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Local History Ideas for National History Day 2007
"Triumph and Tragedy in History"
Suggestions by the Powers Museum, Carthage Missouri
A Museum for Local History
For other 2007 theme ideas see:
National History
Day website
Missouri National History Day website
Southwest Missouri National History Day website
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Ella Harrison: A Life of Triumphs and Tragedies
Ella Harrison led a very eclectic life and experienced many different
careers in a variety of states. Daughter of a prominent Carthage family,
Ella was a contemporary of Annie Baxter and was a few years senior to
nationally-known woman suffrage worker Emily Newell Blair.The Powers Museum
has a research file on Ella Harrison including a photocopy of her scrapbook.
Other documentation would have to be found through local newspapers, various
school records, and research at other archives in the various states where
Ella lived.
Triumphs and Tragedies Along the Suffrage Trail: Ella Harrison
in the South
[a specific look at letters of Ella Harrison while working for Carrie
Chapman Catt and Susan Anthony]
NOTE: The Powers Museum holds a sampling of these Harrison-Catt-Anthony
letters copied from the original holdings at an out-of-state college library
and if a student selected this topic, use of these materials would have
to be authorized by this repository.
From Tragic Childhood to Triumphant Businessman: Thomas M. Sayman,
Millionaire Soapmaker
Although born in Richmond, IN, Sayman landed in southwest Missouri the
decade after the Civil War and was associated with Nevada and Carthage
and was known to travel throughout SW MO, SE KS and Indian Territory (and
beyond) with his patent medicine show before moving to St. Louis and establishing
a million dollar business whose premier product developed in Carthage
— Sayman Vegetable Wonder Soap — is still made today. Sayman's
wealth is best exemplified in his generosity, most notably the donation
of the resort that became Roaring River State Park south of Cassville,
MO. Again, the museum holds a special research file on this person but
this project would need additional research in area newspapers as well
as investigation of other Missouri archival holdings.
Rebuilding of Carthage MO — A Phoenix from Civil War Tragedy
[focusing on reconstruction period 1865 to late 1870s]
This suggestion is adaptable for most communities in SW MO, especially
those deserted or destroyed during the Civil War.The museum has research
files on these years as well as access to a series of photos from this
era. Other primary documents include limited business records for one
of the banks and a real estate developer of the period. Additional work
would have to be done in the newspapers on microfilm and other archival
holdings that could be suggested by the museum. The Jasper County Records
Center would have other holdings related to this subject area, too.
Correcting Decades of an Educational Tragedy: Desegregation of
Carthage Schools 1954
Since the late 1870s, Carthage schools had practiced segregation leading
to inferior educational and social opportunities for its African-American
students. How this tragedy ended and the personalities involved could
be examined for its impact on the school system, the community and students
who experienced integration first-hand. [Again, this topic could be adapted
to other SW MO locations.] Last year selected Carthage R-9 schools records
were formed into a small archive and are accessible by prior arrangement.
Other work would have to be done with newspapers. This subject would offer
oral history opportunities talking to former staff and students.
July 14, 1966: Triumph in the Face of Tragedy
The explosion at the Hercules Powder plant on this day had a tremendous
physical impact on Carthage as well as a tragic impact on many Hercules
workers, especially the family of Maurice Crowell who died from injuries
suffered in the blast. The emergency response and the media frenzy that
followed could be examined for success and comparison to recent community
disasters. Many of the principal officials of the incident are still living,
as well as plant workers, and offers an excellent oral history opportunity.
Again the museum has a research file on this subject and some newspaper
accounts from local and national papers. Chamber of Commerce scrapbooks
in the museum's archives would also be able to provide information and
context for the 1960s in Carthage.
Carthage Red Cross 1917–1919: Triumphant Service During
the Tragedy of War
Whether looking at the Red Cross organization for Carthage and eastern
Jasper County and its work during WWI as a whole or focusing on the Gold
Star Mothers (those who lost sons in the war) and their Red Cross contributions,
this would make an excellent topic focusing on the homefront contributions
of the local community. Newspapers (on microfilm at the Carthage Library),
Red Cross primary materials including the chapter's WWI scrapbook complete
with photographs, and other documentary materials in the collections of
the Powers Museum's archives (Marian Wright Powers was an active Red Cross
worker) are available.
Triumphs and Tragedies: Combating the Flu Epidemic in Southwest
Missouri during 1918
The Powers family correspondence in the archives documents the flu epidemic
from two perspectives: Dr. Powers in service at Camp Dodge Iowa and battling
the flu among soldiers and Mrs. Powers and daughter Marian Louisa experiencing
the situation in Carthage and Joplin. Additional work would have to be
done in the newspapers as well as some records at the Jasper County Records
Center. The museum's reference library has books on both the flu epidemic
and the WWI homefront.
