Fort Constitution Historic Site [NH]

Description

Fort Constitution State Historic Site is located on a peninsula on the northeast corner of New Castle Island. It overlooks both the Pisquatua River and the Atlantic Ocean. Fort Constitution is one of seven forts built to protect Portsmouth Harbor. The earliest forts were built to protect the colonists. As Portsmouth Harbor's importance increased with the Revolutionary War shipbuilding industry and the establishment of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in 1800, additional fortification was needed. Following the Spanish American War (1898) the improved defense of key harbors became a national priority. Fortifications such as Fort Constitution were constructed on both coasts during the Endicott Period (1890–1920) and at Forts Stark, McClary, and Foster.

Website does not specify any interpretive services available at the site.

Double Ditch State Historic Site [ND]

Description

Double Ditch Indian Village, overlooking the Missouri River, was a large earthlodge village inhabited by Mandan Indians between about 1500 and 1781. The remains of earthlodges, midden mounds (trash heaps), and fortification ditches are clearly visible today. Interpretive signs are posted throughout the site.

The site is open to the public.

Website does not specify any interpretive services available at the site, beyond signage.

San Miguel Mission Chapel [NM]

Description

The oldest church still in use in the United States, this simple adobe structure was built in the early 17th century by the Tlaxcalan Indians of Mexico, who came to New Mexico as servants of the Spanish. Badly damaged in the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the structure was restored and enlarged in 1710. On display in the chapel are priceless statues and paintings and the San Jose Bell, weighing nearly 800 pounds, which is believed to have been cast in Spain in 1356.

Cannot find a website.

Westover [VA]

Description

Westover was built circa 1730 by William Byrd II, the founder of Richmond. It is noteworthy for its secret passages, magnificent gardens, and architectural details.

Website states that the house is not open to the public.

Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site

Description

Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site preserves the timeworn earthen remains of Fort Kaskaskia, constructed by the French ca. 1759 to defend the town of Kaskaskia. Today's historic site consists of four major sections: the remains of Fort Kaskaskia, Garrison Hill Cemetery, the Mississippi River overlook and picnic area, and a large campground.

Website does not offer substantive information on interpretative services available at the site.

Fort Halifax State Historic Site [ME]

Description

The oldest blockhouse in the United States is all that remains of Fort Halifax at the confluence of the Kennebec and Sebasticook Rivers. English settlers built the fort in 1754 to protect colonial settlements along the Kennebec and it served as a garrison for troops from 1754–1766.

Website does not specify any interpretive services available at the site.

Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail [HI]

Description

The Trail is a 175-mile trail corridor full of cultural and historical significance. It traverses through hundreds of ancient Hawaiian settlement sites and through over 200 ahupua'a, or traditional sea to mountain land divisions. Cultural resources along the trail include several important heiau (temples), royal centers, kahua (house site foundations), loko 'ia (fishponds) ko'a (fishing shrines), ki'i pohaku (petroglyphs), holua (stone slide), and wahi pana (sacred places).

Website does not specify any interpretative services offered by the site.

Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site

Description

Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site preserves the timeworn earthen remains of Fort Kaskaskia, constructed by the French ca. 1759 to defend the town of Kaskaskia. Founded in 1703, the town was for more than a century the region's principal commercial center, also serving from 1818 to 1820 as the first capital of Illinois. The small fort, containing only a three-room barrack and a kitchen, was apparently never fully completed. The fort was periodically occupied by French or U.S. troops until 1807 and sheltered local settlers during Indian scares rising from the War of 1812. Today's historic site consists of four major sections: the remains of Fort Kaskaskia, Garrison Hill Cemetery, the Mississippi River overlook and picnic area, and a large campground.

Does the site offer any docent/interpretation services? Site does not specify.