History at Home

We are glad to see students back in school, we can't wait to join you soon!

As we head back to school it is obvious that things have changed and it might be some time before we are back to having field trips and visitors in our classrooms. In the meantime we would like to present these educational opportunities to keep learning history in our routines even from home.

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Thanksgiving is a day for family and friends to gather, give thanks, and share a meal. While the holiday of Thanksgiving has roots in early colonial America with Native Americans, it did not become an official national holiday until President Abraham Lincoln. On October 3, 1863, President Lincoln wrote a proclamation establishing a day of thanksgiving in November for the whole country.

Learn more about President Lincoln's Thanksgiving, explore family traditions, and cook up some delicious dishes!

While Ohio Heritage camp had to be cancelled, you can still learn all about Ohio’s history this summer. Throughout the summer the Lakewood Historical Society will be sharing history and activities on the early years of Ohio’s statehood.

Each activity will include a downloadable PDF with a history section, craft, recipe, or link to a video connected to Lakewood’s early history. The activities can be completed by the whole family and is aimed at children in elementary and middle school with an adult’s help. Check back on our website or Facebook every two weeks for new activities.


We seem to have jumped right into summer. Why not go out and take a walk? Take us with you, check out our walking tours and take a stroll through history.

Activities For Everyone, By Recommended Grade Levels

We usually talk about how different things are in classrooms today from how they were in the 1800s, but if you are doing your school work with Mom and Dad, and your brothers and sisters, all in one room right now it is probably a little closer to the one room schools of the past.

1st/2nd Grade

Activity 1 - A Lakewood Girl in the 1800s

100 years ago Emma Beach was attending school in Lakewood (Rockport). This activity shares some of her experiences through her diary (Click Here). Talk with your parents about how things have changed over time and how they are the same, we have some activity questions to help guide your discussion.

Activity 2 - School Then and Now

Grab a grownup and talk to them about how school was different and the same when they were in school and then compare your experiences with classrooms of the 1800s with this fun activity (Click Here).

Activity 3 - Lakewood's Theaters

It might be hard to go to the movies right now but there was a time when Lakewood had many theaters and going to the movies was a treat lots of Lakewood kids (and adults) looked forward to. Explore the theaters of Lakewood with this new activity and interview family and friends about how they watch movies today.

3rd/4th Grade

Activity 1 - Driving Tour Timeline

Got cabin fever? Practice social distancing from the comfort of your car with a driving tour of Lakewood history. Click Here for the PDF.

Activity 2 - The Anti-slavery Movement

Ohio was critical in the Underground Railroad. This activity is intended for 4th and 5th grade students to learn about American slavery and the Ohio Territory's role in its abolition.


5th/6th Grade

Activity 1 - The Western Reserve

Did you know you are in Connecticut right now... well maybe a couple hundred years ago at any rate. Learn what the Western Reserve is all about with this interesting activity.

Activity 2 - The General Store

We talk a lot about the economy these days but we really do have it pretty good. All of the goods at our fingertips and a strong Federal Bank that backs our US Currency is taken for granted. There was a time not to long ago that things were not so stable. With this activity we look at a very valuable part of Rockport Township (what would become Lakewood). Here we learn about the General Store and discuss the economy of the early United States and Rockport Township.

Activities for Everyone

Below are activities for every age and interest level that we can do with the whole family. Let's learn something together.

Take some time to connect with your family and explore your heritage through research and interviews. Click Here

Read articles about Lakewood's storied past by author Dan Chabek.

Take a Virtual Tour of the Oldest Stone House Museum

Click the image to start the tour.

Coming Soon! A video walk through with a docent.

This is a resource for teachers but it can help us all learn how to be better citizens through critical thinking about history. Please share this resource with your student's teacher. There are also great topics to help deal with some of the tumultuous events of the past few weeks.

This series presented by historian Jon Meacham relates the history, heroism, and resilience of the United States through past national crises and gives hope that we will get through this current crisis too.

Season One takes a look at critical moments around the 1918 Flu Pandemic, the Great Depression, World War II, the polio epidemic and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Program Sponsorship

Thank you to the Ohio Cares Act Grant through the Ohio Humanities Council and National Endowment for the Arts, and the Ohio History Fund through the Ohio History Center for their support of our efforts during the COVID-19 Pandemic response. Their generosity during the this crisis has helped us to continue providing services to the community and connect in new ways. Thank You!