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Neighbors as Family in Small-town Indiana

Fort Wayne, Indiana

Story Narrative:

"I really think that people living in a small town will learn how to love each other. In a lot of cases, when there's too many people and too many things going on, nobody stops to pay attention, and honestly, nobody really cares. In a small town, everybody cares about everyone. It's like one big family.

You know you learn from your grandparents, you learn from your family, but you're taught things from the neighborhood, you know. Your neighbors turn into your aunts and uncles, and they look out for you and keep you safe. You learn a lot from living in a small town."

Part of the "Stories from Main Street" project--an effort to collect stories about small-town life across the United States. The project was the brainchild of the Smithsonian's "Museum on Main Street" program, an initiative that brings traveling exhibitions about subjects of national importance to small towns across America.

Asset ID #7522

Media Files: