Research History Class

A great example of the Underground Railroad in the classroom

We pleased to share with you on this page the story of the Research History Class in Fayette County.  This class is an outstanding example of the power of bringing the history of the underground railroad alive in the classroom.  We applaud Paul LaRue and all of his students!! 

The Research History class now has its own web site!  Check it out at http://www.members.tripod.com/wsh_history/index.html

Research History Class

by Paul LaRue (teacher of Research History)

In the spring of 1998 Washington Court House Senior High School offered its first Research History Class. The class selected as its topic to document underground railroad activities in Fayette County. 

The members of the class:  researched names, photographed, mapped and wrote up their findings in a book.  [Note - a copy of this book was provided to the Ohio Underground Railroad Association and the data has been included in our database.] One of the most interesting names and stories to emerge was the story of Augustus West. 

In the spring of 1999 the second Research History Class selected to transcribe the Civil War Journal of Fayette Countian George C. Jenkins.  The class also continued work on the Augustus West story.  The class participated with the National Park Service in conducting a field study on the Augustus West land.  Students also did an oral history with the property owner and studied Census records relating to the property and its residents. 

Research History is a class offered to seniors who want to do extra work in History.   The goal is to provide each student with "hands-on" experience working as a Historian.

Some thoughts on Research History

Finding the Forgotten Soldiers - Civil War

The Washington Senior High School Research History Class Washington Courthouse, Ohio Presents:

U.S.C.T. Soldiers Buried in Ohio (United States Colored Soldiers in the Civil War)

NOTE: The database lists 3050 names of U. S. Colored Civil War veterans resting in 86 of Ohio's 88 counties. Over 500 are resting at the Dayton National Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio.

For more information please click on one of the links below:

Quotes from students

"i would just like to say that the project we worked on was the most fulfilling thing i did in high school. it brought our class together and allowed us in the last moments of our high school years to leave a legacy. i am so very proud and honored to be a part of such a prestigious and honorable group of persistent people. this project may have shed more light in my life than any one event has in a long time. again i am honored and thankful to be a part of such a heartfelt and long-overdue study and life-working. " sincerely, shannon james bartruff, july 1999

"As teenagers we get so caught up in thinking that our town (especially Washington Court House) is the most boring place on earth, and that there is nothing interesting there. What this project did for me was to show me how much interesting 'stuff' really existed right before us. Our county was full of people who wanted to make a difference, and by bringing these individuals to the surface some 100-150 years later, I feel we made a difference as well. The project gave me a sense of pride in my town that I had never had before. Who knew that so much heritage was right in front of our eyes?" --Kristin Glass, July 1999

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