About this project

The SHS Historical Society mapping project was begun in the fall of 2002. William Furry, Executive Director, of the of the Illinois State Historical Society, contacted Karen Thompson, Instructional Technology Facilitator for Springfield Public Schools, District 186, to inquire about the possibility of district students contributing to a mapping project involving state historical markers.

Mrs. Thompson referred Mr. Furry to Springfield High School, Geographic Information System class instructors, John Taylor and Jenni Dahl, to explore how this project could be developed for the mutual benefit of the GIS students and the Illinois State Historical Society.

The GIS students benefit by using many of the mapping skills learned in the 1st semester of the GIS class in the marker project. For example, the students:

  1. download TIGER/ Line census data to create the county maps.
  2. use GPS unit to take waypoints of marker locations.
  3. create their own data tables in the WordPad with coordinate and marker information.
  4. create a new shape file from the data they add to their map.
  5. create their own map with the map conventions they learned in the 1st semester.

In addition, the students learn about local history by researching the markers, web design by adding this information to the website and how to make a podcast. Also, through this partnership with the Historical Society the whole school has benefited. Since this partnership began SHS has erected an historical marker of its own, Hutchinson Cemetery & Springfield High School, and now all the students have a greater understanding of the history of their school and community.

The mapping project also serves to promote the mission of the Illinois State Historical Society: "The mission of the Society is to foster awareness, understanding, research, preservation, and recognition of history in Illinois." (taken from the Illinois State Historical Society website: http://www.historyillinois.org/)

The words on the 400 historical markers will take you on a journey in time from the prehistoric trails created by bison (Edwards Trace) to steamboats on the Mississippi in the 1800's (Steamboats on the Mississippi River). Some of the markers are on well known sites, such as the Old State Capitol in Springfield, while other markers are on lesser known sites, yet still tell important stories. We hope that many people visit our website to see the rich history of Illinois unfold online!