GIFT Teacher Brings Past Back to Life at Hyde Farm
| 150 years after James C. Power bought a plot of land from Thurston Bloom in Cobb County, the farm his family built upon it is now open for visitors. |
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Cobb County, Georgia and the town of Marietta had existed for only about 15 years when Power purchased the lot. Eighty years of Powers families lived and worked there before the property fell into the Hyde family's hands. The Hydes took up residence in the 1920s and remained there until J.C. Hyde's death in 2004. The farm then fell into the hands of the Trust for Public Land, and now this unique historical resource has been preserved by the National Park Service as a window into the past. To complete the time-warp experience, two mules, Jack and Jill, arrived in August 2009 in order to begin ploughing the fields.
CEISMC's Georgia Intern-Fellowships for Teachers program (GIFT) places K-12 teachers in summer internships. It was through GIFT that Alex Alvarez, a science teacher at the Academy of Research and Medical Science at South Cobb High School, was given the opportunity to help create the teacher packet that will compliment school field trips to Hyde Farm.
"We started off looking at the physical science aspect, since we'll be targeting eighth graders," Alvarez explained, "and also simple machines, which tie in with the second graders. We also found links to social studies and economics and English."
In the sheds at Hyde Farm are myriad rusting mechanical devices and tools. The skills and knowledge of those who used them risked being taken to the grave. But J.C. Hyde shared his knowledge with the park service after arrangements were made to preserve the farm.
"We are targeting second and eighth grade this year for educational field trips," says Marjorie Thomas, Education Coordinator at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. "There'll be a component about Native Americans, because we know that the Native Americans were here, and there'll be a component about farming life back in the 19th century."
Alvarez learned he would be teaching AP environmental science this year, so in addition to researching the mechanical nature of farming he also conducted environmental research. "I looked at areas that I needed to know more about, like water quality and conservation, and I thought this would be the perfect match," he says about the internship.
A visit to Hyde Farm this summer revealed a peaceful natural sanctuary. Flocks of bluebirds flitted about the sheds and equipment. A pileated woodpecker hammered on a nearby tree. Gnatcatchers darted in and out of the branches overhead. All of this is less than a mile away from a thick web of suburban communities.
The first school group arrives on October 8th. By then Jack and Jill should be pretty handy with that plough.
For more information on the GIFT program, please contact Bonnie Harris, Program Manager GIFT, at 404-894-7530.
For more information on Hyde Farm field trips, please contact Marjorie Thomas, Education Coordinator, Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, at 678-538-1243.
History of the Power-Hyde house: http://sandysprings.lps2.com/pageimages/Power.Family.time.line.pdf
Official National Park Service site on the Chattahoochee River area: http://www.nps.gov/chat/index.htm
The National Park Service's Hyde Farm page (also related to GPS standards): http://www.nps.gov/chat/forteachers/index.htm
Jack and Jill Arrive at Hyde Farm: http://www.mdjonline.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Kicking+into+Cobb%20&id=3296374&instance=home_news_1st_right