Neighborhood Initiative: New Educational Programming

By Brian Pollock
Education and Special Events Assistant

It is important for students to understand the value of community and the neighborhoods where they reside. This new programming, available January 2005, is supported by generous contributions to the Annual Fund. The neighborhood initiative will be a three-part lesson taught by Filson staff involving classroom visits on school campuses as well as tours of The Filson’s home at the Ferguson Mansion. Through learning about their own neighborhoods, students will gain an appreciation for their community and an understanding of the value in supporting neighborhoods and communities in their future.

The program begins with a study of what makes a neighborhood. Students will be introduced to the idea of sense of community and the connections that are created within their surroundings. Many elements form a neighborhood. Boundaries, such as geographical, cultural, and man-made, define the physical limits of a neighborhood. The appearance of a neighborhood also defines it and can include the style of houses as well as the materials of the homes. There are also many establishments that help create a neighborhood, like stores, places of worship, parks, restaurants and industries. Students will examine these characteristics to see how neighborhoods are arranged. Understanding the proximity of important parts of a neighborhood will help them to comprehend a community’s connections.

After learning about the general layout of neighborhoods, students will visit The Filson for a tour of our neighborhood. The tour will begin with the exterior of the Ferguson Mansion. Using the mansion as an example, students will see how homes are placed on lots and how they are designed to keep within a neighborhood’s style. As we walk by other houses on Third Street, students will notice other unique characteristics of homes in this area as well as examine the current uses and conditions of these homes. The group will gather back at the Ferguson Mansion to draw the tour’s route on a map so they can graphically appreciate the layout of a neighborhood and understand how Old Louisville is defined as a community.

Finally, Filson staff will return to schools to utilize the skills that students have learned from these two days. Students will be led in a discussion about their neighborhood as well as other neighborhoods in Louisville in order to better understand the community as a whole. This program is intended to create a sense of civic pride in students and enable them to connect their classroom to the community as a whole.

The Filson Historical Society appreciates the continued support through giving to the Annual Fund. This support has made it possible to bring this new neighborhood initiative and our other educational programming to schools in need. Your connection to this community will help to foster a connection in the future generation.

Volume 5, Number 1

The Filson Historical Society
1310 South Third Street - Louisville, KY 40208
Phone: (502) 635-5083 Fax: (502) 635-5086