OLD ORCHARD BEACH — A group of Old Orchard Beach High School freshman are marking history.

Museum in the Streets is a network of history walks located in communities in Maine, across the country and beyond. These self-guided tours help people discover local history by leading them to places of historical significance with a series of panels that educate through text and photos.

A local effort to create a history walk in Old Orchard Beach began in 2015, and 24 panels in the downtown area are expected to be in place by June.

The local walk will include panels on the 1907 Fire, Town Hall, Harmon Museum, St. Margaret Church and the former Velvet Hotel.

The research for most of the panels had been completed with the help of town historian Dan Blaney.

A panel about cultural diversity includes content researched and created by students selected by Social Studies teacher Amy Wright.

Wright has been a volunteer on the local committee, and has recruited students to assist with fundraising efforts for the history walk.

Wright was given the opportunity to have some of her students assist with the cultural diversity panel, and she gladly accepted the challenge, as did her students.

“They’ve given up every afternoon for the past week,” said Wright. “They are incredibly studious workers.”

Students Cormac Quinlan, Nick Drown, Bradley Anderson and Madysn Ramsey described the research they had done, including going to the town’s historical society, reading newspaper articles and books, and looking up information online.

The research was very eye-opening for the students, and they enjoyed discovering details of their local community.

Nick researched the history of African Americans in Old Orchard Beach. He learned about the performers, like Duke Ellington, who came to perform at The Pier during the Big Band Era and had difficulty finding hotel rooms that accepted African Americans until Rose Cummings opened a guest house on Portland Avenue. He also learned that the street the school is located on, E. Emerson Cummings Boulevard, was named after Rose Cumming’s son, a former teacher and town councilor.

Cormac, who researched the Jewish history in the town, said he enjoyed learning about the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue.

Anderson, who researched Native American history, learned about the 1675 Battle of Googins Rock.

Madysn said she found many aspects of the town’s history interesting, including the fire of 1907 and the clusters of stone houses in the community.

The information culled by the students must be condensed into one panel, and Wright said the students will also have displays in the school that will feature more details of their research.

As for having their work commemorated on a panel that will be seen by thousands of tourists?

“I’m excited,” said Bradley, and his peers concurred.

The Museum in the Streets Committee raised $24,000 from businesses through local sponsorships and additional money from fundraising events, said Assistant Town Planner Megan McLaughlin. All 24 panels are completely funded, and the committee has money for brochures as well as a contingency fund in case any panels are damaged, said McLaughlin.

McLaughlin said she hopes the panels will be installed by June. There is also an effort to put history walk panels in Ocean Park.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.