Parish Episcopal School - Dallas, TX

8^th Grade Uptown Dallas Field Trip

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Drop Off Point - Forest Lane Station, DART Light Rail

Students will report directly to the DART station on this morning.

Do not go to school.

Directions

Exit U.S. 75 (Central Expressway) at Forest Lane. Go east on Forest Lane. The station is

one block east of U.S. 75 on the south side of Forest Lane. There is a traffic light at the

entrance to the station with Schroeder Rd. going to the north.

Access from I-635 – if you merge onto U.S. 75 southbound, you will have to exit at Royal Lane

and do a u-turn because the southbound exit for Forest is under the High Five.

ALTERNATIVE – exit I-635 before the High Five and use the access roads to get to Forest Lane.

Time

Students need to be dropped off between 7:30 – 7:55 am.

There will be faculty members present at the station at 7:25 am.

You may park or use the passenger drop-off area—follow the signs.

The train will leave promptly at 8:09 am—and so will we.

! If you are late, you will need to take your child to the Midway campus.

What To Bring

About $10.00

- we will stop at a convenience store just before lunch to purchase drinks

- we will stop at the West Village for ice cream & drinks

Sack Lunch - which we will eat in the park

Toys – baseball & glove, football, frisbee, etc.

Backpack – in which to put your stuff

- Suggestion: several friends can share one backpack & take turns carrying it

Verboten (Forbidden) – electronic games and/or audio equipment

You may bring cameras & cell phones (regular school rules apply…

cell phones may only be used AFTER the field trip is over)

What To Wear

School Uniforms - Because of the amount of walking we’ll be doing,

girls may wear tennis shoes in place of their saddle shoes—as they did on the D.C. trip.

Schedule for the Day (click on the links below to learn more!)

8:09 am - depart Forest Lane DART Station (southbound)

8:24 am - arrive at Cityplace Station

tour Historical Cemeteries in the Uptown District: (Additional Link)

Freedman’s Cemetary

Temple Emanu-el Jewish Cemetery

Calvary Catholic Cemetery

Greenwood Protestant Cemetery

MADI Museum and Gallery

KATY Trail Walk to Reverchon Park; eat lunch; play time

Lee Park, Turtle Creek Blvd.

West Village--ice cream at Paciugo’s or Frappaccinos at Starbucks

3:14 pm - DART Light Rail Red Line northbound (Cityplace)

3:28 pm - Arrive DART Forest Lane Station*

3:45 pm - Return to PES Midway campus

*Parents may pick up students at the station, but we will make arrangements

for transportation back to the Midway campus.

From The Desk Of Mr. Robison…

The Eighth Grade Class will be taking a field trip on Wednesday, May 21. We will be going to several locations in the Historic Uptown District of Dallas. This trip has several tie-ins with topics we have been studying, as you will see from this more detailed itinerary. It will also offer some really fun free-time for our soon-to-be-graduates.

For those of you who can’t seem to get enough history in your life, at the end of this itinerary, I have included the information and questions the students will receive as part of their Uptown Dallas History Treasure Hunt. Enjoy…

Uptown is home to much of Dallas’ earliest history. The Uptown Cemeteries Walking Tour (Freedman’s Cemetery, Temple Emanu-el Jewish Cemetery, Calvary Catholic Cemetery, & Greenwood Protestant Cemetery) offer a broad look at the cultures and individuals who participated in Dallas’ growth in the late 1800’s. Signage put in place by the Uptown Improvement District tells the stories of these Dallasites and offers interesting details of how this modern city grew from its humble beginnings.

After the walking tour, we’ll visit the MADI Museum and Gallery on Carlisle Street. The only museum of its type in North America, MADI is a style of art established by Carmelo Arden Quin in 1946. It is an intellectual, yet whimsical style characterized by its use of bold, bright colors and geometrical shapes. It could certainly be described as modern art as its variety of shapes and colors are not representative of anything in particular--they are simply meant to be enjoyed.

Next, we’ll walk west along the KATY trail—with recent improvements, it is one of the gems of the Uptown & Turtle Creek Neighborhoods. This 3.1 mile-long hiking, biking, running trail follows the alignment of the old KATY rail line from the American Airlines Center north, well past Knox Street. We’ll walk to Reverchon Park to enjoy the benches and picnic areas carved into the hillsides in the 1930’s as a part of a WPA project designed to put some of the unemployed to work during the Depression. After eating, the students will be able to enjoy the park’s wide-open green spaces and playground equipment. Reverchon Park is named after one of Dallas’ earliest families who were instrumental in the establishment of the failed French socialist community, La Reunion, which was located in current-day Oak Cliff. Incidentally, it was this community that was being honored when Reunion Tower, Reunion Arena, and Reunion Hyatt Regency were so named.

