Secret Stories from Peachtree Creek Connections
Unit Activities and Exploration Links
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Tuck
1786
1786
Although Tuck didn’t think of himself at a “Creek Indian”, his village of Standing Peachtree was what we now consider to have been a Creek village.
For information about and a field trip to where the Village of Standing Peachtree stood, see
Standing Peachtree
For information about Fort Peachtree, see
Fort Peachtree
For information about the Creek people and places to visit, see
Ocmulgee National Monument
Creek Indian Records
Lost Worlds
Creek Indians
Facts for Kids
Although Tuck, if he had been a real person, probably wouldn’t have been aware of it, in 1786 Georgia was already a colony, established as the last of the Thirteen Colonies in 1732, and just the year before, in 1785, the University of Georgia was founded.
To learn more about what was happening in the world in 1786, see
Historical Events in 1786
The following are good places to find information about most anything having to do with Georgia History:
Atlanta History Center
Georgia Historical Society
For information about and a field trip to where the Village of Standing Peachtree stood, see
Standing Peachtree
Fort Peachtree
For information about the Creek people and places to visit, see
Ocmulgee National Monument
Creek Indian Records
Lost Worlds
Creek Indians
Facts for Kids
Although Tuck, if he had been a real person, probably wouldn’t have been aware of it, in 1786 Georgia was already a colony, established as the last of the Thirteen Colonies in 1732, and just the year before, in 1785, the University of Georgia was founded.
To learn more about what was happening in the world in 1786, see
Historical Events in 1786
The following are good places to find information about most anything having to do with Georgia History:
Atlanta History Center
Georgia Historical Society
Susannah
1838
(Wilbur Kurtz's watercolor rendition of Henry Irby's Tavern,
courtesy of the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center.)
Taken from Buckhead Heritage Society website
No matter where you live, there are houses and buildings that have been around for a long time. Try to find out their history.
Although, in Susannah’s story, her father owned the store and tavern with the deer’s head mounted out front, according to history, it was Henry Irby who killed a large deer and mounted its head on a post near his place of business so travelers could see it.
Although, in Susannah’s story, her father owned the store and tavern with the deer’s head mounted out front, according to history, it was Henry Irby who killed a large deer and mounted its head on a post near his place of business so travelers could see it.
What is currently in the middle of Atlanta was first called Irbyville and then later Buckhead. The area is now commemorated in Buckhead Triangle Park at the intersection of Peachtree, Paces Ferry Road and Roswell Road.
The Storyteller by Frank Fleming Note the deer head on the storyteller Photograph: waymarking.com
For more information about the history of Buckhead, see
Susannah’s father’s hero was Patrick Henry and Susannah named her adopted dog Pat so her father would let her keep him.
For information about Patrick Henry, see
Colonial Williamsburg
Social Studies for Kids
Susannah’s secret best friend, Senoya, was Cherokee. There’s lots of information about the Cherokee people. See below:
Funk Heritage Museum
About North Georgia
Cherokee Facts for Kids
There were some very wealthy Cherokee people. Here’s a site that shows a photograph of a mansion owned by a Cherokee chief.
Chief Vann House
Susannah taught Senoya to write in English and Senoya taught Susannah to write in Cherokee. To learn about Sequoyah and the Cherokee alphabet, see
Sequoyah and the Cherokee Alphabet
Senoya and her family were forced to leave their home as part of the Indian Removal Act, now known as the Trail of Tears. For links to information about the Trail of Tears, see
The Trail of Tears
Social Studies for Kids
In 1838, Queen Victoria was crowned Queen of England and the first telegraph message was sent. To learn more about what was happening in the world in 1838, see
Historical Events for 1838
Colonial Williamsburg
Social Studies for Kids
Susannah’s secret best friend, Senoya, was Cherokee. There’s lots of information about the Cherokee people. See below:
Funk Heritage Museum
About North Georgia
Cherokee Facts for Kids
There were some very wealthy Cherokee people. Here’s a site that shows a photograph of a mansion owned by a Cherokee chief.
