History lessons from Lorimier

Franklin Elementary educators and the History Channel found a way this school year to make history meaningful to a third-grade class.

With the History Channel's $10,000 grant, the 8- and 9-year-olds spent much of the school year working on a project at Old Lorimier Cemetery. The students learned about cholera outbreaks, Mississippi River shipwrecks and unmarked graves. They took photographs of gravestones, heard ghost stories and learned about the city's founders.

Franklin Elementary was paired with Southeast Missouri State University on the project. Franklin was one of 27 groups nationwide to receive a Save Our History grant.

What a tremendous way for these children to learn. We hope that these children have developed a sense of pride and ownership not only in the historic cemetery, but in their town.