The University Museum

Songs help us learn about historic events

Preserving History Through Songs

Passing information from one generation to another through songs has always been an important method of preserving history. Use the following questions to begin your discussion.

• Why is a song a good way to preserve history?
• Are there any disadvantages to this method of preserving history?
• Find other songs that tell true stories. Ask your parents to help you.

The flood at Shawneetown, the train wreck at Maud and the cyclone at Mount Vernon are all Illinois events that were preserved through songs. Examine the rhyme and rhythm in these songs. Help students choose an event that they would like to preserve and write a song of their own telling about it. The can either create a melody of their own or use a familiar, non-copyrighted tune as the melody for their lyrics.

The Shawneetown Flood

• Have students listen to the oral history that Professor McIntosh recorded with Sarah Dailey of Ridgway Illinois on May 11, 1954. Discuss oral history as a method of preserving information. Sarah Dailey was an eyewitness to the event. This makes her a "primary source." Why is it important to have as much primary source information as possible?
• Have students listen to the "Shawneetown Flood" sung by Ms. Rosson and follow along with the lyrics as they listen. Does Mrs. Dailey sing the song exactly as it is written? Discuss the fact that especially in folk music, songs may change as singers leave out verses and occasionally change words. These songs were often passed down through an oral tradition. Identify the differences in the lyric sheet and Ms. Rosson's version.
• Have students use context clues to determine the meaning of the words "communion, din, and succor" which may be new to many students.
• Ask students to tell the reasons that they think Mr. Fields wrote the song.
• Look at the pictures of the Shawneetown Flood. Have students write a caption for each picture. Identify lines in the song that correlate with what they see in the pictures.
• Discuss the ways in which life would be different in Shawneetown after the flood.

The Mt. Vernon Cyclone

• Have students read the narrative about the Mt. Vernon Cyclone and listen to "The Mt. Vernon Cyclone." Have students view the cyclone pictures.
• Have students read the document from Mildred Warren. What steps were taken to help the people of Mt. Vernon? Compare that disaster to the same type of disaster today. How would the warning have been different? How would the relief efforts be different? Discuss how radio, television, and the internet have changed the way we deal with natural disasters.
• After the cyclone, Mt. Vernon was one of the first places in the United States to receive help from the American Red Cross. Clara Barton, the founder and first president of the American Red Cross, came to the area in person and organized relief efforts. Have students do additional research on the American Red Cross and its growth since 1888.

The Wreck at Maud

• Have students read the information about the wreck at Maud and then listen to the first version (Track One) of "The Wreck at Maud" which was recorded by Professor McIntosh on May 1, 1952 in Flora, Illinois. The singer, Mr. Dies Burton, was a distant relative of the fireman working that night on Bowen's train. The lyric sheet contains a version recorded in 2002. Have students follow the lyric sheet as they listen to the first recording and note the differences. Note that although the factual content of both versions is identical, some of the wording is different - a common occurrence when songs and stories are passed along from person to person over time. Have students listen to the second version to hear the differences. Notice how the guitar adds the sound of the train.
• Discuss the song with the students. What kind of man was Al Bowen? Introduce the term "foreshadowing" and find examples of it in the song.
• Use an Illinois state map to locate Shawneetown, Mt. Vernon and Maud. Have students write to the local library to ask about life there today.
• The newspaper article that describes the wreck is written in a style different from today's standard. Reading and discussion of this article and the differences in style would be an appropriate activity for a high school journalism class.