ABOVE: The Remains of the Albino Farm in Springfield, MO.
LOCAL LEGEND PROJECT
Every year students in my Mythology course complete a semester project based on local legends. The students search out the history behind the legend and forming a thesis as to how the legend originated. At the end of the semester they make a presentation, turn in a folder filled with their collected research, and write an informative paper.
My students almost always choose "haunted" locations as their object of study. In spite of the fact that it's a school project, they frequently have a good time conducting interviews and visiting the site with their friends. When the time for presentations come, they also enjoy hearing about other legends from their classmates. In the process of researching these legends, the students are actually learning more about their community and local history.
This project can be easily replicated in any community or region. The guidelines for the project can be found below.
I always give my students the option of creating a video in place of doing an in-class presentation. Below is a link to one of the best videos a group ever submitted. Their legend was the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, AR.
