Culture Project

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Culture is a way of living; a total way of life held in common by a group of people, including speech, religion, behavior, technology, livelihood, government, and the local way of doing things. Cultural geographers observe material culture elements and the physical landscape to determine how humans have impacted the area, which is what we were assigned to do for our project. We were asked to focus on a specific suburb and observe the ethnic culture there by housing types, shops, organizations, etc. The suburb I chose was Lincoln, RI. I travelled there to take photographs of the area to help me understand its culture. I used all of this information to determine the changes it has undergone throughout the years, reflecting its citizens' lives.
Many of the historical buildings in Lincoln reflect the old culture of the town and how it has transformed. One building I noticed was the Friend’s Meeting House. It was primarily used by the Quakers who originally lived in the area; it was the center of their lives. It became a safe place for them to live and practice their faith since not everyone agreed with their standings on fragile subjects, such as slavery, at that time. The Quaker lifestyle has died out for the most part, turning this building into a place of gathering for people of all religions and ethnicities. This house reflects the change in social and religious groups living in Lincoln. On the other hand, a building that remains a part of the town’s daily life is Conklin Quarry. It has been open since the mid-17th century, cooking limestone to provide lime, a key ingredient in cement, and providing jobs to the townspeople. It is still running to this day, producing many other rock types besides lime, like granite...

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...f commitment to the town and whenever red is worn, it shows town pride.
Each town is unique from one another; cultures vary from place to place, near and far. What makes a town standout usually are the historical preservations/areas. They show the change that occurs over time, how the citizens' lifestyles have transformed, and the overall atmosphere of the town. Although Lincoln is adapting the global lifestyles, it is still holding on to its history by preserving their “famous” buildings and local establishments; they mix the old and the new. All in all, the culture of Lincoln will continue to slowly change as time moves on, but will remember to keep its history on display.

Works Cited

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Quakers http://www.conklinlimestone.com/about-us.html http://www.lincolnri.org/historic/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_ender

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