Encyclopedia Virginia, a publication of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities), explores the people, history, economy, government, and culture of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Users can browse nearly 6,500 entries in over 35 categories—arranged alphabetically—as well as sign up for a free My Virginia account, which allows users to bookmark specific entries, images, and videos. Each entry contains links to related topics on the site, (when available) images, timelines, and further reading. Users will also find a list of external links on the right side of the web page.

Perhaps the most interesting tool is Explore Virginia, a search engine which lets users choose categories, event types, and place types. Each category and type listing states the number of associated items. To the right of the page, "Explore Virginia" displays a Google Map of the state with markers for each entry item by search criteria. To minimize the number of entry markers displayed on the map, users can refine the search criteria using the sliding markers on the timeline tool or by selecting categories and types.

Another helpful feature for educators is the site’s blog. Updated on a regular basis, blog entries contextualize items on the site and provide images with citations, as well as helpful links, that teachers will find useful in incorporating Virginia history into the U.S. curriculum.

Overall, Encyclopedia Virginia is a helpful site for any student or teacher looking to augment the teaching of U.S. history through the lives of notable Virginians.

Take some time on this guide to all things West Virginia. This website offers a plethora of articles from "Abolitionism" to "John Zontini." To aid your search, you can sort through articles by topical category, alphabetical order, selecting "random article," or running a keyword search for specific interests. Your search will return media as well as text results, nicely sorted into separate categories. Articles are brief, but cross-referenced; and they also include citations and images, when available and appropriate.

The encyclopedia also includes larger sets of information and images referred to as exhibits. Topics include steamboats, John Henry, the Kanawha County Textbook Controversy, the Hatfield-McCoy Feud, coal mining, historic preservation, the Swiss community of Helvetia, the Greenbrier resort, and labor. A similar feature offers a handful of historical West Virginia maps.

Want something more interactive? Try the thematic 10-question quizzes, forums, or interactive maps and timelines.

This website functions as an easy-to-maneuver and reader-friendly website for gathering information about Arkansas and its impact on American history. Entries are divided into two categories: text and media. Both include subdivisions based on alphabetical listings or gallery images (respectively) in addition to category, type, time period, race and ethnicity, and gender. The Media section offers numerous photos, maps, documents, and video and audio resources. Entries include suggested readings, related links, and media galleries, when applicable.

Some of the more useful features of the site includes a calendar describing events in Arkansas’s history on each day, as well as a photo of the day from the Arkansas gallery. An overview entry provides general information about the state for those beginning to conduct research about Arkansas, and a breadcrumb trail at the top of each page helps readers retrace their steps while visiting the site—a feature users will find very helpful.

Educators will also find more than 100 lesson plans marked by The Butler Center—when planning for topics such as the Civil War, Korean War, and who’s who in Arkansas history. Lesson plans are in PDF format.

Teachers and students will enjoy exploring how the Razorback State played a key role in U.S. history. Teachers will also find the lesson plans from the Butler Center a useful resource for classroom instruction.

This website is a collaboration between Portland State University, the Oregon Council of Teachers of English, and the Oregon Historical Society, and is a key project of the Oregon Sesquicentennial Celebration. Beyond its basic function as a reference tool, The Oregon Encyclopedia provides lesson plans for teachers—primarily for grades 4–12. The site is divided into 17 categories, each one with several subcategories such as "biography," "event," "group," or "place." Entries include a brief history, or synopsis, of the topic with any accompanying media objects and suggested reading. Entries are arranged alphabetically or by topic with a search engine that allows searches based on category, theme, sub-theme, county, era, or region. Each week new entries are added to the hundreds currently online.

In the For Teachers section, users will find several sections. "History Minutes" contains facts about important topics related to the state. The "Oregon IQ Test" offers a short list of Oregon trivia questions. The "Permissions" and "How to Cite" pages outline the educational and fair use policies to help students navigate copyright policies. Under "Research Tools," users will find a list of annotated bibliographies, as well as the ability to conduct a live chat with an online librarian any time of day—even during the weekends.

Oregon and U.S. history teachers and students will find The Oregon Encyclopedia a useful resource for learning more about the nation's 33rd state and its role in U.S. history.

With more than 25,000 articles and 3,000 authors, this website offers students and teachers a broad scope of topics, with in-depth analysis from scholars and amateur historians across dozens of universities and historical associations. Material on the site can be accessed alphabetically, or by browsing articles using the left-hand navigation column ("title", "what", "when", "where", and "who"). In addition, the site contains three major subsections: "The Handbook of Civil War Texas," "The Texas Lighthouse Series," and "The Handbook of Texas Music." Visitors can also subscribe to the site’s RSS feed to receive a "Texas Day by Day" feature.

The Education section offers teacher resources and more than 20 lesson plans. Most of these materials are for grades four and seven (state history), but they have applications across grade levels. Lesson plans are arranged by topic, grade level, and state standards—useful for educators in Texas and across the country.

Due to the sheer volume of entries in this site, becoming familiar with the dozens of subcategories in the left-hand column is a good place to start. The search engine may also prove helpful when looking for a keyword or phrase.

Online Nevada Encyclopedia (ONE) is a succinct website focusing on themes related to the state’s history, geography, politics, economy and society. Ten thematic sections, such as "Mining," "Gaming and Tourism," and "Nuclear Nevada," appear on the left side of the homepage. When clicking on a topic, a short introduction appears followed by three to 24 article subcategories (104 subsections in all.) Educators will find the "Media Gallery" helpful in these subsections; the rich imagery is one of the positive elements of this site. Suggested readings and website links can be found at the conclusion of many articles, providing meaningful connections for teachers and students.

Viewers can easily access the virtual galleries, as well as maps that highlight popular destinations and topics of interest, from the homepage or content entries. Alphabetical indices list authors, content, and media, and exhibit galleries offer more information on people and topics in Nevada.

ONE, a project of Nevada Humanities, gives a clear representation of this state. Utilizing the website as a resource will help students understand the diversity of Nevada.

The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture contains more than 1,500 entries related to both state and national historical themes. In Categories, users can access entries, images, video, audio, and interactive resources from 38 separate thematic subjects (note: not all categories contain each type of resource). In addition, users can also access each item type by selecting the corresponding links in the navigation menu at the top of the page. A list of popular entries and images is also found at the bottom of the page.

The most dynamic aspects of the site are its visual sources and interactive files that can be used in the classroom. Each encyclopedia entry offers specific information about an event, place, or significant person—with any corresponding video, audio, or image linked within the entry page. Users looking at specific themes should search under the "Categories" page, but should be mindful that some categories offer more resources because they are broad in nature. For example, "Civil War" contains three entries specific to the war, along with two videos and an interactive display—whereas "Music" and "Military," more general themes, contain over 100 entries each. Search within the individual tabs to locate additional information.

Created as a collaboration between the Tennessee Historical Society and the University of Tennessee Press, the site achieves its goal: providing a resource for the field of education and the general public.