Historic Huguenot Street [NY]

Description

Historic Huguenot Street presents the story of 12 Huguenot refugees who travelled from southern Belgium and Northern France to the United States in 1678, where they bought land from the Esopus people and created a community in what is now New Paltz, New York. The six-acre site includes seven stone houses dating to the early 1700s, a burial ground, and a reconstructed 1717 stone church—all in their original setting. Architectural styles include Hudson Valley Dutch, early Georgian, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival. Archives focus on local history and genealogical documentation.

The site offers exhibits, period rooms for the 1700s and circa 1915, guided tours tailored to group interest, summer archaeology and educational programming, historic craft activities, a colonial-themed overnight program, a variety of educational modules which meet New York educational standards, and library and archival access. The website offers an online library catalog.

Fort Ligonier [PA]

Description

Fort Ligonier is an on-site reconstruction of an early U.S. fort, which stood between 1758 and 1766. The fort withstood the years of the French and Indian War (1754-1763) and Pontiac's War (instigated 1763). In addition to the fort itself and numerous outlying structures, the site displays reconstructions of mid-1700s "Conestoga" wagons. No Conestoga wagons survive to this day. The replica wagons are based on historical accounts and archaeological evidence. A museum serves as the entry point to the fort. Collection highlights include pistols given to George Washington by the Marquis de Lafayette, 13 original French and Indian War era paintings, and a period room with 18th and early 19th-century furnishings.

The fort offers exhibits, an 8-minute introductory video, a gallery, a period room, living history activities, reenactments, guided tours, and a picnic area. Reservations are required for tours.

Nichols House Museum [MA]

Description

The Nichols House Museum presents life in Boston's Historic Beacon Hill circa 1900 via the 1804 Federal style townhouse of Rose Standish Nichols. Collections include portraiture, 17th through 19th century wooden furniture, art from Europe and Asia, oriental rugs, Flemish tapestries, and works by renowned 19th-century sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907). Ms. Nichols herself, born in 1872, is also of note. As an unmarried and self-supporting landscape gardener and an accomplished woodworker, she was a life-long proponent of women's rights.

The museum offers period rooms.

National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium [IA]

Description

The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium presents the history of the Mississippi River. Topics covered include famous men who made contributions to national river culture, riverboats, Other points of interest include a Native American wikiup; a restored fur trader's cabin; and the 1934 steamer W.M. Black , which was used as a dredge boat in WWII.

The museum offers traditional and interactive exhibits, a theater, a towboat pilothouse simulator, period rooms, tours of the W.M. Black, living history demonstrations, tours for field trips, educational programming, outreach programming, and overnight opportunities. The website offers lesson plans, curriculum

Bluegrass Heritage Museum [KY]

Description

The Bluegrass Heritage Museum presents the history of central Kentucky from the time of Eskippakithiki and European contact to the present day. Topics include agriculture, building history, quilting, Clark County, the military, and telephones. This is the only museum in the U.S. to discuss the history and impact of burley tobacco farming. The museum is located within a Romanesque Revival former clinic.

The museum offers exhibits. The website includes a word find activity.

Newton County Historical Society [AZ]

Description

The Newton County Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Newton County, Arizona. To this end, the society operates a museum and genealogical library with records from Newton and surrounding counties. Collections include the original post office boxes from the local post office, the county's first telephone switchboard, Native American artifacts, historical photographs, farming tools, and furniture.

The society offers museum exhibits.

Bryant Cottage State Historic Site

Description

Bryant Cottage was built in 1856 by Francis E. Bryant (1818–1889), a friend and political ally of Senator Stephen A. Douglas. According to Bryant family tradition, on the evening of July 29, 1858, Douglas and Abraham Lincoln conferred in the parlor of this house to plan the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debates. The one-story, four-room wood frame cottage has been restored and is interpreted as an example of middle-class life in mid-19th-century Illinois. The furniture on display is of the Renaissance Revival style, appropriate for a small-town family of the mid-19th century.

The site offers tours and occasional recreational and educational events.