Gillette Castle State Park [CT]

Description

Atop the most southerly hill in a chain known as the Seven Sisters, William Hooker Gillette, noted actor, director, and playwright, built this 184-acre estate, the Seventh Sister. The focal point of his effort was a 24-room mansion reminiscent of a medieval castle.

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

The site offers tours and occasional recreational and educational events.

Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site [IN]

Description

The Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site is the second home of the Hoosier author and nature photographer Gene Stratton-Porter (1863–1924). The site presents information on her life and sources of inspiration; and currently encompasses 125 acres of land, 20 of which were part of Porter’s original property. "The Cabin in Wildflower Woods," designed by Porter and built in 1913, is a two-story cabin with exterior walls of Wisconsin cedar logs. Much of Porter's furniture and personal memorabilia, including her library, are preserved at the home. In her lifetime, Porter authored seven nature books, two books of poetry, children’s books, numerous magazine articles, and 12 novels, including Song of the Cardinal and Freckles. Her personal interest was in writing about nature. However, her romantic works were most commercially successful. Stratton-Porter and her daughter, Jeanette's, graves are also on site.

The site offers group tours in accordance with state educational standards, educational outreach programs, and educational materials for checkout.

Amherst History Museum [MA]

Description

The Amherst History Museum, housed in the 1750s Strong House, presents Amherst's history from colonial times to modern day.

The museum offers exhibits; a guided architectural walking tour; a guided tour of the Strong House; educational tours for students; period rooms; and special events, including lectures.

Schroeder Saddletree Factory Museum [IN]

Description

For 94 years, workers at the Ben Schroeder Saddletree Company crafted tens of thousands of wooden frames for saddle makers throughout the United States and Latin America. It was the nation's longest lasting, continually operated, family-owned saddletree company. John Benedict "Ben" Schroeder, a German immigrant, started his business in a small brick workshop in 1878, though it grew to include a woodworking shop, boiler room and engine shed, a sawmill, a blacksmith shop, an assembly room, the family residence, and several outbuildings. After his death, Ben's family kept his dream alive by adding stirrups, hames for horse collars, clothespins, lawn furniture, and even work gloves to their line of saddletrees. The factory closed in 1972 and was left completely intact. Recognized by historians as one of America's premier industrial heritage sites, the Schroeder Saddletree factory has been restored to allow visitors to Madison to tour through this vintage workplace. Belts turn and the original antique woodworking machines spin into action. Sawdust is whisked from machines into the boiler room, where it once fueled the steam boiler that powered the equipment. Saddletree patterns hang, cobweb covered, from the ceiling.

The museum offers tours, demonstrations, and exhibits.

Liberty Museum and Arts Center [NY]

Description

The Liberty Museum & Arts Center Building was first constructed as a hotel in 1894. The Poellman House, as the hotel was known, contained 30 rooms with baths, steam heat, all "sanitary arrangements" and a first class Café and Bowling Alley. The hotel closed in 1936. The Liberty Museum has a dual mission of presenting creative arts as well as programs of local and regional history. Themes which have been previously covered include Catskills resorts, Main Street, and the history of Route 17.

The museum and art center offer exhibits, art classes, lectures, cultural programs, and programs designed for children.

Meadow Brook Hall [MI]

Description

Meadow Brook Hall is the fourth largest historic house museum in the United States. Built between 1926 and 1929 as the residence of Matilda Dodge Wilson (widow of auto pioneer John Dodge) and her second husband, lumber broker Alfred G. Wilson, the 110–room, 88,000–square–foot mansion is complete with vast collections of original art and furnishings. The exterior and most of the interior rooms at Meadow Brook Hall were designed in the Tudor-revival style. However, a few rooms were decorated in other period-revival styles: the dining room and Matilda’s study are 18th–century Neoclassical, Matilda’s room and the French bedroom are 18th–century French Rococo, and Frances’ bedroom is American Colonial. The hall's collections include original paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings, furniture, ceramics, carpets, glass, silver, costumes and other textiles, and family archival materials. Highlights of the collection include Tiffany art glass, costumes by Paul Poiret, Stickley furniture, paintings by Sir Joshua Reynolds, Sèvres and Meissen porcelain, and Rookwood pottery.

The hall offers guided mansion and garden tours, period rooms, educational programs, and a variety of special events, including lectures.

Vandalia State House

Description

The Vandalia State House, the fourth Illinois statehouse, served as the capitol from 1836 until 1839 and is the oldest surviving capitol building in the state. The first floor contains a large entry hall and rooms representing the offices of the Auditor, Treasurer, and Secretary of State, as well as the Supreme Court chamber. The second floor is composed of a central hall and recreated House and Senate chambers, each of which contains a visitor gallery reached by staircases.

The site offers an exhibit, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Wells Fargo History Museum [CA]

Description

The Wells Fargo History Musuem presents the role of Wells, Fargo & Co., a joint stock banking and express business company founded in 1852, in the commercial history of Sacramento, California. Artifacts of note include an original Concord Coach, historical panoramic paintings, original maps and views of Sacramento, a Wooten patent desk, and The Livingston Sacramento Postal History Collection.

The museum offers exhibits.

Wayne County Historical Society [NY]

Description

The Wayne County Historical Society seeks to heighten awareness of and to preserve the history of Wayne County, New York. The society operates the Museum of Wayne County History, which currently has over 8,000 items in its collection, spanning a wide range of time.

The society offers a quarterly newsletter specifically written for educators, a historic map club, a series of pen-pal letters written by a fictional child from the past, educational kits for rental, in-classroom presentations by costumed docents, and guided tours.

Preservation Burlington [VT]

Description

Preservation Burlington is a preservation advocacy and education organization which seeks to protect and share the history of Burlington, Vermont.

The organization offers downtown, waterfront, and Old North End historic walking tours scheduled upon request and a weekly preservation television program.