Rokeby Museum [VT]

Description

Rokeby Museum is a 90-acre historic site and National Historic Landmark that was home to a remarkable Quaker family from 1793 to 1961. From early settlers to radical abolitionists to distinguished artists and writers, each generation of Robinsons left its mark on the site, the state, and the country. Rokeby was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1997 for its unsurpassed underground railroad history. The Museum's mission is to "connect visitors with the human experience of the underground railroad and with the Robinson family, who lived on and farmed this land for nearly 200 years." We ofter a primary source document-based underground railroad program both on site and in the classroom as well as two kits exploring abolitionist history. The site includes a fully furnished Federal style house, eight historic farm buildings, and acres of hiking trails

Buchanan's Birthplace State Park [PA]

Description

Buchanan's Birthplace State Park is located in the gap of Tuscarora Mountain. The park is dedicated in the honor of our nation's 15th president, James Buchanan (in office 1857-1861). Currently a stone pyramid stands on the site of the original cabin where Buchanan was born in 1791. Visitors to the park can take in the majesty of the pyramid and enjoy a variety of outdoor activities in the 18.5 acre park.

The site offers visitor information regarding the park and historical information about James Buchanan and his presidency.

Fort Fisher [NC]

Description

Until the last few months of the Civil War, Fort Fisher kept North Carolina's port of Wilmington open to blockade-runners supplying necessary goods to Confederate armies inland. By 1865, the supply line through Wilmington was the last remaining supply route open to Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. When Fort Fisher fell after a massive Federal amphibious assault on January 15, 1865, its defeat helped seal the fate of the Confederacy.

The site offers a short film, exhibits, tours, demonstrations, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Fort Selden State Monument [NM]

Description

Fort Selden was established in 1865 in an effort to bring peace to the south-central region of present-day New Mexico. Built on the banks of the Rio Grande, this adobe fort housed units of the U.S. Infantry and Cavalry. Their intent was to protect settlers and travelers in the Mesilla Valley from desperados and Apache Indians. Several of the units stationed at the fort were black troopers, referred to as Buffalo Soldiers. A young Douglas MacArthur called the fort home while his father was post commander in the late 1880s. By 1890 criminals and raiding parties were no longer considered a threat as hostilities eventually lessened and the fort was no longer needed. Like many small forts in the Southwest the government decommissioned the fort and it was abandoned in 1891. Today the stark adobe brick walls of the frontier past evoke a feeling of personal connection to the past. A visitor center offers exhibits on frontier and military life.

The site offers exhibits and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Booker T. Washington National Monument [VA]

Description

The Booker T. Washington National Monument is located just outside of Roanoke, VA, and consists of the cabin and surrounding grounds where Booker T. Washington was born. Washington's achievements, including founding the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial School and his various literary works belie his inauspicious birth as a slave in southwestern Virginia. Visitors to the monument can enjoy a variety of exhibits documenting the life and times of Washington, as well as view first-hand the life of a slave.

The site offers detailed historical and visitor information regarding the monument, as well as a calendar of events and a listing of all educational programs offered. In order to contact the monument via email, use the "contact us" link on the left side of the webpage.

Drake House Museum [NJ]

Description

The Drake House Museum is located in Planfield, NJ, and is owned and operated by the Historical Society of Plainfield. On permanent display in the house are three Colonial era rooms, the kitchen, the Queen Anne dining room, and the Washington bedroom. In addition, the parlor and Harberger Library are interpreted as period Victorian rooms. Thus, visitors to the house can view the house as it was throughout the early history of New Jersey.

The site offers brief historic and visitor information, an events calendar, information about the "Traveling Trunk," a traveling exhibits that shows a virtual tour of the house as well as several house artifacts, and an online newsletter.

The museum is currently closed for renovation.

Grant Cottage State Historic Site [NY]

Description

It was at this small cottage in the Adirondack Mountains that Ulysses S. Grant died of throat cancer on July 23, 1885. He had finished proofreading his memoirs only four days earlier. "Today, the cottage and its furnishings remain essentially the same as during the Grant family's stay for six weeks in 1885. Guests to the cottage may visit the spacious porch, tour the cottage's four rooms, and view floral arrangements that remain from Grant's August 4th funeral."

The site offers brief historical information and visitor information regarding Grant Cottage. In addition, the site is part of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, and so offers information regarding all of New York's state parks and historic sites.

Friends of Wilderness Battlefield [VA]

Description

The Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park is one of the largest battlefields in the United States. There were four major battles fought across the area during the civil war. The Friends of Wilderness Battlefield organization is dedicated to preserving the battlefields and to helping the National Park Service with educational tasks. To this end, the organization has led tours of the battlefield, coordinated bus tours for large groups, and put on a variety of educational events for visitors and children.

The site offers historic information about the battlefields, an events calendar, and a media section which contains all past newsletters released by the organization.

Fort Tejon State Historic Park [CA]

Description

Fort Tejon is located in the Grapevine Canyon, the main route between California's great central valley and Southern California. The fort was established to protect and control the Indians who were living on the Sebastian Indian Reservation, and to protect both the Indians and white settlers from raids by the Paiutes, Chemeheui, Mojave, and other Indian groups of the desert regions to the southeast. Fort Tejon was first garrisoned by the United States Army on August 10, 1854 and was abandoned ten years later on September 11, 1864. There are restored adobes from the original fort, and the park's museum features exhibits on army life and local history.

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

Penfield Museum [NY]

Description

Penfield Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of the Ironworking industry in upstate New York, and more specifically the Town of Crown Point, New York. The town is now known as the "Birthplace of the Electric Age," since it was the first place where electricity was applied in an industrial use. In addition, the museum also chronicles Crown Point's involvement in the Civil War, both in terms of soldiers and iron provided by the town.

The site offers visitor information, a small 6-photo photograph gallery, brief historical information, and an online gift shop.