Pioneer Voices: Triumph and Tragedy of the Early Settlers
While the museum does not have diaries or documents on early settlers,
we would suggest consulting the various Jasper County histories for the
biographies of early settlers. Also, other repositories such as the various
branches of the Western Historic Manuscript Collections may have diaries
appropriate for this topic. [WHMC-Rolla is the repository that handles
SW Missouri county holdings.] The museum however can point students toward
certain special issues of the local papers that do recount the early days
of Carthage including some pre-Civil War reminiscences. Student's families
themselves may have resources such as old letters or journals if families
have been located in this area long periods of time. Local libraries may
have similar materials, too, either in special local history files and/or
reprinted in book form among genealogical holdings.
Conquering Fear: Carthage Fights the Depression
Although Carthage weathered the depression era a bit better than most
surrounding communities, it did have bank closings, reduced production
lines and troubled farms. It also had its share of federal work projects
none of which have had much research devoted to them. The museum can assist
in outlining those projects but research would have to be conducted among
newspapers, governmental records and in the National Archives. The entire
Municipal Park is a result of various federal work projects as well as
other local public works still visible.
Triumphs & Tragedies of Military Service During ________:
A Look at the Service Career of ____________________ .
This is adaptable for any war or branch of service based on family records,
public records and/or archival holdings in a variety of local repositories
including the Powers Museum. In the latter case, the Civil War service
career of Curtis Wright (who came to Carthage in the late 1880s and developed
local mines and stone quarries) could be examined. Originally he served
in the company commanded by his father who was killed. The museum has
some original documents and photographs from Curtis Wright's service and
photocopies of transcriptions done by Curtis Wright later in life of letters
he and his father wrote during the war years.
The museum also has photocopies of some service papers associated with Dr. Caffee during the Civil War. Caffee saw service in SW MO and NW AR and later settled in Carthage after the war. For World War I, the museum has materials on Dr. Everett Powers' US Medical Corps service.
For World War II, we have records on the service careers of various soldiers formerly employed by Smith Manufacturing (Big Smith) via company newsletters created by the company and circulated among soldiers and employees. The Powers Museum has been conducting Library of Congress Veteran's Oral Histories since late fall 2005 and now has a collection of over 50 audio tapes representing WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Consult the museum for further details on this collection.
Turning Personal Tragedy into Triumph: Colonel Kenneth Wofford
Kenneth Wofford is a 1941 graduate of Lincoln High School of Carthage,
the segregated school for Carthage's African-American students. Wofford
entered Lincoln University determined to pursue a medical career despite
many obstacles but ended up a Tuskegee Airman during World War II. After
the war he pursued aviation through a long military career as well as
a civilian aviation career in Minnesota. The museum has a video tape of
Wofford's visit to MSSU in 2003 and has materials on Tuskegee Airmen and
World War II in its reference library.
Building the Carthage's Jasper County Courthouse: Architectural
Triumph Amid Personal Tragedy
Prior to construction, the county had been without a governmental structure
due to squabbling between town factions from 1865 to 1894. Although considered
an architectural triumph, the building of the courthouse was fraught with
conflicts between the architect and county officials along with death
and injury of project workers. This project could be assisted by research
files at the Powers Museum and additional research in newspapers and county
records at the Jasper County Record Center.
Decommissioning Highway 66: Tragic End to the Triumphant "Mother
Road"
Between the advent of the Interstate Highway system (I-44 in particular
in this area) and the removal of federal highway status for Highway 66,
small towns all across America, including those in Jasper County-Lawrence
County, were effectively killed, or at the very least, dealt a harsh economic
blow. Reviewing the rise of fall of some of these towns along the highway
such as Avilla, Log City and others, along with the general fate of the
highway itself, would provide a good look at the triumphs and tragedies
of what some consider America's most famous highway ever. The Powers Museum
has many resources at all levels dealing with the highway (national, state,
and local) including books, videos, music, photographs, guide books and
research files. There is an opportunity for oral history talking to former/current
residents/business owners along the highway and the museum could put students
in touch with national authors for possible interviews.
Triumph Over Mud: James Douglas Clarkson & the 365 Day Good
Roads Movement
Prior to the federalization of highways in the 1920s, road development
throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries was at the mercy of
local property owners and local governments or special road districts.
