Oral History of Forgottonia: What Insights Can We Gain from the Amish Residents in Our Small Community? Ella Bass Interviews an Amish Mother & Daughter
“I wanted to learn more about the Amish community to better understand them. I feel like this is important because they are also members of our community.”
Ella Bass, Cuba H.S. Senior Class ’23
Amish owned & operated Heartland Bulk Foods located on the west end of Cuba, Illinois…one of our town’s best kept secrets! Photo taken from the Canton Daily Ledger
ON THIS EPISODE
As part of our Oral History in Forgottonia series, Cuba High School senior Ella Bass hosts this episode about her experience getting to know one Amish family in our town. Driven by her genuine curiosity and respect for the Amish culture, Ella arranged a conversation with Miriam Gingerich and her 15-year-old daughter Ellafern.
Ella provides a brief exploration of the Amish presence in Illinois, then she invites her guests to share their unique perspectives on life, family, and community. Ella’s interview provides a glimpse into the Amish way of life and reflects on the importance of preserving one’s cultural heritage. Miriam and Ellafern share profound insights about their daily routines, values, and the joys and challenges of being part of the surrounding community. The episode serves not only as an opportunity to learn about a distinctive cultural group but also as a testament to the power of fostering understanding and appreciation for our neighbors.
Essential Questions
What surprises you about the Amish community in our small community?
What impact have the Amish had on rural towns like ours?
Why is it important for young people growing up in small towns with Amish populations to learn about the contributions Amish have in their community?
What can we do to make sure we include the Amish as valued members of our community?
What does the story of the Amish mean for our wider national narrative?
Ella Bass BIO
Ella is a senior at Cuba High School and is the daughter of Angie Thomas and Jeff Bass. Ella is involved with History Club, Dance Force, and FCCLA. She also teaches dance through the Canton Park District. Ella is currently attending Spoon River College. She is hoping to graduate with a degree in Small Business Management. She would like to continue teaching dance through the Canton Park District and eventually run her own business.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Our ORAL HISTORY of FORGOTTONIA series is part of the NCHE Rural Experience in America grant in partnership with the Western IL Museum, and the Western IL University Archives. In 2021, the National Council for History Education (NCHE) recruited teachers nationwide to participate in free and open professional development that occurred asynchronously and synchronously online, focusing on rural history and historical inquiry using Library of Congress sources. Teachers traveled to Norman, Oklahoma to collaborate with a community partner selected from their hometown to create a public history project.
These community-based, service-learning public history projects enable students to investigate their local and regional histories deeply and to connect their own histories to the larger human experience. A key purpose of this project is to link rural communities and their histories to national narratives and primary source collections, and the targeted focus of this proposal provides an avenue for such purposeful connections.
Our project, The Oral History of Forgottonia, is one of several throughout the country featured by the NCHE. To learn about other projects featured by this grant, check out this list and visit the links at the bottom of this post.
The Forgottonia Project 