SUBMITTED BY TRISTAN KNAPP

 

Have you ever wondered about the history of Bridgeport?  This past Monday, September 15, Mrs. Amy Lohmann, an English teacher at Bridgeport High School, took her creative writing class on a walk through the past.  For the past six years, Lohmann has taken her class on this adventure through the streets of Bridgeport.

 

“Students really enjoy the walk,” she said, “most of them don’t know and cannot imagine what the old Bridgeport was really like.”

 

Students made their first stop at Governor Johnson’s house.  They stood to hear about the history of the residence.  Students learned how it has been standing since the land around it was still farmland.  The house is nationally recognized as a historic monument, which most students did not know.

 

Their next stop was at an old tree that would have been used for timber in the past, but now stands untouched.  Students grabbed hands to find out how big the tree really was, and found that it took five of them just to wrap around it all.

 

“Learning about the tree was my favorite part,” Abby Hartley said.  “I liked learning about what it would have been used for, and seeing just how many of us it took to wrap around it.”

 

From the tree, the class moved to the parking lot of the Bridgeport City Pool.  They were told about the Bowstring Bridge and how rare of a design it was, but how it was acutally used to cross Simpson Creek to get to the other side of a glass factory that used to sit on the side of the creek. 

 

Next, Mrs. Lohmann talked about how there used to be a stockyard located where Rite Aid sits.

 

“I like to give students a sense of history,” Lohmann said. “They were amazed to hear about how a cow would come walking down Main Street after it escaped the stockyard, and it was considered just a normal occurrence.”

 

For the end of their walk, students stopped at Almost Heaven Desserts for a little snack and writing time.

 

“Ending at Almost Heaven was my favorite part,” Hannah McCall said. “I liked being able to sit down and write in that old coffee shop atmosphere.”

 

This walk was a rewarding experience for everyone.  Both the teacher and the students took experiences away from the walk.

 

“I like to see the students having fun,” Lohmann said.  “It’s good they were out doing something physical and were relaxed doing it.”

 

Most of the students that come through Mrs. Lohmann’s creative writing class are unaware of the rich history that resides in Bridgeport.

 

“There is not a difference of knowledge between the children that grew up here and the ones who didn’t,” she said, “but it’s amazing to hear the students say that they never knew these things and have really never walked around their hometown to learn.”

 

With success like this every year, Lohmann looks to continue this walk and give students a fun and unique experience in learning about the history of Bridgeport.

 

Editor’s Note: This was not assigned by Connect-Bridgeport.com. Cover Photo by Noah Hall. Inside Picture courtesy of Stephanie Marnic.