About the Project

by Stacy Sargent, Laureen Ercha, and Jessica Cousins

Beverly, Massachusetts is a picturesque town filled with character. It is also an old town rich with interesting history. The Beverly High School students in Mr. Dean Eastman's United States History classes had the task of researching the colorful history of their town. The students were given an assignment to make historical postcards of Beverly. The front of the postcard had to have a picture of something that represented the history of Beverly. It could have been a building, house, landmark, site, or object that symbolized Beverly. On the back of the postcard, we were supposed to write about the significance of the history that the picture symbolized. The importance of the history was explained through intersection and immortalization.

Intersection is connecting the smaller picture with the bigger picture. It is linking the local history of Beverly to the state, national, or even global history. It explains how what was happening in Beverly is linked to what was happening outside of the town at that time period. Essentially it is telling the local history of Beverly through a much bigger perspective. An example of intersection is the postcard of "the Shoe", which connects Beverly to the Industrial Revolution, which was happening at the time.

We also told the history of Beverly through immortalization. Immortalization is explaining what makes the piece of history so important. Immortalization is the legacy and explains what the role of the picture will have in the future. It answers the questions of whether or not the symbol in the picture is a time piece, and if it will be sustainable through future generations. An example of a postcard that expresses immortalization is the Hospital Point Lighthouse. It is and will continue to be a symbol for the future.

This assignment was a very educational and rewarding experience. It was very interesting to learn about the history of our town, which many of us had not known about before. It was an eye opener to find out that our own town contains so much unique and fascinating history.

On to the postcards!

For more information:
"Modern Day Postcards" Essay by Uri Lafontant '02