Allison+Stilwell,+Lindsay+Cumbea,+Hannalee+Alrutz-+Smith's+Cemetery


 * Pictures:**



**Site**: Smith Cemetery

Belwood Drive Belmont, NC 28012
 * Address: **

This site is important because it has several grave stones from the around the time of the American Revolution all the way up to the early 2000’s. It is now maintained, which makes it possible to read the gravestones and wander freely without danger. Several gravestones are still readable, some of which describe the cause of death. This will be a great educational tool and resource for students. In 2009, they have started to repair and restore several gravestones. We can show students how gravestones are restored and how they are keeping them maintained.
 * Rationale/Historical Significance: **

**History:** It is a cemetery located along South Point Road down Belwood Drive. It used to be attached to a church that was along South Point Road around the time of the American Revolution. At some point in history, the church was torn down but the cemetery remained. They started to create a neighborhood around the 1960’s, and they named the neighborhood after the cemetery, calling the neighborhood Old Smith Cemetery Road. When they started to try and sell houses in the new neighborhood, no one wanted to live there because people didn’t want to live close to a cemetery. At some point the street was changed to Belwood Drive and slowly started to grow into the neighborhood it is today. The cemetery was formed during the American Revolution and stands now into the present.

We learned about a cool new historical landmark that we can teach our students about. We learned how to do research of unknown historical sites and bring them back to life. It was difficult to find information, and because of this, we know what resources we are going to have to provide for our future students when they inquire. Through lots of looking around and our own prior knowledge, we have what we need to make a great Cleo site. There are other local sites that are as rich in history as this one, and it makes us curious about what else is out there that we didn’t know about. This assignment opened our eyes to the hidden history in our local communities. We want to open our students’ eyes to the fact that history is all around us.
 * Reflection: **

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 * Pedagogical Implications: **
 * 1)  In Social Studies, it is important to have students explore history of their local community. But in Middle Grades Social Studies, it also important to help students discover who they are in relation to their histories. An assignment like this could allow individual inquiry of one’s heritage. Where do you come from? Who are your ancestors? Cemeteries especially hold a lot of information about the familial history.
 * 1)  Students could participate in efforts to keep the cemetery clean and participate in documenting everything that’s there. They could try to research some of the people buried there and uncover their lives - or make educated guesses about what their lives may have been like based on the time and place they lived in and the age of their death. They could also potentially be present to see how the preserve old gravestones so they can see the process that goes into preserving history and have conversations about what that means and why it’s worth it.
 * 1)  I would use this assignment to explore topics such as “What makes something significant?” I would ask students to bring in personal artifacts that could be used to piece history together. I want to make history personal.
 * 1)  Depending on what sites we chose to inquire about and depending on the religious background of the class, the teacher would have to prepare the class with discussions about respect and cultural beliefs. Students need to be aware that local sites are very personal to those living there, and there is etiquette associated with how one inquires.
 * 1)  Modifications may need to be made for students who do not have the technological resources at home for inquiry. Grouping into teams will depend on the needs and giftings of the students as well.

Pictures: [|__https://www.facebook.com/Smith-Cemetery-Historic-Preservation-Association-168658123193821/__]
 * Sources: **

Contact information: __rleighford@bellsouth.net__

History: Stilwell’s personal correspondence