Castillo de San Marcos National Monument [FL]

Description

The Castillo de San Marcos National Monument contains the original Castillo de San Marcos, a fortification built by the Spanish to defend their position in America. It is the only remaining 17th-century fort in North America. The star-shaped "bastion system" of the architecture was an adaptation to cannon warfare. The monument presents the story of several groups involved in the fort's history, including the Timucuan, the Seminole, the Apache, Spaniards, African Americans, Englishmen, Frenchmen, Minorcans, and U.S. citizens. Interpreters in period dress discuss life in the fort.

The monument offers a 25-minute introductory film, exhibits, self-guided fortification tours, interpretive talks, re-enactors, weaponry demonstrations, Junior Ranger programs, and a green suitable for picnics. The upper gun deck is not wheelchair accessible. Tour brochures are available in English, Spanish, German, Japanese, French, Italian, Dutch, and Russian. The website offers historical photographs, vocabulary, a map study, and other educational materials.

Bandelier National Monument [NM]

Description

The Bandelier National Monument site contains dwellings and petroglyphs from the Ancestral Pueblo who lived in the area between 1150 and 1550. Spanish colonists inhabited the site beginning circa 1750. The 1.2-mile main trail winds through excavated archaeological sites. Visitor Center exhibits address Ancestral Pueblo life and compare it to the life of the modern Pueblo.

The monument offers a 10-minute introductory film, exhibits, guided walks, demonstrations, summer camps, a traveling trunk, books and videos for loan to educators, educational kits for use on site by fifth grade students, Junior Ranger activities, more than 70 miles of trails, outdoor activities, and a picnic area. Demonstrations occur on weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Written guides to the main trail are available in Japanese, German, Spanish, French, Russian, Braille, and large print. Wheelchair accessibility is limited. The website offers lesson plans, animal fact sheets, and PowerPoint presentations.

Touro Synagogue National Historic Site [RI]

Description

The Touro Synagogue was dedicated in 1762, and serves an active congregation today. The congregation was founded in 1658 by Sephardim who fled the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal and were searching for a haven from religious persecution in the Caribbean. Today, the synagogue celebrates not only their story, but serves to honor all who came to this shore seeking to worship freely.

A second website for the synagogue can be found here.

The site offers tours.

George Rogers Clark National Historical Park [IN]

Description

The George Rogers Clark National Historical Park commemorates the surrender of British forces at Fort Sackville to Colonel George Rogers Clark on February 25, 1779. The events of that day cemented U.S. ownership of the frontier, nearly doubling the size of the country. The site provides information on 18th-century pioneer life, Fort Sackville, Clark's campaign, area cultures of the period, and the Northwest Territory. A memorial to Clark exists within park grounds.

The park offers a 30-minute introductory film, six-minute audio program within the memorial, costumed living history programs, Junior Ranger activities, and a picnic area. Group reservations are appreciated. Living history programs can often be made available for groups with advance notice.

The George Rogers Clark Memorial is currently closed for restoration.

Petroglyph National Monument [NM]

Description

The Petroglyph National Monument preserves approximately 20,000 carved images, dating between circa 10,000 BC and 1830. Artists include the Ancestral Pueblo, Native Americans in the 16th through 19th centuries, and Spanish settlers. The Las Imágenes Visitor Center was once home to Dr. Sophie Aberle, the first applied anthropologist in the U.S.; and offers visitors the opportunity to touch carvings much like the petroglyphs.

The monument offers six hiking trails, lectures, performances, four 90-minute to two-hour guided educational programs for students, one-hour school outreach programs, and Junior Ranger activities. All on site educational programs involve hiking. The website offers a list of useful definitions, a pronunciation guide, nine curriculum-based lesson plans, and Web Ranger activities.

Old Stone House [DC]

Description

The Old Stone House, located in Washington DC's Rock Creek Park, is unique due to its history as a simple home built by common people. The home is one of DC's oldest standing structures, dating back to the 18th century, and commemorates the lives of ordinary Americans in the nation's capitol.

The house offers guided tours. The website offers visitor information and a history of the house.

Roger Williams National Memorial [RI]

Description

The Roger Williams National Memorial commemorates the life of Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island and champion of religious freedom. The memorial is located in downtown Providence, RI, and consists of a landscaped park along with a visitor center.

The memorial offers guided tours, ranger-led activities, exhibits, and a short film of Roger William's life. The website offers visitor information and a brief history of the memorial and of Roger Williams. In order to contact the memorial via email, use the "contact us" link located on the left side of the webpage.

Fort Stanwix National Monument [NY]

Description

The Fort Stanwix National Monument presents the fort's Revolutionary War history and its impact on the history of New York settlement. Collections consist of more than 476,000 artifacts. Three trails circle the fort. One follows the Oneida Carrying Place, while the other two interpret the siege of 1777. During the seige, Colonel Peter Gansevoort maintained control of Stanwix despite the concentrated British, Loyalist, German, Canadian, and Native American troops which surrounded the structure, earning it the nickname of "the fort that never surrendered." This victory is one of several which eventually led to political alliances with The Netherlands and France. The fort is located on traditional Oneida lands. The Oneida Carrying Place is an over land route between Wood Creek and the Mohawk River.

The monument offers an orientation talk, three trails, exhibits, guided curriculum-based educational programs, self-guided fort tours, audio-visual displays, weapons demonstrations, guided tours, living history programs, an activity for three through six year olds, Junior Ranger activities, and an area for building model forts. Reservations are required for all guided programs. The website offers lesson plans, a 1777 campaign Revolutionary War map, a word match, a crossword puzzle, a word search, and suggested reading lists for students and teachers.

Boston National Historical Park [MA]

Description

The Boston National Historical Park interprets the pre- and early Revolutionary War history of the Boston area, as well as U.S. Navy history. Many of the sites at which rangers conduct programs are located along the Freedom Trail, which possesses a separate entry in this directory. Collections include more than 70,000 photographs and negatives, 13,000 architectural drawings, and shipyard records.

Between mid-April and November, the park offers 90-minute tours of the downtown portion of Boston's Freedom Trail. Lectures are offered at Faneuil Hall and the Bunker Hill Monument. Tours are offered of the World War II and Cold War destroyer, the USS Cassin Young. The park also offers a Freedom Trail slide show, exhibits, a 10 minute Naval Yard introductory video, Junior Ranger activities, 13 educational programs for students with pre-visit materials, and teacher workshops. The website offers a virtual tour of the USS Cassin Young, videos of Navy Yard structures which are not publicly accessible, suggested reading lists for students and teachers, and Web Ranger activities. The USS Cassin Young is not wheelchair accessible.