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Students Revel in Hallowell's History

June 10, 2010 - HALLOWELL -- Hallowell's history has gone global.

Locals have always known the small riverside city has a rich and diverse history. Now, thanks to the work of local residents, students, history buffs, officials and teachers, so can anyone else with an Internet connection.

Some 70 Hall-Dale Middle School seventh-graders worked on the project since fall, according to social studies teacher Wendy Wingate. They went on field trips to Hubbard Free Library, cemeteries and state archives; interviewed local residents; researched extensively; and produced podcasts, movies, cartoons and even a rap about Hallowell history.

"They did all kinds of creative things," Wingate said of students' efforts. "They really made the history come alive. They worked hard. They knew this was a real thing they were doing, not just an assignment to be handed in to a teacher. It'll be on a website, for people from all around the world."

The results of the Historic Hallowell project will be unveiled at two celebrations Thursday.

But the celebrations should not be taken as an indication the project is complete because -- according to Bob McIntire, one of the organizers of the project -- there will always be more to update on the site.

"This is just the beginning," said McIntire, a member of the Hallowell Board of Trade and state Department of Education employee. "We want it to continue to grow."

The mass of collected information is online at www.historichallowell.org, and will also be available by following links at www.mainememory.net.

There will be two celebrations today at Hall-Dale Middle School -- an assembly primarily for students at 1 p.m., and a celebration for the community at large at 6:30. Students will lead both presenations.

The project was funded by a $7,500 grant from the Maine Community Heritage Project, a parternship of the Maine Historical Society and Maine State Library.

The project seeks to convert local historical collections into digital form and exhibit them, with supporting text, on custom-designed local history websites.

"Now people can go online and learn about Hallowell, look at all these resources and link out to them, from anywhere," McIntire said.

by Keith Edwards, Kennebec Journal, June 10, 2010

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