About Us

AwesomeStories is a gathering place of primary-source information. Its purpose - since the site was first launched in 1999 - is to help educators and individuals find original sources, located at national archives, libraries, universities, museums, historical societies and government-created web sites.

Sources held in archives, which document so much important first-hand information, are often not searchable by popular search engines. One needs to search within those institutional sites directly, using specific search phrases not readily discernible to non-scholars. The experience can be frustrating, resulting in researchers leaving key sites without finding needed information.

AwesomeStories is about primary sources. The stories exist as a way to place original materials in context and to hold those links together in an interesting, cohesive way (thereby encouraging people to look at them). It is a totally different kind of web site in that its purpose is to place primary sources at the forefront - not the opinions of a writer. Its objective is to take the site's users to places where those primary sources are located.

The author of each story is listed on the preface page of the story. A link to the author provides more detailed information.

This educational teaching/learning tool is also designed to support state and national standards. Each story on the site links to online primary-source materials which are positioned in context to enhance reading comprehension, understanding and enjoyment.

Some of the experts who have approved stories on the site, or have assisted with the site's concept, are: B. Elliott Grysen, M.D. (for medical content); Dr. John Tevebaugh, Professor Emeritus, Grand Valley State University (for American History and Western Civilization content); Dr. Jennifer Younger, Notre Dame University (for content linking to Notre-Dame holdings and general site concepts/approach); Dr. George H. Hoemann, University of Tennessee (for U.S. Civil War stories); Dr. Edward Cole, Grand Valley State University (for Russian and Soviet history); the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, Oswiecim, Poland (for Holocaust stories involving the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp); Suzanne Curro, Director of Curriculum, Hudsonville, Michigan School District (for the needs of K-12 teachers).

Additionally, hundreds of teachers have provided specific input (for site improvements and story requests) throughout the last decade.  The site would not be what it is today without their help and recommendations.