This led to a mish-mash of roads often so poor that goods could not be
brought to market thus slowing economic development. Also, travel was
very dependent on weather conditions a situation almost unknown to current
travelers except in the most extreme weather conditions. J. D. Clarkson
of Carthage was the father of the 365 Good Roads Movement that was duplicated
in other areas of the country and which sought to organize and create
roads that could be traveled 365 days a year regardless of weather. The
museum has research files on Clarkson and his various road activities
(also involved with Jefferson Highway/Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway
-- see next item) but additional work would be needed in newspapers, the
Missouri State Archives (ie. Missouri Highway Department and its predecessors)
and local road district records if found.
E. T. Meredith's Transportation Triumph: The Jefferson Highway
and a Look at its Path Through _________
Successful Farming editor Meredith of Iowa, created the idea of the Jefferson
Highway — the first major north/south highway project in the US
connecting Winnipeg Canada with New Orleans LA — for the purpose
of agribusiness, tourism and economic development of America's heartland
area. Eventually directed and promoted by Carthage's James D. Clarkson,
the highway began prior to WWI and ended with the federalization of highways
in 1926 (although some sections of the highway were not completed until
as late as 1930). Not only did the highway and the related businesses
along its path have their own triumphs and tragedies during its heyday,
but today with the resurgence of interest in former auto trails, old highways
and other transportation history themes, the Jefferson is one of the least
known highways in history. Even in areas where it passed, current residents,
highway commissions and local/state history officials have not even heard
of the highway. (You might say documenting the highway, its route and
impact during its lifetime, is a tragic omission in local and regional
history of the states it traversed.) Even the Jefferson's successor, the
original State Highway 71 (in Missouri) is becoming difficult to document.
The museum has files, maps, photocopies of guidebooks of the highway at
its national, state and local level although to date, no official road
district records or maps have been found. (The museum does have a lead
on state maps that may be able to assist.) Additional research would have
to be made in local newspapers and with other museums along the route
of the highway. This project could be examined as a whole or by state
and/or by county.
Marian Wright Powers: Experiencing Musical Triumphs Amid Domestic
Sacrifices
Torn between pursuing a musical career and being a wife and mother, Marian
Wright Powers was not unlike many other women of the early twentieth century
yearning for personal fulfillment beyond the normally accepted household
obligations of a wife and mother. Attaining such fulfillment was fraught
with economic and personal hardships that may or may not have outweighed
professional and artistic success. The documents, letters, journals and
promotional materials of Mrs. Powers are among the museum's founding archival
collection are are quite extensive and also provide materials of like
nature on other local, regional and national performers for providing
context of the profession at the time. The museum's reference library
also hold a number of books on women's history and music history. Coupled
with the letters of her husband and child of the same period, a vivid
picture can be made of this personal struggle and provide an interesting
look at the American musical world of 1905–1925.
James Scott: Triumph of Talent over Discrimination
Neosho-born James Scott was second only to Scott Joplin as a ragtime music
composer. But because of the color of skin, when Scott wanted to learn
more about playing the piano, he had to learn by staying in the kitchen
of Emma John's home while his white friend, Clarence Woods, took his lesson
with teacher Johns. Scott began his composing career while living in Carthage
and soon became as widely touted as Scott Joplin while working as a boot
black and later promoted to picture framer and song plugger at Charles
Dumar's music store. Despite his segregated status at home, Scott traveled
and performed eventually moving to Kansas City to further his career where
he died. (Buried in an unmarked grave until recent decades.) In addition
to research files, reference books on ragtime music, the museum can put
students in touch with individuals who have revived the music of Scott
in current ragtime festivals. Additional work could be done in newspapers
to find other incidents in Scott's life. Also, the Smithsonian published
an extensive work on Scott in the 1990s.
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Should any of these topics be of interest, please contact the Powers Museum for further details before Sept. 30th or after October 16th. Access to vertical files and reference books on above topics would be available during October 1-15 but consultation with the museum's Director/Curator on further holdings and details related to the proposed topics can not take place during this time.
Powers Museum
PO Box 593
Carthage MO 64836
Located at: 1617 West Oak Street, Carthage MO (across from
Municipal Park)
Hours: Tues. - Sat. 10 am to 5 pm. & Sunday 1 pm to 4:30 pm.
These hours are good through October 28th when the museum changes to its
winter season hours. Consult the museum's website for exact hours/days
October 29th through mid-December.
E-mail inquiries are preferred but phone calls can be made to 417-358-2667.
Fax inquiries can be made to 417-359-9627.
Copyright © 2008 Powers Museum
1617 West Oak • P.O. Box 593 • Carthage, MO 64836
e-mail:infonow@powersmuseum.com
| phone: 417-358-2667
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