A MINOR TOUR IN A MAJOR CITY: WALKING THROUGH THE HISTORY OF CHILDHOOD IN PHILADELPHIA

Abstract

This public history project seeks to create a walking tour that connects with children through use of history of childhood as well as engaging children by using methods that inspire interest in historical content. This is project engages the use of a website and digital map to create a virtual and physical walking tour related to the history of childhood in Philadelphia. This paper begins by examining why the history of childhood matters and the ways in which the public historical community has underrepresented children in the historical record. I was inspired to craft this project after researching children in indentured servitude at the American Philosophical Society. After some time exploring the landscape of the history of childhood in Philadelphia I decided to create this project to help fill the gap of underrepresented children in history. I propose a digital walking tour as a solution to discussing the history of childhood with children outside of a museum and classroom setting, and discuss why a digital approach is most efficient. Next, the tour itself is broken down via representative screenshots of the website, and I discuss why each location was chosen, and why some were not. The used locations in this project are: Elfreth’s Alley, the Port of Philadelphia, the Mother Jones historical marker, the Institute for Colored Youth, Smith Playground, the Girl Scout Cookies historical marker, and the previous location of Gimbel’s department store. I conclude by reflecting upon what other approaches might work better, and how this project can be expanded in the future. Website link: https://aminortour.myportfolio.com/a-minor-tour