History detective: when sources disagree
Even history books disagree. Our pages show both answers. Pick a mystery and talk about how you'd solve it.
- Who
- Families, Kids, Teens
- Ages
- 10+
- Time
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- When
- Any time of year
- Show up
- At the Library's Genealogy Room or the County Archives.
How to do it
- Mystery 1: the Hugh Bright Douglas House. Our tour says it was built in 1894; the plaque out front says about 1893.
- Mystery 2: the Borden plant. The museum says it closed Dec. 15, 1967; the Tennessee Encyclopedia says 1962.
- Mystery 3: the first log courthouse: 1811 or 1815?
- Visit the Library's Genealogy Room or the County Archives and ask where you'd look. Found proof? Tell us.
Grown-ups’ part
Come along, keep it short and fun, and let the kids lead the looking and asking. You handle anything that involves calling, sending or sharing.
Think about it
Which kind of source would you trust more: a plaque, a book, or a record written at the time? Why?
Why it matters
Exploration & critical thinkingHistorical contextMake history fun for families & kidsPreserve history
Related
- Our Fayetteville history page
- Find the date on three markers
- Draw the square: 1886 and today
- Ask a grandparent: what was on the square?
- All 150 things to do together
Sources
- Our walking tour (each stop lists its own sources)
- Our Fayetteville history page
- Lincoln County Archives & Genealogy Dept.
- Library Genealogy Room
Know better? If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us.
Did it? Send us your photo or story. We print kids’ first names, faces or photos only with a parent’s OK.