Documenting COVID-19 in Norwich
In 1918 Ella Sargent sat down in her Norwich farmhouse and recorded a tumultuous time in Norwich history. Her simple act of recording daily thoughts not only documented Norwich during the 1918 flu pandemic, but provided a personal window into what was happening. Today researchers can use her journals to understand the impact of these events on the Norwich community.
Now it’s your turn to record history as it’s happening
It is documentation of your experiences living during the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine that will allow the Society to share history with people living 100 years from now. Every story is important.
We are partnering with the Norwich Times, Norwich Bookstore, and Youth-in-Action and there are several ways for you to participate.
Share your reflections or photos with us
Click on this reflection form where you can answer any or all of the questions, offer advice, and upload a photograph, piece of art, or other material. You can choose to be anonymous or share your name.
Keep a Journal
Download writing prompts to use in a journal.
Keep the journal for your family or share the journal with NHS. It is entirely up to you.
Helps us with our Archive
We have set up a Google Drive system where volunteers are gathering emails from the listserv and other nonprofits, photographs of front door messages, school notices and other materials that document the impact COVID-19 has had on our families, businesses, schools, and communities. Hanover High School’s Youth-in-Action is working with us to find a student volunteer who will help us keep up our photo collection.
Whichever way you choose, your contributions will become part of the Society’s collections and, more importantly, a piece of the historical record that future historians will need to tell the story of these turbulent days.