Pain. Havoc. Suffering.

Loud coughs resonated through the air, brisk and enveloped with fear. Vomited blood had stained the previously pure white blankets of the victims. A dangerous, high fever rolled through their heads. The clear skin of theirs was no longer present; instead, they were completely covered in a yellow shade. The pain wrecked their loved ones, but the sight of seeing them delirious and confused hurt even more.

The Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793, which stroke Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was one of the most severe and powerful epidemics to date in the United States. Many of the residents ran away with fear, including President Washington. Others died from the deadly fever, some survived, and the lucky ones didn’t even catch it. The book, “Fever 1793” by Laurie Halse Anderson, is heavily based on this historic event. It is currently being read by seventh grade students, who got to take a trip to the past on April 7th and 8th.

The library was filled with four different stations: food, clothing, toys and education, and the fever. All of them had one string running through them; it was all related to 1793. Students got to consume food that was similar to what was eaten during that time period. They got to see antique clothes laid out that were very different to what we wear now. Recreations of old books lined a table along with toys that shows pastimes before modern technology. Multiple students throughout the day took on the role of a fever victim, coughing with yellow make-up put on. Most importantly, this helped students grasp an understanding of the time period before reading the book.

“This project allows students to read of a girl similar to their own age who lived in a very different time. By relating to her as their peer, my students will be able to better understand her struggles and the themes present in the novel as a whole, and will relate these issues to their own lives,” seventh grade Language Arts teacher Mrs. Piliere said.

1793. A year so different to ours, yet it has so many similarities. A year in Philadelphia fully wiped over with a dangerous epidemic. A deep, dark year which has been taught to us and will be remembered.