The Delaware County Historical Society and its Education Curriculum Support Committee hosted approximately 100 third-grade students from the Delaware City Smith Elementary School to The Early Delaware Tour on Wednesday, October 26th.
The students arrived at the Cryder Center on Williams Street by school bus at 9:30am to begin the local history adventure. The large number of students was divided into three groups, each experiencing all three tours during the morning program.
The Early Delaware Tour
The Early Delaware Tour was specially developed for Delaware area students as part of the Ohio Social Studies standards and curriculum. It consists of three separate activities each focused on a different aspect of our history.
The Sulphur Springs site on the Ohio Wesleyan University campus provides the background for learning about the early settlement of Delaware around the springs and the river. Brent Carson and Laurie Schaefer led the students through this portion of the program. The development of trails, roads, bridges, homes and taverns were part of this area as the river enabled travel for settlers and transportation of goods. The early economy of the area started here.
The Nash House tour was led by Joe Dwenger, Diane Williams, Nancy Fleming and DJ Sanfillipo. In this Early Delaware home, the students learned about the Nash Family history and how family living changed over time from the 1800s to 1980s while they lived in the house. The students saw history first-hand through: kitchen tools, furniture (including a chair made by the Delaware Chair Company), music and musical instruments, children’s toys, period bedroom items, and artifacts in the gentleman’s study.
The Cryder Center Scavenger Hunt was directed by Ray Myers, Karen Hildebrand, and Watson Walker. This activity had the students looking for items all around the Center. They worked in small teams searching for answers in the exhibit display cases, pictures, the Easter Egg collection, inside and out. Wooden bricks in the entryway and the famous Lincoln blood display composed just a few of the items students located on their search through the Early Delaware exhibits.
Throughout the morning the students rotated to all three activities. Susie Hough, Bill Rietz and T.K. Cellar walked the groups between the Nash House and OWU campus. Special kudos go to the Sulphur Springs team who endured cold, rainy weather.
The Curriculum Committee also welcomed three new volunteers who helped with the morning activities and assisted student movement through each of the planned rotating
groups. These new “floaters” as we call them were; Carol Snyder, Barbara Frazer and Roxanne Newton.
When the tours were completed and the students ready to return to their school for lunch, the buses were delayed. Not to be deterred, the students unpacked their backpacks, found a seat on the floor and ate their lunches. As the weather cleared and the sun came out, the students, led by their teachers and chaperones, walked back to Smith School.
Ohio’s New Learning Standards: Social Studies
Ohio’s Social Studies content standards serve as a basis for what all students should know and be able to do in social studies by the time they graduate from high school. These standards are intended to provide Ohio’s educators with a set of common expectations upon which to base social studies curricula.
Grade Three Theme: Communities: Past and Present, Near and Far
The local community serves as the focal point for third grade as students begin to understand how their communities have changed over time and to make comparisons with communities in other places. The study of local history comes alive through the use of artifacts and documents. They also learn how communities are governed and how the local economy is organized.
History Strand – Content Statements
- Events in local history can be shown on timelines organized by years, decades and centuries. (Historical Thinking and Skills)
- Primary sources such as artifacts, maps and photographs can be used to show change over time. (Historical Thinking and Skills)
- Local communities change over time. (Heritage)
The Delaware County Historical Society and Curriculum Support Committee
The Delaware County Historical Society is a nonprofit institution. Our mission is to promote and sustain interest in the history of Delaware County, Ohio through historical preservation and education. The Education Curriculum Support Committee collaborates with the schools of Delaware and Delaware County to enrich their curriculum with the resources of our historical collections, exhibits, and programming. We welcome the opportunity to work with every school in the county.
View a video about the Curriculum Support Committee at on the Curriculum Support page
To learn about the Education Curriculum Support Committee and they can enrich your history program email CurriculumSupport@delawareohiohistory.org