Over the course of the three days, campers created a Chester Made museum, each of them creating a triptych that described their story. In a reception at the end of camp, they each presented their exhibit to an audience, having learned about the importance of considering your own legacy.

Summer Campers and Counselors get on the school bus to take a tour of historical Chester sites.

On the first of the three days, campers took a bus tour of Chester’s incredible—and often-overlooked—historical sites, including the Calvary Baptist Church, the Frederick Douglass School, and the original Ruth L. Bennett home.

Campers and Counselors gather around for a group photo with Michael Grey at his garden.

Michael Gray generously welcomed the camp into his “I Can I Will” garden, showing them his gardening awards, hockey box, and Andrew Turner Museum.

Janna Islam smiles while she presents her My Legacy Museum on the final day of camp.

During an interviewing portion on the camp, one of the campers, Jannah Islam, said she learned a little about herself and where she comes from. She and the other campers all said they wanted to continue learning about Chester history and stay connected to the Chester Made project.

Ms. T speaks to one of her campers about his My Legacy Museum at MJ Freed Theater.

The week ended with a closing reception where campers showed attendees the displays they had created throughout the camp. These told stories about the campers, their families, and their legacies, accompanied by artifacts that were on display. Each camper received a certificate of completion and their own pair of archivist gloves so they can continue the work they started during camp.

Campers and Counselors smile for a group photo at the end of Summer Humanities Camp 2018.

The Chester Made Camp LegaCy campers and leaders certainly made their legacies known.

Photo credit: Greg Irvin

Read more here in Humanities, the magazine of the National Endowment for the Humanities!

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