In 2004, students used materials at the Sheldon to develop websites related to leisure, domesticity, and manhood in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Vermont. Using materials in Special Collections, they chronicled the history of the College, with a particular focus on student life. An exhibit on the lifelong partnership of two early nineteenth-century Weybridge women, Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake, exemplifies the accomplishments of the 2004 course. In order to create their web exhibits, students labored over nineteenth century handwritten documents that were often difficult to decipher. Working in small groups, they came to enjoy the challenge of reading and transcribing personal letters, diaries, and poems. And, having worked hard to understand and digitally preserve archival materials, they took pleasure in arranging those materials into exhibits utilizing their newly acquired web design skills.
     The 2004 course explored a broad range of topics. In 2005, we attempted to achieve greater class-wide collaboration through a narrower thematic focus. We addressed how Middlebury College and the surrounding community reacted to and participated in U.S. military conflicts ranging from the War of 1812 to the Vietnam conflict. Once again, small groups of students worked with archival materials to construct exhibits that reflected their particular interests and abilities.
     Building on the success of the 2005 project, the 2006 and 2007 courses similarly adopted narrower themes. In 2006, students examined materials in Special Collections and the Sheldon Museum relating to gender and private life in nineteenth-century Vermont. An example of this group's accomplishments is an exhibit on the diary of Francis Paine, a nineteenth-century Vermont schoolteacher and farmer. In 2007, working primarily in Special Collections, students focused on the diaries and letters of Americans who traveled abroad between 1820 and 1920. An example of their work is the travel diary of Mrs. R.P. Eaton, who visited Europe, Egypt, and Palestine around 1857.