Bayside Historical Society, Lawrence Cemetery, and Museum [NY]

Description

The Bayside Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Bayside and Queens, New York, as well as neighboring communities. To this end, the society operates a number of exhibits within the 1887 Gothic Revival Army Officer's Club. The society also maintains the Lawrence Cemetery, a family plot with burials dating between 1832 and 1939. Individuals of note interred on site include Cornelius Van Wyck Lawrence, Mayor of the New York City between 1834 and 1837; County Judge Effingham Lawrence and his Native American servant Lawrence Moccasin; and Colonel Frederick Newbold Lawrence, president of the New York Stock Exchange between 1882 and 1883.

The society offers exhibits, tours of the Officer's Club, educational programs, and archival access. Lawrence Cemetery is open by appointment only. The second floor of the Officer's Club is not wheelchair accessible. The website offers virtual exhibits.

North Carolina Railroad Museum

Description

The North Carolina Railroad Museum is an outdoor museum consisting of exhibits of historic railroad equipment. Many of the artifacts in the collection were made and/or used in North Carolina. Collection highlights include a 1/24-scale model railroad with over 1,000 feet of track; eight stationary historic locomotives, dating from 1941 to 1953; and eight operating historic railway cars.

The museum offers exhibits, locomotive rides, and a barbecue vendor.

Landmark West! [NY]

Description

Landmark West! is an advocacy and education organization striving for preservation of the historical architecture from 59th to 110th Streets between Central Park West and Riverside Drive in New York City's Upper West Side.

The organization offers an educational program titled "Keeping the Past for the Future," which was awarded the American Architectural Foundation's Award of Merit for K-12 Architectural Education in February 2008. The program includes a student workbook, lessons, walking tours, and workshops; and is free to New York City public schools.

Liberty Hall Historic Site [KY]

Description

The Liberty Hall Historic Site presents the life of Senator John Brown (1757-1837) and his descendants. Margaretta Mason Brown, John's wife, promoted abolitionism and women's education. The site consists of the 1796 Federal-style Liberty Hall, home of Brown; the 1835 Greek Revival Orlando Brown House, home of one of Brown's sons; and the surrounding grounds and gardens.

The site offers period rooms; 75-minute tours of both residences; a living history outreach presentation with hands-on activities; and an educational program for students, which includes a 17-minute film. Advance notice is required for groups of 10 or more. The site is only partially wheelchair accessible. The website offers descriptions and images of select artifacts.

McConnells Mill State Park [PA]

Description

The 2,546-acre McConnells Mill State Park preserves an 1868 gristmill and the Slippery Rock Creek Gorge, which was formed as prehistoric glacial lakes drained. The gristmill is operational, and was one of the country's earliest rolling mills. It harnessed waterpower to grind buckwheat, corn, wheat, and oats into flour.

The site offers guided hikes, night programs, school activities, guided mill tours, picnic areas, and charcoal grills. The park requests that visitors remain on the trails, and refrain from swimming. Please avoid bringing firewood into the park, as it can allow for the entry of invasive species.

Fort Trumbull State Park [CT]

Description

Visitors to the site can receive an interactive history lesson at the visitor's center, or just walk the Fort and ramparts for a view of the Thames River. The fort contains informative markers and displays, a touchable cannon and artillery crew display, and gun emplacements. The fort interior features 19th-century restored living quarters, a mock laboratory, and a 1950s era office furnished to resemble a research and development lab at the facility. The visitor center contains state-of-the-art multimedia theaters, computer touch-screen interactive exhibits, 3-D models, and extensive graphics and text panels. The center depicts over 225 years of military history and technological advances from the Revolutionary War to the Cold War. Some of the main display themes include the September 6, 1781 attack by the British under the command of Benedict Arnold, the U-boat menace during World War II, and the anti-submarine efforts during the Cold War.

A second website for the site, maintained by the Friends of Fort Trumbull, can be found here.

The site offers short films, exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Hampton Plantation State Historic Site [SC]

Description

The Hampton Plantation State Historic Site presents the stories of slavery within the plantation system, the plantation life of African Americans post-emancipation, Lowcountry (coastal South Carolina) rice production, and colonial architecture. The 274-acre site includes an 18th-century Georgian plantation home and kitchen building.

The site offers guided tours, educational programs, interpretive trails, and a waterway canoe tour. The website offers transcriptions of letters written by plantation inhabitants.

Essex Ship Building Museum [MA]

Description

The Essex Ship Building Museum chronicles the history of the most successful industry in the town of Essex, the shipbuilding industry, and the history of Essex more generally.

The museum offers educational programs, guided tours, professional development for teachers, occasional presentations, and evening classes on a variety of topics. The website offers visitor information, information regarding all programs offered by the museum, and a calendar of events.