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1. Using the local library, review the pictures of major architectural styles, studying them closely from left to right. Keep in mind that local interpretations often deviated from "established" styles or were "adjusted" to accommodate new owners.
2. Use these questions when observing a structure:
- What does the building say about the owner, the community, its uses?
- How might the building be related to diverse cultures, different generations, social classes or the area’s heritage? Are there any features typical of a particular ethnic group?
- Why is this site where it is? What was its original purpose? Has it been altered in any way? How do you know?
- What elements of this place relate to the natural environment? How did people living here use this space or interact with this environment?
- What is different about the place today from one hundred or two hundred years ago? How is it significant in terms of local, regional, or national history? What clues give hints of age, location, and purpose?
3. If exploring the family home, consider the following:
- What do you already know? When did your family move in? How long has the house been in your family?
- Does the house "express" former owners (i.e., architectural changes or additions, landscaping)?
- Going to the local courthouse to research deeds, title documents, building plans, permits, and other public records.
- Talking to long-time neighbors, historical society curators, or librarians at the public library for clues.
4. If using a known historic site, these questions should be addressed:
- Who built it? Why?
- Has it been preserved as a local landmark? Why or why not?
- What timeframe does its history embrace? Is it associated with a particular historical period or event?
- Has it been altered by various owners (i.e., federal-style home changed into a Victorian-style home)?
- Was it "recycled" for different purposes or used by different ethnic groups?
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