Chief Vann House
Susannah taught Senoya to write in English and Senoya taught Susannah to write in Cherokee. To learn about Sequoyah and the Cherokee alphabet, see
Sequoyah and the Cherokee Alphabet
Senoya and her family were forced to leave their home as part of the Indian Removal Act, now known as the Trail of Tears. For links to information about the Trail of Tears, see
The Trail of Tears
Social Studies for Kids
In 1838, Queen Victoria was crowned Queen of England and the first telegraph message was sent. To learn more about what was happening in the world in 1838, see
Historical Events for 1838
James
1864
Battle of Peachtree Creek By Rick Reeves
James grew up on a medium-sized cotton plantation in South Georgia. Although Jarrell Plantation was in Middle Georgia, it was a cotton plantation around the time of the Civil War and it is now a Georgia Department of Natural Resources Historic Site and you can visit it in Juliette, GA.
For more information, see
Jarrell Plantation
For more information on plantations in Georgia, see
Genealogy Trails
James’ songs had to do with the Underground Railroad. To find out more, see
PBS
The Freedom Center
Scholastic
National Park Service
The battle in which James and his father fought later became known at the Battle of Peachtree Creek. For more information, see
History Net
On this Day in History
The night before the Battle of Peachtree Creek James and his father tasted hard tack for the first time. Below is a recipe for hard tack (without the maggots).
The history of hard tack
Recipe for hard tack
Most of the news in the year 1864 had to do with the Civil War. For information about what else was happening, see
History Orb
James played a flute his father had made for him. You can make your own flute. Here are some instructions:
Rosie
1910
Rosie wasn’t real and the house she was visiting wasn’t real either, but, if it were, it might look something like the Andrews-Dunn house in the picture below. For more information about the Andrews-Dunn house and the people who lived there, click on the link under the picture.
Rosie was a mill worker from an early age. Today, there are laws that keep young children in the United States from working. However, in some countries, young children work at jobs that keep them from attending school, and some of the jobs can be dangerous. For more information about child labor, see
The History Place
Although the mill itself closed in 1971, the Whittier Mill area of Atlanta still exists as a neighborhood. It’s on the National Register of History Districts and you can visit the park there. Most of the mill's remains were demolished in 1988, leaving the skeletal ruins of the carpenters’ shed and the original mill tower, which had once housed offices, the mill’s chemist, and a water tank for fire protection during the mill’s heyday. For more about the history of Whittier Mill see:
Whittier Mill Village
Streetcars in Atlanta
Rosie’s aunt was a seamstress. In the early 1900’s, most clothing for women (and for many men) was hand sewn either by a seamstress or a tailor or by someone in the family. For more information about the history of clothing, see
Brief History of Clothing
What was happening in the world in 1910? For information, see
Historical Events in 1910
Rosie was a mill worker from an early age. Today, there are laws that keep young children in the United States from working. However, in some countries, young children work at jobs that keep them from attending school, and some of the jobs can be dangerous. For more information about child labor, see
The History Place
Although the mill itself closed in 1971, the Whittier Mill area of Atlanta still exists as a neighborhood. It’s on the National Register of History Districts and you can visit the park there. Most of the mill's remains were demolished in 1988, leaving the skeletal ruins of the carpenters’ shed and the original mill tower, which had once housed offices, the mill’s chemist, and a water tank for fire protection during the mill’s heyday. For more about the history of Whittier Mill see:
