The Bassett Historical Center: Internship Blog Post #5

My sixth and final week with the Bassett Historical Center was an excellent conclusion to my internship. I never imagined how exciting and hands-on this opportunity would turn out to be, especially in light of the ongoing world issues.

I came close to transcribing all of the Paschal letters, which covered a young soldier’s life and death in the trenches of World War One. While I worked on them, I couldn’t help but think about how I would feel in Robert’s place a century ago. I am older now than Robert ever lived to be. What does this tell me about his life? What does this tell me about mine? These thoughts will stick with me for a long time.

I also came near to completing my documentation assignments with Oakwood Cemetery. Not only did I learn about the importance of meticulous research, but I learned some interesting facts about the important citizens from my hometown. I would be excited to contribute to Oakwood’s future historical projects should they require assistance.

In conclusion, my internship was one-of-a-kind. From the bottom of my heart, I can’t express enough gratitude to all those who assisted me in my internship this summer. I wouldn’t have learned this much without Fran, Anne, Cindy, Pat, Lucy, and Kay pushing me to become a better researcher, archivist, and future historian.

Pictured: The Paschal exhibit I helped build, featuring Robert and Margaret Paschal and the letters he wrote to her.

Pictured: A rabbit grazing (well, it was grazing) early one morning at Oakwood Cemetery. It followed me for the better part of an hour before hopping off to someplace else.

Pictured: Some facets of Martinsville have changed radically since Oakwood Cemetery was formed in 1883. Other things, however (like trains carrying newly dug coal past the cemetery’s lower fence) have stayed pretty much the same.