayetteville Free Library
If you happened to see swarms of 100-plus fourth graders walking around Fayetteville over the past week or so, they weren’t playing hooky — they were participating in an FFL/Fayetteville Elementary School collaborative tour that included stops at Limestone Plaza, the Gage House, the Fayetteville Free Library and the Fayetteville Cemetery. Developed to meet community-focused curriculum requirements and to help make real the school-to-community connection for students, the tour also highlighted historical sites such as the Ledyard Dyke, the original Fayetteville Free Library and the graves of Jasper Huntley, Matilda Joslyn Gage and Phillip Pledger.
During the three-mile-long tour, students listened to short narratives by tour leaders and compared past and present using photographs mined from the FFL’s Local History Room: Genesee Street when it was a dirt road, the FFL when it was full-force Stickley factory. During a stop (and snack break) at the library, students created postcards highlighting favorite places and historical sites they learned about during the tour. On the way to the Civil War Monument in the cemetery, we heard students remarking how surprised they were to find so much history right here in their own town.
From women’s rights and the Underground Railroad to Grover Cleveland’s sled, FFL librarians developed the tour’s content using in-house primary resources that are available year-round. Digitized resources include Matilda Joslyn Gage’s Civil War Scrapbook (with thanks to New York Heritage) and local newspapers (including the Eagle Bulletin).
Interested in attending an all-ages walking tour? The next one takes place Friday, June 29, and focuses on the Ledyard Dyke. Meet on the library’s front porch at 11 a.m. Prefer to go it alone? Stop in to grab a handout for a self-guided tour or download a copy from our website.
For more information, visit the Fayetteville Free Library in person at 300 Orchard Street or online at FFLIB.org.
The FFL Buzz will be back next week!