Did you know that workers built the 102-story Empire State Building in 410 days?

Do you know what a “nipper” is?

Pleasant Home juniors and seniors learned that and much more this week while completing a “scavenger hunt” for information while touring the Smithsonian’s The Way We Worked, on display at the Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce.

PHS English teacher Angela Owens said she wanted the students to see the exhibit because they wrote essays to contribute to “Threads: Essays about the Way We Worked in Covington County,” on sale at the Chamber office for $10 each.

“I thought they should get to see the exhibits,” she said. “A lot of them may never travel to Washington, D.C., to the Smithsonian. This could get them interested.”

The 65 students who toured the exhibit were required to complete a 29-question scavenger hunt of information contained in the exhibit. A nipper, by the way, is someone who opens the door for coal trucks in the mines.

In addition to the national exhibit, there are local exhibits related to work, as well. The exhibit, which is free, is on display through Feb. 8. Exhibit hours are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily, and from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

–Michele Gerlach