Anne Evans , I hadn't looked at Valley of the Shadow in a very long time, but I remember how groundbreaking it was when I first began working with primary sources in my middle school library in the early 1990s. (It has been nearly twenty years since I retired from full-time teaching!) I have to say, the updated archive immediately drew me in, and I think for teachers, students, and lifelong learners alike, it would do the same. One thing I love about the offerings is just how many non-famous people are represented in letters and diaries, and those voices really appealed to me. They make it much easier for students to relate to the young people who found themselves facing war, destruction, and misery - before, during, and after the Civil War.  

Funny story. I was simply skimming through a number of items in the archive, and I ran across a diary entry in which a young (~16 years old) lady named Sarah Cordelia Wright was telling of a trip to a photographer. At least I think so. On Jan. 15, 1853, she wrote, "I left the Institute about eleven o'clock, to make another attempt for my Dagero." Dagero, I wondered? Perhaps a daguerreotype? I looked for the definition of dagero and found that Dagero is a Pokemon character who runs a photography studio!

Anyway, I strongly recommend Valley of the Shadows to members of the TPS Teachers Network!