The Heritage Battle Creek curriculum series was developed by the Heritage Battle Creek Research Center in partnership with historians, trained presenters and classroom teachers. The series is designed for use by second through fifth grade students but can be easily adapted to other grade levels. Teachers may borrow the any of the curriculum kits to use in their classrooms throughout the school year.

     Five kits are currently available:

     The National Underground Railroad

     The Underground Railroad in Michigan

     Truth’s Journey: The Life and Work of Sojourner Truth

     My Life Story (discovering each student’s personal and
     family heritage) 

     The Praise Poem Tradition (celebrating
     each student’s positive self-image)

Each curriculum kit includes a short pre-lesson assessment and a program for presentation by the classroom teacher. The majority of the presentations include a slide program, artifacts and a classroom activity. A variety of post-lesson activities for use by the general classroom or specific content area teacher are also included in each kit, which concludes with a short post-lesson assessment. The curriculum kits are designed to meet Michigan Content Standards and Draft Benchmarks, especially in English Language Arts, Social Studies and Arts Education. The applicable content standards are listed with each activity. The programs are designed to offer all learners a positive learning experience, using Multiple Intelligences, Learning Styles, Higher Level Thinking Styles, Thematic Instruction and Integration of Subjects as well as reinforcing Core Democratic Values.

Kimball House Museum at 196 Capital Avenue NE is one of Battle Creek’s historical and cultural treasures. Built in 1886, at the height of the Victorian era, the house was the residence of three generations of Kimball doctors and their families. In the 1960s it was given to the community as an historic house museum. Educational tours of the house help visitors understand what life was like for adults and children a century ago, using artifacts and interactive demonstrations in a variety of room settings from the Victorian age. At Kimball House students also visit the Sojourner Truth Exhibit Room, which includes such unique treasures as her only known signature and a dress given to Truth by Queen Victoria of England. The museum also includes the Battle Creek Sanitarium History Room, with a recreated Palm Garden, and an exhibit on the Battle Creek Cereal Boom. Students also learn about local women’s history, view a replicated pioneer cabin and discover fascinating facts and stories about their local history.

Through the Freedom’s Legacy Project, the Sojourner Truth Institute offers in-school, after-school and summer programs. Designed to reinforce literacy, character development, positive self-identity as well as an understanding of the local freedom heritage, the Project partners with area schools and teachers to tailor a curriculum that meets the needs of each institution or individual classroom. The Freedom’s Legacy Underground Railroad Camp is an annual summer day camp held on the campus of Historic Adventist Village (link to their site) in Battle Creek. Students from as far as Atlanta, Georgia, have come to take part in the five-day learning experience. Certified educators and camp councilors help campers understand the role that slavery and the abolition movement played in our national and local history, using original artifacts, multi-media presentations, visits to Underground Railroad sites, hands-on activities and living history drama performances.

To find out how you can bring any of the Heritage Battle Creek and Sojourner Truth Institute educational experiences to your school, contact the Heritage Battle Creek Research Center at

269 966-4157 or email us