• Did Great-Grandma cross the plains in a covered wagon?
  
• Did Granddad really take that sword from a defeated enemy?
  
• Did Dad start his own business?
  
• Was Mom a member of the state legislature?
  
• Aren't those memories worth preserving? Shouldn't you tell the world about their achievements?
  

The History Project (THP) is an effort to record personal and community histories and to build communication skills -- especially writing -- among high school and college students and others interested in preserving local history. Individuals and local organizations can build comprehensive histories of their communities while fostering education and community awareness.

THP participants do research and build web sites whose contents are the life stories of individuals or the history of organizations, schools, businesses and other entities. The sites contain stories and pictures contributed by visitors and readers that are edited for presentation by students using simple on-line forms that save the stories and pictures in a professionally managed database.

No special technical skills are required of writers, editors or local program organizers.

The sites for any community are linked by a "virtual historical society" site that has a directory of other sites that constitute the "chapters" of the local history "book."

The sponsoring "community" can be a school, a historical society or other group interested in developing its history and its students.

You can sponsor a history project in your community. For more information, use the Contacts form; we'll help you get started within a few days.

History: It's not just for historians any more.