Did you know that the Massie School, now known as Massie Heritage Center, is the oldest public school in Georgia?  It opened its doors to Savannah’s children on October 15, 1856.  The school was designed by John S. Norris, a famous architect from New York.  Architecture is the design and construction of buildings and bridges. Massie’s architectural style is called Greek revival, a popular style during the 1800’s.  The Greek revival  style comes from buildings, often temples, of ancient Greek civilization.  The basic elements are columns and beams which support the triangular pediment of the roof. Look at the picture of the ancient Greek temple. Can you identify the columns, beams, and pediment?   Use the Greek revival vocabulary terms to help you.

Greek key motif

Heritage Classroom
Massie’s Heritage Classroom is set up like a classroom would have been in the 1800’s.  There would have been 50 to 80 students in each class.  Lessons would include oral recitation (reading aloud while standing in front of the entire class), arithmetic (math), geography, and history.  Lessons were completed on a slate-board using chalk  and handwriting lessons were written with a quill pen. Good behavior was just as important in 1856 as it is today.  In the Massie Heritage Center classroom, deportment, or good behavior, is expected everyday!

Lunchtime at Massie
Students would bring their lunch to school each day.  Lunches often came to school in pails.  Inside you could find hard-boiled eggs, baked potatoes, bread and jam, or biscuits.  Imagine you are preparing your lunch pail for school.  What will you bring?  Ask an adult to help you prepare this recipe for your healthy lunch!

Peter Massie’s Oatmeal Cookies

Peter Massie was born in Scotland where oats were an important staple in the diet.  Many mothers would have made oatmeal cookies for their children.  Try this recipe for your oatmeal cookies!

You will need:
½ cup margarine, softened
½ cup honey
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup stone ground whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats
1 apple, cored and chopped

Preheat oven to 375° and prepare cookie sheets by lightly greasing.  Add margarine, honey, egg and vanilla to large mixing bowl and cream until smooth.  Combine together flour, baking soda and cinnamon, then add to the creamed mixture and stir in.  Mix in oats and gently mix in apples.  Drop onto prepared cookie sheets, one teaspoonful at a time.  Bake 8-10 minutes.  Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then move to wire rack.

Heritage Classroom Word Search

See if you can complete this word search using the following words:

slateboard
geography
reading
chalk
blackboard
handwriting
arithmetic
maps
quill
deportment
lunchpail