Everyone is an immigrant in the 17th century

Historian Tad Baker from Salem State College explained why "everyone was an immigrant in the 17th century" when considering the majority of people coming to settle New England. So began the opening session of this year's Teaching American History Grant Summer Institute held at the Saugus Iron Works (SIW) National Historic Site in Saugus, Massachusetts. What better place than the SIW for Everett, Malden, Medford, and Revere teachers to learn how early American colonists used technology to build the first successful integrated iron works in the New World.
Highlights from Professor Baker's PowerPoint presentation included early colonial maps and artifacts from four separate archeology sites which he has actively worked. Professor Baker said that colonial maps are an especially effective way to engage students in the study of history by examining their ornamentation.

Ranger Amy Curry led a site tour of the SIW during the afternoon session. Teachers had the added bonus of seeing how carpenters are working to restore the blast furnace building using 17th century construction techniques. The SIW site is currently closed to the public until January 2008 while it undergoes an extensive upgrade of its historic buildings and grounds. Fortunately, everything was in good working order including the 500 lb hammer and the rolling and slitting mill. Ranger Curry remarked that the rolling and slitting mill was a technological marvel of the 17th century. It harnessed water power to flatten and cut iron bars into nail rods. The day concluded with a tour of the museum building and a review of the educational programs offered to students.
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