I was recently visiting the Hershey Community Archives, in my hometown of Hershey, PA, and it made me think of how we can teach local history, even of small towns, using a wide variety of primary sources. I had never thought of the rich history Hershey held until I had the opportunity to visit the Hershey Community Archives and check out the newspapers and oral history accounts for myself.  

While Hershey is not home to the Liberty Bell or Independence Hall, the story of how the town began is a fascinating tale of one man’s determination and a committed community. Milton Hershey is a wonderful example of a man who failed multiple times before reaching success, and his legacy continues to live on in the town and throughout the world. While the story of Hershey is better known than that of most small towns, the primary sources used are much the same. Here I will provide some tips on how to make local history relevant and relatable for students.

First, give students the opportunity to investigate their own town history by looking at old newspapers and oral history reports from local archives. They should also look at town landmarks to determine why certain things were named for various people. These strategies can be used to answer questions such as, Why was this town started? Was it mainly agricultural or industrial? Was/is there a railroad, or was the town off the beaten path? Who lived here and what was their significance? Was the population mostly recent immigrants?

Primary sources can also show students the values of the town. For example, National Thrift Week was widely celebrated in Hershey for many years and even made the front page of the newspaper in 1921, shown in the picture above. Also, the newspaper featured daily anecdotes such as, “Once in a while a man is too proud to beg and too honest to steal – then the only alternative is to go to work.” What does this anecdote and headline teach us about the community values preached in the local newspaper?

Second, have students place their town in the national context. Was growth of the town’s population consistent with immigration patterns of the time? Were the ideas presented in the local newspaper similar to the values in the national news? They can do this by comparing and contrasting what they learned in the local archives to what they are learning in history class or use national newspapers such as the New York Times to see if the ideas/values are consistent between the two.

By introducing local history, students are exposed to multiple perspectives, rather than just the narrative textbook version of history. It allows students to connect to the community they live in as well as find the relationship between local and national history.