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How Brasswell Became a Town worksheet preview

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How Brasswell Became a Town

Read an informational passage about Brasswell to learn how a town was founded, grew through transportation and jobs, and changed over time.

Grade 3Social StudiesInteractive · Printable

Aligned toHIS.3.1

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What’s included

  • Single worksheet
  • Auto-graded online
  • 1 C3 Framework standard
  • Printable answer key
  • 14 questions
  • Classroom-ready

Details

Format
Interactive · Printable
Grade
Grade 3
Subject
Social Studies
Question types
Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Matching, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

  • Students describe how Brasswell was founded near a canal lock and wagon road.
  • Students explain how transportation, jobs, and changing needs caused Brasswell to grow and change over time.

How to use

Read the passage together, then ask students to use details from different time periods to explain why Brasswell grew and changed.

Curriculum

C3 Framework standard covered

HIS.3.1

Describe how a town or city is founded and how and why it grows and changes over time.

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Name Date

How Brasswell Became a Town

Read how transportation, jobs, and new needs changed one town over time.

Read about Brasswell

Read the passage. Then answer the questions.

The Story of Brasswell

Before 1824, no permanent town stood where Brasswell is today. A canal lock there raised and lowered boats so they could continue along the canal. A wagon road met the canal at the same place. Boat crews and travelers stopped to rest, buy supplies, and care for their wagons. In 1824, Elias Reed built the first store beside Lock 7. A blacksmith soon opened a shop nearby, and families built homes close to the busy meeting place.

In 1848, a railroad station opened in Brasswell. The tracks connected the town with larger cities. More travelers arrived, and goods could be moved quickly. Warehouses were built beside the tracks, a hotel opened, and new neighborhoods appeared. Brasswell had grown from a few buildings near the lock into a larger community.

By 1910, a furniture factory stood near the railroad. It received lumber and sent chairs to other places. The factory hired workers, so more families moved to Brasswell. The town added a school and a fire station. These buildings show that the growing population needed more services.

Later, trucks carried more goods than canal boats did. By 1970, the canal no longer carried commercial boats. Brasswell changed again: old warehouses became apartments and studios, and the lock became part of a public park. New homes spread beyond the old center. The town kept its older places while adding spaces for the needs of people who live there now.

1.
Why did people first settle at the place that became Brasswell?
  • A. A school had already been built there.
  • B. A factory needed workers before any roads existed.
  • C. A canal lock and a wagon road brought people to one place.
  • D. A highway connected it to cities across the country.
2.
Word bank: store · station · factory

In 1824, Elias Reed built the first   beside Lock 7.

3.
Match each time or event to what happened then.
  1. 1824
  2. 1848
  3. 1910
  4. Later years
  1. A. Old warehouses became apartments and studios.
  2. B. A railroad station opened.
  3. C. The first store opened beside the canal lock.
  4. D. A furniture factory opened near the railroad.
4.
Why did the railroad help Brasswell grow?
  • A. It made canal boats move faster through the lock.
  • B. It brought travelers and goods, and new buildings went up.
  • C. It moved the homes away from the canal.
  • D. It stopped people from building warehouses.
5.
Circle the TWO details that show Brasswell grew after the railroad arrived.

New warehouses were built beside the tracks.New neighborhoods appeared.Elias Reed built the first store.The canal lock raised and lowered boats.

Track growth and change

Use the passage to decide what shows growth and what shows later change.

6.
Sort each detail by what it mainly shows.
The railroad brought more travelers and goods.The furniture factory hired workers.Trucks carried more goods than canal boats.Old warehouses became apartments and studios.
Helped show Brasswell's growthShowed a later change
7.
What happened after trucks carried more goods than canal boats?
  • A. Canal boats began carrying even more goods.
  • B. The old warehouses were torn down.
  • C. The railroad station stopped bringing travelers.
  • D. Canal shipping declined, and older buildings found new uses.
8.
Which detail best shows that people changed how they used space in Brasswell?
  • A. Old warehouses became apartments and studios.
  • B. A wagon road met the canal.
  • C. Boat crews stopped to buy supplies.
  • D. Elias Reed opened the first store.
9.
Circle the TWO details that support the idea that new transportation changed Brasswell in its later years.

Trucks carried more goods than canal boats did.Commercial canal boats stopped using the canal.The railroad station opened in 1848.A school and a fire station were added.

10.
A small place named Meadowcross has a wagon road and a ferry. A railroad station opens where the road meets the tracks. What is most likely to happen?
  • A. More travelers and businesses may come to Meadowcross.
  • B. The wagon road may make the station unnecessary.
  • C. The ferry may prevent anyone from moving there.
  • D. The station may cause nearby homes to close.

Explain the town's story

Use details from the passage to answer the final questions.

11.
In another town, an old grain warehouse is no longer used for grain. People turn it into a library. What does this example show?
  • A. A town keeps old buildings in their first use as needs change.
  • B. A town can give an old building a new use as needs change.
  • C. A town moves away when one business closes.
  • D. A library works best beside a railroad.
12.
Which conclusion is best supported by Brasswell's history?
  • A. Brasswell stayed almost the same after its first store opened.
  • B. Brasswell grew mainly because a school was built.
  • C. Brasswell moved away from the canal when the railroad arrived.
  • D. Brasswell's growth and changes were connected to transportation and work.
13.
How did Brasswell grow after it was founded? Use two details from the passage as evidence.
14.
How and why did Brasswell change over time? Use two details from different parts of the passage.

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