I chose to do my final project on Gallows Hill because I felt it was the perfect topic. I knew from the start I wanted to research something related to Franklin and Marshall College, something that could bare significance within my college community. I didn't want my project to cover some "mainstream" historical event with a multitude of primary and secondary sources: I wanted to dig for the information myself. And Gallows Hill was just that: a topic the majority of people didn't even know about, a topic with hardly any references or sources.

I had so many questions to start: Where was Gallows Hill truly located? How many people were executed there? etc. However, as my research process progressed, I soon changed my mind. Drawing on what I had learned from the readings in class, I realized I needed to stop trying to shovel specific information into a narrative I wanted to present. So instead, I began to look for information everywhere I could, in all different forms: pictures, government documents, first-hand accounts, etc.

While the class is over and this final project needs to be submitted, I plan on continuing to research Gallows Hill.