Preserving Family School Memories at Homestead National Monument of America

Date: September 30, 2015

Family History Month will be celebrated at Homestead National Monument of America on October 11, 2015 with presentations about the importance of preserving country schools and the stories of people who attended them. Photographer Gloria Hawkins will present "The Many Lives of One Room Schoolhouses" at2 p.m.at the Education Center.

Hawkins photographs of one room schools from across the country are currently on exhibit at Homestead National Monument of America's Education Center. "Each time I photograph a school I realize how they served as the background of their community and represented a way of life in America. Each unique school reflected the values of the residents in the community that built them and I am reassured of the need to preserve this history," said Hawkins

Following Hawkins' program, park guide Doris Martin and volunteer Paola Perez, will talk about the importance of preserving the educational memories of family members. People spend much of their youth attending school and we sometimes forget to ask them about this experience. Perez will talk about the importance of oral history and Martin will talk about possible questions to ask family members depending on when they attended school.

"We hope this program will bring back fond memories for those of you who attended country schools and give others a good starting point for gathering family histories" stated Superintendent Mark Engler.

Remember, Homestead National Monument of America has an exciting schedule of events planned for 2015 and 2016. Keep up with the latest information by following us on Twitter (HomesteadNM), and Facebook (HomesteadNM), and Instagram (HomesteadNPS).

Homestead National Monument of America is a unit of the National Park Service located four miles west of Beatrice, Nebraska and 45 miles south of Lincoln. Hours of operation are8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.Monday-Fridayand9 a.m. to 5 p.m.on weekends. Admission is free of charge. For additional information, please call 402-223-3514 or visit https://www.nps.gov/home/.