Survivors+of+Fire

Here are diary excerpts from a survivor of the Rhoads Opera House Fire. Leon Briedenbach was a performer in the play the night of the fire.

[|Diary_of_Leon_Briedenbach.jpg]

This is a diary from a man who was living in Boyertown at the time of the fire. He talks about the fire and the aftermath of the fire. Read through his diary to get a sense of what it was like to be living through this event. [|Wanamaker Diary, 1908.doc]


 * Activity**: Split the class into two groups and have each side take one diary entry. Have students use NARA worksheets for written documents to evaluate the primary sources. Have the students work in groups of 2 or 3 to evaluate the diaries. Regroup and share what was learned as a class. Remind students to look at the condition of the paper, if the handwriting was the same throughout the document, and was there any writing in the margins. Remind them to look for little details.