Historic Halifax State Historic Site [NC]

Description

Located on the Roanoke River, the town of Halifax developed into a commercial and political center at the time of the American Revolution. North Carolina's Fourth Provincial Congress met in Halifax in the spring of 1776. On April 12 that body unanimously adopted a document later called the "Halifax Resolves," which was the first official action by an entire colony recommending independence from England. A guided walking tour takes visitors into several authentically restored and furnished buildings. These include the 1760 home of a merchant, the house and law office of a 19th-century attorney, and the 1808 home of a wealthy landowner. The 1833 clerk's office, a jail, Eagle Tavern, and a unique archaeological exhibit are also featured on the tour.

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

Great Brook Farm State Park [MA]

Description

The 1,000-acre Great Brook Farm State Park preserves long-standing agricultural, Native American, and milling histories. Cellar pits mark the site of a 17th-century English mill community, portions of the grounds have been considered sacred to local Native American groups, and modern farming continues an on site Holstein dairy tradition which began prior to 1950.

The park offers dairy tours, more than 20 miles of trails, and outdoor activities. Dairy tours are offered May through October.

Amasa Day House [CT]

Description

Colonel Julius Chapman created a symbol of rural gentility by building this Federal-style house in 1816 on the Moodus Green. It was subsequently purchased by Amasa Day, a local banker, in whose family the house remained until 1967. The house is furnished largely with objects owned by members of the Day family, including toys and locally produced ceramics and silver, and still features the original floor and stair stenciling applied to mimic carpeting. Also on display are a selection of photographs from among the thousands taken by pioneering American Pictorialist art photographer Dr. Amasa Day Chaffee between 1890 and 1925.

The house offers exhibits and tours.

Columbia State Historic Park [CA]

Description

The town's old Gold Rush-era business district has been preserved, with shops, restaurants, and two hotels. Visitors have the chance to time-travel to the 1850s, imagining life when gold miners rubbed shoulders with businessmen and the other residents in Columbia. Visitors can experience a bygone era watching proprietors in period clothing conduct business in the style of yesterday. There are opportunities to ride a 100 year-old stagecoach, pan for gold, or tour an active gold mine.

The park offers exhibits, tours, living history events, educational programs, and educational and recreational events.

Gaithersburg Community Museum [MD]

Description

The Gaithersburg Community Museum presents the history of Gaithersburg, MD. The museum consists of the restored 1884 B and O Railroad Station complex's Freight House, History Park, and Gaithersburg Railway Museum rolling stock. The Freight House holds local history exhibits, and the History Park contains plantings and plaques. Collection highlights include a 1918 steam locomotive.

The museum offers exhibits and educational programs.

James K. Polk Home [TN]

Description

Built in 1816 for James K. Polk's father, Samuel, this Federal-style house is the only surviving home of America's 11th President. James K. Polk lived here with his parents from 1818 to 1824, when he began his legal and political career. His rise to national prominence included serving as governor of Tennessee from 1839 to 1841, and culminated in 1844, when he was elected as a "darkhorse" Democratic candidate for the Presidency. He died of cholera in Nashville at age 53 on June 15, 1849, three months after stepping down from the White House. Today, the James K. Polk ancestral home is a Presidential historic site that displays original Polk belongings, such as furnishings, documents, White House artifacts, and political memorabilia. The site also features the adjacent Sisters' House museum, a reconstructed 19th-century kitchen building, and formal gardens.

A second website for the home can be found here.

The home offers a short film, exhibits, tours, lectures, educational programs, and demonstrations.

Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village [MI]

Description

The Henry Ford Museum presents U.S. ideas and inventions. Exhibit topics include agriculture; clockwork; automobiles; Presidential limousines; furnishings; manufacturing; jewelry; home appliances; R. Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion House, a 1940s house of the future; aviation; human rights within the United States; silver; pewter; transportation; and 20th-century generations. Collection highlights include Abraham Lincoln's chair from Ford's Theatre, one of George Washington's camp beds, a replica of the Wright brothers' Flyer, the limousine in which John F. Kennedy was assassinated, a Gothic steam engine, and the Goldenrod. The Goldenrod broke world land speed records in 1965. The 80-acre Greenfield Village incorporates 83 historic structures. District themes include the railway, an 1880s working farm, Thomas Alva Edison, home life between the 17th and 20th centuries, historic skills, and the Model T Ford.

The museum offers exhibits, three curriculum-based guided activity programs, one curriculum-based dramatic presentation, and cafes. The village offers exhibits, interactive activities, the opportunity to ride historic vehicles, eight curriculum-based dramatic presentations, a self-guided activity for students, restaurants, and a food stall. The site also offers teacher workshops, a teacher fellow program, summer camps, Scout programs, and a youth mentorship program. Wheelchairs and electric scooters are available for use on site. The village is closed between January and mid-April. The website offers virtual exhibits, teacher's guides, student exploration guides, suggested pre- and post-visit activities, a club for teachers, and audio tour downloads.

Starr Family Home State Historic Site [TX]

Description

Starr Family Home State Historic Site preserves the 150-year-old history of the Starr family in Texas and four generations of adaptations to the site by successive family members. Maplecroft, the centerpiece of the park, was built in the 1870s. Over the years, the home was modified, modernized, and enlarged to accommodate the changing lifestyles of its occupants. Among the innovations was the installation of a carbide gas lighting system. Today, visitors can tour the stately home with the Starr's furnishings and see the nearby outbuildings.

The site offers tours.

Rock Castle [TN]

Description

In 1773 Daniel Smith married Sarah Michie in North Carolina. Subsequently, he received a land grant from that state. In 1784 the Smiths brought their family to this site and commenced construction on Rock Castle. Much of the construction supervision and plantation management was taken care of by Mrs. Smith, since her husband was gone for long periods on surveying trips. A blend of the Federal and Georgian architectural styles, the house was once the center of a 3,140-acre plantation which today is but 18 acres. In addition to the house, there is a family cemetery and a smokehouse.

The house offers tours.