Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area facts for kids

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area is a special place in the United States. It covers parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia. It's like a big outdoor museum that helps people learn about American history and protect important natural areas.

A Look Back: History of the Area

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area was officially created on May 8, 2008. The U.S. government recognized it to help people understand the area's rich history and culture. A big focus is on the American Civil War, which had many important events here. The designation also helps protect the beautiful landscapes and historic buildings.

This special area stretches from Gettysburg in the north all the way to Monticello in the south. It's managed by a group called the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership. This group works to share the history of this important corridor. They also help local businesses through heritage tourism and protect the land.

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground is part of a program connected to the National Park Service. It includes 15 counties across four states. This region has over 400 years of history from European, American, and African-American people.

Imagine this: the area contains World Heritage sites, over 10,000 places listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and 49 historic districts. You can find nine homes and sites where U.S. Presidents lived, and 13 National Park Units. There are also hundreds of sites important to African-American and Native American history. Plus, it has 30 historic main street towns. You can explore sites from the Revolutionary War, the French and Indian War, and the War of 1812. Most importantly, it has the largest collection of Civil War sites in the entire nation.

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area includes:

• Adams County in Pennsylvania
• Frederick and Carroll counties, and eastern Washington county in Maryland
• The area around Harpers Ferry in Jefferson County, West Virginia
• Loudoun, Fauquier, Culpeper, Orange, Albemarle, Greene, Madison, and Rappahannock counties in Virginia. It also includes parts of Fairfax, Prince William, and Spotsylvania counties in Virginia.

The National Scenic Byway

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Scenic Byway is a special road that runs through this historic area. It's 180 miles long and was once known as the Old Carolina Road.

This scenic byway travels through Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. It uses parts of US Route 15, Virginia Route 231, Virginia Route 20, and Virginia Route 53. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation has named it one of about 150 scenic byways across the country. These byways are recognized for their natural beauty, history, and culture.

National History Academy

In the summer of 2018, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground started the National History Academy. This is a unique five-week summer program for talented high school students from all over the country. The Academy teaches students about the foundations of American democracy. It does this by taking them to the actual places where history happened.

The main goal of the National History Academy is to inspire students. It helps them understand how American democracy was built and what it means to be a good citizen. It was created to help more young people learn about American history and civics.

During the five weeks, students study American history. They learn about everything from Native American settlements to the Civil Rights movement. There's a special focus on important events and people between 1765 and 1865. Students spend time in classrooms and also visit historic sites within and near the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area.

The Academy's motto is "Historia Est Magistra Vitae." This comes from the ancient Roman writer Cicero and means "history is the teacher of life."

Who Can Join and What Life is Like

The Academy can host up to 90 students each summer. These students are usually entering 10th, 11th, or 12th grade. In 2018, 89 students from 28 states joined the program. Six expert teachers lead the courses. Twelve college counselors also help guide the students.

The National History Academy is held at the Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Virginia. This is a private high school. The campus is about 45 miles from Washington, D.C.. It's also within a three-hour drive of all the historic places students visit. Famous filmmaker Ken Burns is even featured in the Academy's videos!

What Students Learn

The Academy's learning plan has four main parts:

• History cases
• Parliamentary debates
• A series of guest speakers
• Visits to important American history sites

History Cases

The Academy uses a special "case-based" way of learning history. This curriculum was created by Harvard Business School Professor David A. Moss. These cases help students look at important historical events from different angles. They can imagine themselves as the people who had to make big decisions back then. In 2018, Professor Moss taught the first case on the U.S. Constitution at James Madison’s home, Montpelier.

Better Angels Debates

The Academy also has a parliamentary debate program. They work with an organization called Better Angels and its founder, David Blankenhorn. These debates help students learn to talk about difficult topics in a respectful way. This formal style of debate lets students explore current issues. It's a good contrast to the historical debates they study in the cases.

Guest Speakers

The Academy invites more than 20 well-known guest speakers. These experts share their knowledge and add to the classroom learning. Some of the 2018 guest speakers included David Rubenstein, Ernest Green, Margaret Richardson, Brent Glass, Jon Parrish Peede, Trevor Potter, Douglas Owsley, Ron Maxwell, and Robert Duvall.

Site Visits and Experiences

Students at the Academy switch between classroom studies and trips to famous historic sites. They visit places like Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry, Washington, D.C., Charlottesville, and Colonial Williamsburg. They get to experience iconic National Park Units, museums, homes of Presidents, battlefields, and sites important to the Civil Rights movement.