Logan Days
is a living history fair for Murphysboro fourth, fifth, and sixth
grade students. Each day focuses on a different time period:
Pioneer (fourth graders), Civil War (fifth graders), and the turn
of the century (sixth graders). In addition to visiting with
living history presenters, the kids play historic games, learn
about archaeology, and visit the museum. The public is invited to
watch
the kids and the presenters. On Saturday, the public is invited to attend
the Logan Memorial Wreath Ceremony at the Murphysboro Middle School. The
ceremony will be followed by a parade to the museum grounds, where
families can enjoy an old-fashioned fair.
The Kids Dig It program provides local sixth-grade students a
chance to experience archaeology and learn practical science,
math, and historical research skills all at once. The program
provides, in addition to classroom instruction in the ethics and
techniques of archaeology, an opportunity to participate in an
excavation on the grounds of the museum. The kids spend
three weeks on the site working alongside professional archaeologists.
After fieldwork, the kids learn how to clean, catalog, and identify all
recovered artifacts. For the past two years, the kids have been excavating
the house site where General John A. Logan was born.
This new educational program offers a summer course in a
history-related subject. In 2000 a group of students participated
in archaeological excavations conducted by American Resources
Group on a historic site in southern Illinois. In 2001 students
will be doing original historical research and will present the
results of their work to the public.