Whittier Mill Village
Rosie rode the trolley from Whittier Mill to Atlanta and then back again at the end of the summer. Trolleys were also called streetcars. For more information about trolleys, see
Rosie’s aunt was a seamstress. In the early 1900’s, most clothing for women (and for many men) was hand sewn either by a seamstress or a tailor or by someone in the family. For more information about the history of clothing, see
Brief History of Clothing
What was happening in the world in 1910? For information, see
Historical Events in 1910
Carl
1964
1964
Carl was a black kid growing up in Atlanta in the middle of the Civil Rights movement. It was an exciting time, but it was also scary; both good and bad things were happening very quickly. Within just a year, Martin Luther King Jr. made his “I Have a Dream” Speech in Washington and the Civil Rights Act was passed. But a terrible thing happened when President Kennedy was assassinated. For more information about the Civil Rights movement, see:
Heroes of the Civil Rights movement
Kids’ Konnection
PBS Teachers
Civil Rights in Atlanta
For information about Martin Luther King, Jr., see Social Studies for Kids
Pitara Kids Network
Miller Center
The Kennedy Library
When Carl wasn’t worrying about his future, he liked to read and create comic books. Even comic books have a history. To find out more, see
About.com
Comicbooks.com
If you want to make your own comic book, you can just do like Carl and Tommy did: staple some pages together and get going. For more ideas, see
Enchanted Learning
How to Make Mini Comic Books
Create your Own Comic Strip
Carl also liked to watch TV. Although color TV came out in 1954, most people had black and white televisions until the late 1960’s. For more about the history of television, see:
History of television at https://bebusinessed.com/history/history-of-the-television/
What was happening in the world in 1964? For information, see
Historical Events in 1964
Frances
2010
Frances is a kid very much like you, a kid living in what is now called Atlanta. She goes to school and plays with her friends and hangs out in her backyard, which just happens to back up to Peachtree Creek.
For more information about Peachtree Creek, see
There are some great things to do in Atlanta.
For some ideas, see
There
are also so many interesting and fun things to do all over Georgia. For some ideas, see
Pollution
has become a big problem all over the world and Peachtree Creek is no
exception. To find out more about water
pollution and how to help, see
Homelessness is also a problem in Atlanta and many other big cities. For information, see
The following are good places to find information about most anything having to do with Georgia History:
Georgia Historical Society
Graphic Organizer for Understanding the
History Behind
Secret Stories from Peachtree Creek
Characters
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World Events
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Description of Home
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Education
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Family
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Problems
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The Tree and the Creek
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Tuck 1786
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Susannah 1838
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James 1864
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Rosie 1910
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Carl 1964
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Frances 2010
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These can be used to create an AR Quiz or just for a quick assessment
