Resources: Primary Source Packets

Horses in our Community’s Past

Grades K-3.  Primary Source Packet.  12 enlarged historic photographs of Cheshire County scenes that contain images of horses.  Students will note the various ways in which horses were a vital part of our town's economy and culture.  Works well with Lesson: Caring for...

Industrialization in Cheshire County

Grades 3-6. Primary Source Packet. 10 photographs depict a variety of mill scenes in Cheshire County between 1875 and 1921. The packet may be used to discuss technological developments, labor conditions and the arrival of the Industrial Revolution in our region.

Keene’s Central Square

Grades 2-5.  Primary Source Packet. Photographs of Keene’s Central Square, between 1858 to 1980, illustrate the ways in which a community changes over time.  Students will also see the development of technology, architecture, transportation, clothing and other aspects...

Learn About the Past with Walldog Murals

Grades K-2. Mini Unit. This unit introduces students to artifacts and how they can be used to tell stories about the past.  The Walldogs murals will be the focus of study.  Students will be able to demonstrate how artifacts tell stories by bringing in an artifact from...

Logging & Woodworking Industries

Grades 3-6.  Primary Source Packet. Designed to help students understand one of the most important industries in the region.  This packet contains enlarged photographs depicting lumber-related industries in Cheshire County. Images range from the harvesting of trees to...

Railroads and Economics

Grades 3-5. Mini Unit. This unit of study focuses on the economic impact of the railroad. Students learn about local and national history of the railroad and how it fundamentally changed the way business was conducted. They learn essential vocabulary and develop...

Transportation Over Time

Grades 2-5. Primary Source Packet. 10 historic transportation photographs allow students to visualize the evolution of transportation in Cheshire County over the last century.  Students can identify the forms of transportation covered, technological developments,...

Walldogs Murals: Teaching Us History Using Artifacts

Grades 3-5. Mini Unit. This unit deepens students' understanding of the role that local history played in developing the city of Keene's Walldogs murals. It can also be used to introduce local artifacts/primary sources to upper elementary students.  Students will...

Western Abenakis, the Sadoques Family

Middle School & High School.  Primary source packet.  Contains historic photographs representing four generations of the Sadoques family of Keene.  Students will note an Abenaki presence in the Connecticut River Valley region that persists today. Each photograph...

Women’s Suffrage

Grades: 4-8, Primary Source Packet. Did you know?!  Famous suffragist Susan B. Anthony spoke in Keene on two occasions.  This packet contains 12 original newspaper articles, transcribed, a timeline of NH voting rights history with emphasis on the Monadnock region, and...