History & Humanities   

Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is one of the most popular Christmas stories today. While many people may not have read the original text, most have seen some movie version of it. This class explores how Charles Dickens created the story. We will learn how Dickens’s life influenced and shaped the plot and the story’s characters from Jacob Marley to Old Fezziwig. We will also discover how successful Dickens’s story was in his time as well as ours today.

Zoom Class. Participants will need a computer with Internet access, webcam, and microphone to join the Zoom meeting. Zoom meeting information will be sent via email before the class starts. 

When one thinks of the Gettysburg battlefield, one typically thinks July 1-3, 1863. One’s mind conjures images of Confederate and Union soldiers. Did you know during World War I the battlefield was transformed into an army tank training camp? At the helm of Camp Colt was a young soldier named Dwight D. Eisenhower. This class explores the events of the Gettysburg battlefield during 1917 and 1918 and how it impacted the town and Eisenhower himself.

Zoom Class. Participants will need a computer with Internet access, webcam, and microphone to join the Zoom meeting. Zoom meeting information will be sent via email before the class starts.

The Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. is as iconic as the White House or the U.S. Capitol Building. The monument stands today paying homage to our first president, George Washington. Yet it almost never happened. A monument was discussed before and after his death in 1799, yet it took until 1833 to begin the project. Learn about the design and construction; along with the myriad of obstacles, including lack of Congressional action, fundraising, political turmoil, vandalism, and engineering issues that were overcame to successfully complete the monument.

Zoom Class. Participants will need a computer with Internet access, webcam, and microphone to join the Zoom meeting. Zoom meeting information will be sent via email before the class starts.

The final resting place of Abraham Lincoln has a long history. From the time of his assassination in April 1865 until his funeral train returned to Springfield in May 1865, the tomb could not be built that quickly. Lincoln’s remains was placed in the temporary receiving vault, then a temporary family vault, and ultimately moved many times until his final interment in 1901 – 36 years since his death. This class explores the design and construction of the tomb; the movements of Lincoln’s remains; and the attempt to steal Lincoln’s body.

Zoom Class. Participants will need a computer with Internet access, webcam, and microphone to join the Zoom meeting. Zoom meeting information will be sent via email before the class starts.

Today the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is part of our American culture and Thanksgiving traditions. While not the longest running Thanksgiving parade, it is certainly the most popular. This class explores the reasons for the initial parade; the origins as a Christmas pageant beginning in 1924; the creative minds behind the floats and balloons; and the evolution of the parade through the decades embracing cultural icons along the way.

Zoom Class. Participants will need a computer with Internet access, webcam, and microphone to join the Zoom meeting. Zoom meeting information will be sent via email before the class starts.