1. Frances and her mother disagreed about
A. what to eat for supper.
B. how to make her bed.
C. who her friends should be.
D. where to go on vacation.
2. Tuck was worried about
A. his dog, Efv.
B. bullies.
C. where to catch a fish.
D. a flood.
3. Susannah was sad because
A. her father wouldn’t let her keep Black Dog Pat.
B. her parents wanted to move to Virginia
C. Senoya would be leaving.
D. the journal got wet.
4. Hard tack is
A. The name of a song the slaves sang.
B. a kind of biscuit James and his daddy ate the night before the battle.
C. James’ favorite candy.
D. the same thing as hard work.
5. How did Rosie get from Whittier Mill to “the rich part of Atlanta”?
A. On a trolley.
B. She swam.
C. By airplane.
D. On a horse.
6. What was Carl afraid of?
A. spiders
B. dogs
C. having to change schools
D. comic books
7. What did NOT change in the book?
A. the homes
B. the tree
C. the place
D. the creek
8. What did the dogs do that was an important part of the plot?
A. They ate the food.
B. They played in the creek.
C. They saved the kids.
D. They dug the holes.
9. How were the kids in the book the same?
A. They all went to school.
B. They all had families.
C. They all ate fish.
D. They all were Native American.
10. How did Peachtree Creek change during the book?
A. It became longer.
B. It became bluer.
C. It became polluted.
D. It didn’t change.
Multiple Choice Questions Secret Stories from Peachtree Creek Teacher Key
1. Frances and her mother disagreed about
A. what to eat for supper.
B. how to make her bed.
C. who her friends should be.
D. where to go on vacation.
2. Tuck was worried about
A. his dog, Efv.
B. bullies.
C. where to catch a fish.
D. a flood.
3. Susannah was sad because
A. her father wouldn’t let her keep Black Dog Pat.
B. her parents wanted to move to Virginia.
C. Senoya would be leaving.
D. the journal got wet.
4. Hard tack is
A. The name of a song the slaves sang.
B. a kind of biscuit James and his daddy ate the night before the battle.
C. James’ favorite candy.
D. the same thing as hard work.
5. How did Rosie get from Whittier Mill to “the rich part of Atlanta”?
A. On a trolley.
B. She swam.
C. By airplane.
D. On a horse.
6. What was Carl afraid of?
A. spiders
B. dogs
C. having to change schools
D. comic books
7. What did NOT change in the book?
A. the homes
B. the tree
C. the place
D. the creek
8. What did the dogs do that was an important part of the plot?
A. They ate the food.
B. They played in the creek.
C. They saved the kids.
D. They dug the holes.
9. How were the kids in the book the same?
A. They all went to school.
B. They all had families.
C. They all ate fish.
D. They all were Native American.
10. How did Peachtree Creek change during the book?
A. It became longer.
B. It became bluer.
C. It became polluted.
D. It didn’t change.
Secret Stories from Peachtree Creek
Vocabulary Words by Chapter
Vocabulary Words by Chapter
Chapter 1: Frances
1. stump - the lower end of a tree or plant left after the main part falls or is cut off
2. damage - injury or harm
3. salary - pay
4. cranky – grouchy or cross
5. compost - a mixture of various decaying organic substances, as dead leaves or manure, used for fertilizing soil
6. critter - creature
7. abandoned - deserted
8. crusty – having a crust
9. hinge - a jointed device or flexible piece on which a door, gate, shutter, lid, or other attached part turns, swings, or moves
10. depressed – sad and gloomy
Chapter 2: Tuck
1. enemy – a person who feels hatred for another person
2. weapon – anything used against an opponent
3. tobacco - any of several plants whose leaves are prepared for smoking or chewing or as snuff.
4. grind - to reduce to fine particles, as by pounding or crushing
5. elder – a person who is older or who has a high rank
6. tamp - to force in or down by repeated strokes
7. turban - a man's headdress consisting of a long cloth wound around the head
8. sacrifice - to surrender or give up for the sake of something else
9. brace - something that holds parts together or in place
10. cunning - cleverness
11. sinew - tendon
12. hearth – the floor or a fireplace or fire pit
13. taunt - tease
14. yelp - to give a quick, sharp, shrill cry, as a dog or fox
15. navigate - to walk or find one's way
16. ancestry - family or ancestral descent
17. confound - confuse
18. ruffian - bully
19. skitter - to go or run rapidly
20. sapling – a young tree
5. elder – a person who is older or who has a high rank
6. tamp - to force in or down by repeated strokes
7. turban - a man's headdress consisting of a long cloth wound around the head
8. sacrifice - to surrender or give up for the sake of something else
9. brace - something that holds parts together or in place
10. cunning - cleverness
11. sinew - tendon
12. hearth – the floor or a fireplace or fire pit
13. taunt - tease
14. yelp - to give a quick, sharp, shrill cry, as a dog or fox
15. navigate - to walk or find one's way
16. ancestry - family or ancestral descent
17. confound - confuse
18. ruffian - bully
19. skitter - to go or run rapidly
