Due May 31, 2024
The Historical Society of Riverton will award a cash prize of $500 to a Riverton high school student who submits a 1000 word essay that best answers the question “What did Rivertonians do for fun 100 years ago?”
Essays should be submitted to Heather Huffnagle for the HSR at heather.mary.macintosh@gmail.com
Here’s more information on the prize, research suggestions, and guidelines:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Historical Society of Riverton Third Annual Writing Prize Spring 2024
Summary: The Historical Society of Riverton (HSR) is awarding a cash prize of $500 for a 1000 word essay that answers a question about Riverton’s history. The winning entry will be featured on the HSR’s website: www.rivertonhistory.com. Noteworthy essays that do not win the primary prize may also be published on the HSR’s website. Essays will follow MLA (Modern Language Association) guidelines for published works (see below).
The Question: What did Rivertonians do for fun 100 years ago? In your essay, discuss the ways people entertained themselves in the 1920s. How and with whom did they socialize? Where did they go to have fun when they weren’t working? What social, political, economic and technological changes were happening nationally and in this region that affected what people did for fun in the 1920s?
Where to start? Our website includes many photographs and articles on Riverton’s history that may help inform and illustrate your essay. The HSR has many issues of historic Riverton-area newspapers digitized and available online at: https://rivertonhistory.com/historical- local-newspapers/.
Who may submit an entry? Any high school student living in Riverton may apply.
Questions? Essays and questions related to the prize should be submitted to Heather Huffnagle at heather.mary.macintosh@gmail.com, (856) 505-7087.
Review Committee The Review Committee will be comprised of HSR Board Members and professionals among its membership with education and/or experience in historical research, education and writing.
Timeline: Entries will be accepted until May 31st. Awardees will be contacted by June 15. The winning writer will be recognized at a ceremony in Riverton Park on the 4th of July.
GUIDELINES
MLA Paper Format General Guidelines • Use standard 8.5 x 11 white paper. • Number your pages. • 1-inch margins (all sides) • Readable font • Double-spaced • Indent new paragraphs. • Only one space between sentences
MLA cover page includes a few things like: • Title of your paper • Your name • Your email • Your school’s name
What should an MLA paper look like? An MLA paper has a standard look for every page including 1-inch margins, a readable font, a running header including your last name and page number, and author-page in- text citations. At the end of your paper, you will include a works cited with a list of all the sources used in the paper.
Our confident ballplayer, by the way, is N. Myers Fitler (1878-1956), shown behind his family’s summer home at 407 Bank Avenue in the late 1880s. He grew up to own his own riverbank house (at 109 Bank Avenue) with his wife, Mary Biddle Fitler, who authored four charming books about childhood in Riverton.
This photo (and many more!) is featured in HSR’s delightful book “Images of America – Riverton”. Every Riverton house should have a copy! Amazon has ’em: https://www.amazon.com/Riverton-Images-America-Historical-Society/dp/1467108022/