Bartram's Garden

Description

Visitors to Bartram's Garden experience America's oldest living botanical garden, a pastoral 18th-century homestead surrounded by the urban bustle of Philadelphia. They can visit the wildflower meadow, majestic trees, river trail, wetland, stone house and farm buildings overlooking the Schuylkill River, and the historic botanic garden of American native plants.

The site offers tours, educational programs, research library access, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Wells Fargo History Museum [MN]

Description

Located in the Wells Fargo Tower in downtown Minneapolis, a landmark building designed by Cesar Pelli, the Wells Fargo Museum of Minneapolis showcases the history of the Wells Fargo Company and its contributions to Minneapolis. The museum is home to a variety of historic artifacts, including historic stagecoaches and a reconstructed 1900s bank.

The museum offers guided tours, educational programs, exhibits, and special events. The website offers visitor information, a history of the company, and a listing of upcoming events.

Hay House [GA]

Description

The 1859 Italian Renaissance Revival-style Hay House is a historic house museum, which largely contains pieces from 1926 to 1962. In those years, the Hay family occupied the house. Parks Lee Hay founded Banker's Health and Life Insurance Company. At the time of construction, the house was already outfitted with hot and cold running water, an early intercom system, indoor bathrooms, heating, and a ventilation system. Tours focus on these features and on the architecture itself.

The house offers period rooms, guided tours, traveling trunks for kindergarten through eighth-grade students, nine curriculum-based programs for kindergarten through high school students, homeschool programs, and educational programs for teachers.

Jack House and Gardens [CA]

Description

The 1880 Jack House and Gardens presents the home of San Luis Obispo, California's Jack family. The Jacks—ranchers, politicians, land developers, and bankers—lived in the home for more than 90 years, and the site is furnished with many of their personal belongings. The home is decorated to interpret Victorian daily life, and the gardens include period varieties of roses.

The house offers period rooms, guided tours, and self-guided gardens tours.

Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park [CA]

Description

Perched on a cliff on the central California coast, 50 miles south of San Francisco, the 115-foot Pigeon Point Lighthouse, one of the tallest lighthouses in America, has been guiding mariners since 1872. Its five-wick lard oil lamp, and first-order Fresnel lens, comprised of 1,008 prisms, was first lit at sunset, November 15, 1872. The lens stands 16 feet tall, 6 feet in diameter, and weighs 8,000 pounds. It sits in a lantern room that had been constructed at the Lighthouse Service's general depot in New York before being shipped around the Horn. Although the original Fresnel lens is no longer in use, the lighthouse is still an active U.S. Coast Guard aid to navigation using a 24-inch Aero Beacon.

The park offers exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Grayson County Historical Society and Museum [KY]

Description

The Grayson County Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Grayson County, Kentucky. To this end, the society operates a museum and research library within the circa 1814 Jack Thomas House. The society also operates the 1835 Buchanan Log Cabin, which houses home and farm tools. Highlights within the cabin include a handmade loom, over a century in age.

The society offers exhibits, tours of the Buchanan Log Cabin, and research library access.

Mount Clare Museum House [MD]

Description

The 1760 Georgian colonial Mount Clare Museum House once served as a plantation residence. The site was home to Charles Carrol (1737-1832), U.S. Senator and Barrister. The majority of the collection's 3,000 18th- and 19th-century pieces of furniture, artworks, decorative arts, and other artifacts are on display within the home. The site is primarily used to interpret 18th-century plantation life—that of the owners, slaves, and indentured servants.

The house offers an introductory video, tours, Scout and elementary school student tours with optional activities, outreach programs on 18th-century children's life for students, day camps, and research library access. Appointments are required for research library access and student programming. The second floor of the residence is not wheelchair accessible. The website offers the introductory video, activities, and lesson plans.

Crowley Heritage Museum [CO]

Description

The Crowley Heritage Museum presents the history of Crowley County, Colorado, founded in 1911. At this time, recent irrigation developments had permitted Crowley County to become one of the most fruitful agricultural areas within Colorado. The area also displayed ethnic diversity—with farmers of German, Hispanic, and Japanese descent. Collection highlights include ranching artifacts and several types of barbed wire. The museum is located within a 1914 school building.

The museum offers exhibits.

Friendship Firehouse Museum [VA]

Description

The Friendship Fire Company was established in 1774, and was the first volunteer fire company in Alexandria. The current firehouse was built in 1855, remodeled in 1871, and renovated in 1992. The Engine Room on the first floor houses hand-drawn fire engines, leather water buckets, axes, sections of early rubber hose, and other historic fire-fighting equipment. An exhibition discusses the development of firefighting technology and other fire companies that have served the citizens of Alexandria. The second floor Meeting Room is furnished the way it was during the late 19th century, the real heyday of Friendship as a community organization. On view here are various ceremonial objects such as parade uniforms, capes, banners, and other regalia. George Washington's association with the Friendship Fire Company, honored by members for over 200 years, is symbolized by several images of him throughout the museum.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Poverty Point State Historic Site [LA]

Description

The 200-acre Poverty Point State Historic Site preserves Native American earthworks dating from between 1650 and 500 BC. The mounds of a 3/4-mile diameter partial octagon, six rows deep, are believed to have served as shelter foundations. Goods from throughout the United States suggest that the inhabitants were part of an extensive trade network. A museum is located on site.

The site offers exhibits, guided tours, tram tours, educational programs a 2.6-mile hiking trail, and a picnic area. The website offers a link to an informative video.