20. sapling – a young tree
Chapter 3: Susannah
1. settlement - a place newly settled
2. embroidery - making designs with a needle and thread on fabric
3. tavern – restaurant and bar
4. likker – slang for beer or whiskey
5. skillet – frying pan
6. half penny – a coin worth half a penny
7. escape – to get away
8. counter - a table or display case on which goods can be shown
9. chores – everyday work about the house or farm
10. version - a particular type of something
11. fetch - to go and bring back
12. scrap – a small piece
13. memorize – to commit to memory
14. stern – strict or harsh
15. mangy – skin disease that causes loss of fur
16. original – the first
17. symbol – a mark that means something
18. shoo – to scare or force away
19. merit - worth
20. progress – movement toward a goal
Chapter 4: James
1. musty – smelling old
2. talented – having a special ability
3. Union – the army fighting for the North in the Civil War
4. Confederate – the army fighting for the South in the Civil War
5. plantation – a large farm
6. master – someone who owns a slave
7. slave – a person who is the property of another person
8. emancipation -freedom
9. flute – a musical instrument made of a tube with finger holes
10. possession – to own something
11. inherited – to get something from someone else
12. route – a specific way to travel
13. freedom – being able to do what you want
14. current – the flow of a river or creek
15. general – a high ranking officer in the Army
16. mongrel – a dog of mixed breed
17. harm - hurt
18. battle - fight
19. snout – nose of an animal
20. litter - trash
Chapter 5: Rosie
1. grateful - appreciative
2. trousseau – clothes for a bride for her wedding and marriage
3. seamstress – a woman whose job is to sew
4. mill – factory
5. bobbin – a spool that holds thread
6. spinner - someone who spins thread in a factory
7. lint – bits of thread
8. tributary – a stream that flows into a river
9. contain – to hold
10. penmanship - handwriting
11. sums - addition
12. bandstand – a platform for outdoor band concerts
13. flap - something flat that is attached at one side and covers an opening
14. homesick – sad because of missing home or family
15. unearth - uncover
16. lurch – stagger or trip
17. stray – a homeless animal 18. crinoline – a stiff petticoat or slip
19. collapse – to fall or cave in
20. trolley – a car or train that moves on a track
2. trousseau – clothes for a bride for her wedding and marriage
3. seamstress – a woman whose job is to sew
4. mill – factory
5. bobbin – a spool that holds thread
6. spinner - someone who spins thread in a factory
7. lint – bits of thread
8. tributary – a stream that flows into a river
9. contain – to hold
10. penmanship - handwriting
11. sums - addition
12. bandstand – a platform for outdoor band concerts
13. flap - something flat that is attached at one side and covers an opening
14. homesick – sad because of missing home or family
15. unearth - uncover
16. lurch – stagger or trip
17. stray – a homeless animal 18. crinoline – a stiff petticoat or slip
19. collapse – to fall or cave in
20. trolley – a car or train that moves on a track
Chapter 6: Carl
1. construction – the act of building
2. modern – new or current
3. estate – a large house and yard
4. optimism – a belief that things will turn out well
5. silverware – eating utensils like fork, spoon, and knife, usually made with silver
6. civil rights – having the same rights as everyone else
7. crew – a group of people who work together
8. illustrate – to draw pictures to help explain
9. spectacular – big and thrilling
10. muzzle – the nose and mouth of a dog
11. shiver – to shake with cold or fear
12. spine - backbone 13. relatives – family members
14. thereafter - afterward
15. site - place
16. chainsaw – an electric or gas powered saw
17. courage - bravery
18. afford – to have enough money to buy something
19. annoying - irritating
20. plot – storyline, what happens in a story
2. modern – new or current
3. estate – a large house and yard
4. optimism – a belief that things will turn out well
5. silverware – eating utensils like fork, spoon, and knife, usually made with silver
6. civil rights – having the same rights as everyone else
7. crew – a group of people who work together
8. illustrate – to draw pictures to help explain
9. spectacular – big and thrilling
10. muzzle – the nose and mouth of a dog
11. shiver – to shake with cold or fear
12. spine - backbone 13. relatives – family members
14. thereafter - afterward
15. site - place
16. chainsaw – an electric or gas powered saw
17. courage - bravery
18. afford – to have enough money to buy something
19. annoying - irritating
20. plot – storyline, what happens in a story
Chapter 7: Frances
1. attempt – to try
2. pry – to open by leverage
3. crevice – a crack
4. gnaw – to chew
5. anxious - worried
6. puzzled - confused
7. irritated - annoyed
8. burlap – a kind of inexpensive fabric used for sacks
9. positive – sure, not questioning
10. account – an oral or written description of events
