Since 2012, students in Tina Sheller’s historic preservation courses have been part of an investigation on the history of the farm that occupied the land upon which Goucher College is now located. Utilizing artifacts uncovered near the site of the original farm buildings and digitized manuscripts from the Chew Family Papers housed at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, student researchers are engaged in the exciting process of writing the history of the farm, its owners, and the many workers, both enslaved and free, who cultivated the land, cared for the livestock, and tended to household duties which were essential to the farm economy. At the end of the semester, to conclude their research, students curate a small exhibit and share their research findings in a public presentation in the library.

Text panels created by student researchers
Artifacts cataloged by student researchers