CAREFULLY CRAFTING: Rosie works on her Grassroots-inspired coffee shop during camp on Wednesday. 

THOMASVILLE- As many are aware, Thomasville is famous for its rich history and preserved architecture. Plaques line the entrances of downtown businesses and neighborhood homes, identifying their past purposes and establishment dates.

There’s no doubt that anyone living in Thomasville is familiar with these famous landmarks. Even younger residents are aware of their surroundings, with some like Camp LPH’s attendees trying to get an even deeper knowledge of their town.

This week, the Thomasville History Center held this previously-mentioned Camp LPH, where 10 local middle schoolers explored historic Dawson Street and Downtown on foot.

After their investigation, the campers then used crafts to recreate their surroundings through their own interpretations.

For the last three years, campers grades six through eight pluck inspiration from local shops or houses to create a building that they believe fits in with Thomasville’s scenery. Together, the campers worked to build a mock neighborhood by adhering all their creations together on a turf board, which included streets, sidewalks and street lights.

Rosie, a rising 6th grade camper, worked diligently Wednesday morning on her Grassroots-inspired coffee shop. “We’ve learned about different types of historical places and different architectures,” Rosie said.

Rosie is from Thomasville and has seen many of these structures in her community, and she believes seeing the buildings in person before starting the project really helped to inspire her.

Another rising 6th grader, Dylan, was also building a local business: a flower shop. She gained inspiration from Walden’s Flower Shop on North Madison Street.

“A lot of the houses gave me inspiration from my design,” Dylan said.

As she continued working on her cardboard shop, she said she was thrilled to add her business to the mock neighborhood.

“Living in a town like this is really inspirational because if you just walk through downtown, you can get an idea for anything,” Dylan said.

The camp is currently being run by Meme Greitzer, Thomasville Junior Service League’s philanthropy chair, and Amelia Gallo, the Head of Engagement at the history center.

The women worked alongside the campers, helping them glue and construct their buildings, and accumulated recyclable supplies for the project, such as cardboard, construction paper, paper doilies and paint.

“They’re taking inspiration from things that they’ve seen on a walk through the Dawson Street Historic District,” Gallo said. “They’ve also looked at other examples of architecture and are kind of getting imagination from there.”

Gallo said there was a neighborhood reveal and display Thursday, where parents saw the creativity and imagination captured by the campers’ buildings.

Greitzer said the camp has been extremely successful and is sold out for this year, as it continues to grow in size and popularity each year.