Becky Hallowell’s fourth graders explored a few historical landmarks of Wiscasset as they embarked on a walking field trip. On Tuesday, Dec. 12, the students used historical maps of Wiscasset to walk the roads Lea Waite wrote about in her historical novel, “Stopping to Home.” The book is set in 1806, during a smallpox outbreak. The students first walked to Water Street, where the story began. Then they walked up Main Street to see the village green, where Muster Day took place. The next stop was Union Street where the main character found a home in a grand old house.

Once the students crossed Federal Street, they explored Ancient Cemetery. This provided a chance to do quick math as they learned how long people lived in the 1800s. They were surprised to find the gravestones of so many young people. Many of the aging gravestones were hard to read and one student suggested an interesting job would be cleaning and restoring them.

The most exciting part of the walking tour was a visit to Nickels- Sortwell House, led by Merry McDonnell. In Waite’s book, “Stopping to Home,” Widow Chase meets wealthy women who ordered hats from her in this house. In real life, Captain Nickels spared no expense in building his home. The students marveled at the fact logs in the fireplace had to be cut the same size and one person’s full-time job was keeping the fires burning. 

The whole class was enthralled by the stories of the house and came back to school ready to fill journals with all they learned. Wiscasset is a town rich in history and the class is grateful to McDonnell for the fascinating stories and tour.