Following lunch and playtime, we will follow the boardwalk path along Turtle Creek to Robert E. Lee Park situated at the corner of Lemmon Ave. & Turtle Creek Boulevard. In addition to Lee’s statue and a two-thirds scale replica of Lee’s home in Arlington, VA, this park was part of Dallas’ first suburb--Oak Lawn. Dallasites would pay a nickel to ride the streetcar to Oak Lawn Park--now renamed to honor the South’s most beloved Civil War General. There are remnants of WPA projects scattered about this park, too. Here we will explore some of Dallas’ early history, completing our treasure hunt, and have free time to enjoy the park’s open spaces.

Finally, it’s off to the West Village at Lemmon Ave. and Cole Ave. in indulge our sweet tooth at Paciugo’s or Starbucks—the students get to choose their favorite. Afternoons are usually pretty warm by this time of May and cool treats are just the ticket. After we finish our “downtime” at the West Village, we set off for the Cityplace DART station to conclude our day with the ride back north. Carpooling arrangements have been made to transport the students back to the Parish Midway campus. Please note that we are scheduled to return about 20 minutes later than our normal dismissal time. If you need to pick up your child at the DART station at 3:28 pm because of your schedule, you are welcome to do so. However, advance notice of your plans is suggested in case you arrive late. Students will be shuttled back to Midway if we don’t know you’re planning to pick them up.

Uptown Dallas History Treasure Hunt [Below: the information and questions your child will be given as a part of this trip’s opportunity to earn some extra credit points on his/her exam.]

Freedman’s Cemetery

Freed slaves settled this area of Dallas County shortly after the conclusion of the American Civil War. Freedman's Cemetery, a graveyard for African Americans, was established in 1869 on one acre of land purchased by trustee Sam Eakins. Another 3 acres was acquired for cemetery purposes in 1879. The community of churches, commercial enterprises, and residences that had developed in this area became a part of the City of Dallas by 1912. Construction of the Central Expressway through here in the 1930s virtually eliminated all physical aboveground reminders of the cemetery. Descendants of persons buried here and the City of Dallas agreed in 1965 to establish the Freedman's Memorial Park and Cemetery at this site. Beginning in 1989, representatives of the community worked with the City of Dallas and the TX Dot to preserve the historic Freedman's Cemetery site prior to highway expansion.

Read the various plaques adorning the grounds. Read the “Eulogy To An Unknown Freedman.”

What is the message of “A Life To Celebrate” plaque?

Extra from Freedman’s Cemetery...

Find the plaque with the following passage: “...predilection whose matchless paeans still echo here and do persuade us even now.”

Temple Emanu-el Cemetery (est. 1884)

Do you notice the small rocks sitting on some of the gravestones? This is in accordance with the Jewish belief that money is better spent on a worthy charity or other philanthropic cause rather than flowers. Family and friends of the deceased leave behind the small stones as a sign that someone has visited that gravesite.

I bet there are some names in here that you’ve never heard before. What’s the shortest name you can find? Can you find any that contain “stein,” “berg,” or “rosen”? There are at least three last names that have 13 letters and three with 12 letters. Can you find them? List them here:

Calvary Cemetery (est. 1878)

In 1878, when the Bishop of Galveston purchased this land, Dallas was still a part of the Diocese of Galveston. In the 1890’s, Dallas had two parishes--one pastored by the Bishop, Right Reverend Thomas Brennan. Can you name the two parishes?

What’s the name on the headstone with the large angel on top?

Find the tallest headstone. What is the name and date on it?

The Catholic population of Dallas tripled from 1894 to 1910. From what three European nations did most of the immigrants come?

Greenwood Cemetery (est. 1874)

This burial ground, open to any white Protestant Dallasites, was originally called Trinity Cemetery. In what year was it renamed Greenwood Cemetery?

Two men purchased the land for the cemetery from the John Cole family. One was a Civil War veteran and the other was his banking partner. What were their names?

What is the name of the burial ground located adjacent to Greenwood that was designated for those who could not afford to purchase a burial plot?

How many Dallas mayors are buried in Greenwood Cemetery? Can you name the first? How about the youngest? How many Civil War veterans were buried here (Confederate vs. Union)?

Lee Park

Oliver P. Bowser and William H. Lemmon were the developers that built this park, originally named Oak Lawn Park. Citizens paid $0.05 to ride the streetcar to the park. Arlington Hall in Lee Park is a two-thirds replica of Lee’s home--now a part of Arlington National Cemetery, which sits across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.

What year did the city of Dallas purchase the park?

Which president visited the park on June 12, 1936 for the unveiling and dedication of the new statue, commemorating the great General Robert E. Lee, perhaps the South’s most favorite son?

In what year was Lee born and in what year did he die?