Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (National Canal Museum)

The National Canal Museum will develop an educational graphic novel based on the life experiences of Captain James “Jimmy” Brown, a Black canal boatman that worked on the Delaware and Lehigh canal system in eastern Pennsylvania in the early 1900s. Project activities will include assembling a middle school teacher advisory group, contracting an illustrator, reviewing and revising graphic novel text and artwork, and working with a graphic designer on the book layout. The graphic novel, along with associated resources, will be aligned to meet state and national curriculum standards, and will be piloted over the course of two semesters in middle schools within the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor. Data collected from both pilots will be used to finalize the teaching resources and an educator training session. Local middle school students and their families, and particularly people of color will benefit from the project by seeing themselves portrayed in local and U.S. history. The project will share a more diverse narrative than has been traditionally told within the context of American canal history and will provide an engaging means for students to learn about their regional history and strengthen their literacy.