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Charlie Citron ’24 is one of 31 student fellows who completed research with a community-based organization in upstate New York this summer as a part of the Upstate Institute Summer Field School. He describes the project below in his own words: 

In an age of increasing globalization and digitization, individuals across the world are better able to connect and empathize with one another. However, the dual side of these changes is an ever decreasing loss of community engagement, neighborly kindness, and civic pride. As the world grows closer together we have begun to lose the community bonds that were the foundation of our society for years prior.

The Madison County historian’s office looks to fix these issues through disseminating historical information in a way that benefits the county educationally and economically. The county historian, Matthew Urtz, is appointed by the county clerk, an elected position currently held by Michael Keville. Through giving presentations, organizing public events, and working with educators in the school district, Urtz fosters a sense of community and civic pride among members of the county. He describes this by saying, “local history begets local pride.”

Not only does historical information foster local pride, it also benefits the economic well-being of the community. Many of the events organized by Urtz work in conjunction with local businesses, who may host, cater, or sponsor community events.

My project for the county historian is to research local primary documents and figures connected to subjects found within the New York State Social Studies Curriculum. Using these primary sources, I will draft and create United States’ history lesson plans for grades 6–12. These lessons will then be shared with educators across the county and uploaded to several New York State educational websites, including www.ConsiderTheSourceNY.org.

To illustrate, if Madison County educators are teaching about 19th-century abolitionism, they may search one of these online databases to find a lesson plan I created about Gerrit Smith’s activities in Peterboro or another about the 1850 Fugitive Slave Convention. In total, I plan to craft five lesson plans, all of which focus on the ways in which U.S. history took place in Madison County. 

The Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Resource Center is a nonprofit organization located in Oxford, N.Y. Operated through the efforts of Bob and Trish Kane, Noel Rubinton, and the Oxford Memorial Library, the center’s mission is focused on collecting, curating, and presenting covered bridge resources and research materials to those interested in the historic bridges. The resource center targets this information toward covered bridge enthusiasts, researchers, students, and others looking to learn something new.

Since opening in 2011, the center has collected a vast library of these research materials, including more than 20,000 historical postcards, hundreds of antique photographs, and over 300 rare books on the subject of covered bridges. The center also cooperates with other covered bridge societies to hold events and generate awareness for the preservation of historical bridges. 

Recently, the center has embarked on a project of digitizing their resources in order to create a website hosting their entire library. Since Oxford is out of the way for many travelers, the center is focused on putting these research materials out for public consumption, where they may be utilized by all. This summer, I am helping the resource center develop its website. By providing advice and feedback on design, brainstorming efficient mechanisms to display information, researching covered bridge history, and writing the copy for their webpages, I have helped the center prepare for its website launch. While the website will not be complete until after my project has ended this summer, I have helped to create a solid foundation on which the rest of the site may rest. 

I had originally applied for these two projects due to my appreciation of community and local history. As someone who was raised in a small town — one similar to where these projects are based — I understand both the importance of civic pride and the difficulties associated with taking a local project to a national audience.

Growing up, local history was always worked into my classroom education. This not only gave me a greater appreciation for the area in which I lived, but it also taught me that exciting historical events could occur in the smallest of places. When I saw the position the Madison County historian posted, I wanted to give other kids the community-based educational experience that I received.

Likewise, my love for local history often forayed into niche history. The satisfaction of deep-diving into a topic little explored impelled me to apply at the Covered Bridge Resource Center. Through these two projects, I’ve gained practical skills such as organization, web development, and primary research. However, more than anything else, I’ve learned that history can bring us closer together, give better context to the issues we face in the present, and instill a sense of wonder that leads us to new discoveries.