Frank Lloyd Wright's The Westcott House [OH]

Description

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) built The Westcott House in 1908 as a Prairie Style residence. Wright pioneered the Prairie Style (1893-circa 1917) as a means of connecting architecture with the natural landscape. Features include bands of windows, open floor plans, and emphasis on horizontal line—the horizontal echoing the Midwestern horizon and considered to be symbolic of freedom and domesticity. Wright is known for designing the totality of his works—from the architecture to the interior finishes and furnishings—in order to create a designed immersion environment. The Westcott House is the only Prairie Style dwelling in Ohio.

The house offers an 8-minute introductory video and a 45-minute guided tour. Reservations are highly recommended; and are necessary for tours in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German, French, Polish, Swedish and ASL. The second floor is not accessible by wheelchair.

Matthew Edel Blacksmith Shop [IA]

Description

This uniquely preserved blacksmith shop is exactly as German immigrant Matthew Edel left it the day he died. Edel, a skilled blacksmith and inventor, operated the shop until his death in 1940. Visitors can see his tools and wares and hear stories about blacksmithing during the age before tractors and automobiles.

The site offers tours and demonstrations.

Isham-Terry House [CT]

Description

The Isham-Terry House is a time capsule of genteel life in turn-of-the century Hartford. Dr. Oliver Isham bought the 1854 Italianate Villa in 1896. Here he had his physician's office and lived with his sisters Julia and Charlotte. Julia and Charlotte occupied the house until the 1970s, defying the urban renewal juggernaut that demolished so many historic homes. The sisters made so few changes and modernizations to the house that crossing its threshold today is like stepping back in time. Room after room is filled with objects of historical and family significance: ornate gaslight fixtures; stained-glass windows; rare books and paintings; Connecticut-made clocks; and memorabilia from Hartford High School, the Ishams' alma mater. Even Dr. Isham's office, with surgical instruments and medicines, was left undisturbed. Dr. Isham also possessed a rare collection of early Connecticut automobile memorabilia.

The house offers exhibits and tours.

Novo Restoration [CO]

Description

Novo Restoration seeks to prevent the demolition of and determine a new function for Loveland, Colorado's historic feed and grain building. As of yet, the proposed re-purposing is development of artist housing.

This organization offers monthly tours.

Salisbury House and Gardens [IA]

Description

Salisbury House is modeled after a 15th-century English residence. The home was completed in 1928 for Carl Weeks, owner of Armand Cosmetics. It boasts a collection of more than 10,000 artifacts and objects from around the world—rare books, artwork, decorative arts, furnishings, and weaponry, among other categories.

The house offers tours and exhibits. Two weeks advance notice is required for groups of ten or more. A tour offered specifically for elementary school students is led by a costumed king or queen, who makes comparisons between the 16th-century, the 1920s, and modern day.

Whitehall House & Gardens [KY]

Description

The Whitehall Mansion had its beginnings in the mid 19th century as a modest two story brick house. In 1909, when successful horseman and entrepreneur John Middleton bought the home, the home was converted into the impressive Greek Revival style mansion that stands today. Today the home stands as a historic house museum and is a popular venue for weddings and other special occasions.

The house offers guided and self-guided tours. The website offers a history of the home as well as visitor information.

Dothan Landmark Park [AL]

Description

The Dothan Landmark Park presents the history of southeastern Alabama. Site features include a living history farm, set in the 1890s; a one-room schoolhouse; a historic church; and a historic general store. Exhibits discuss agriculture and wildlife.

The park offers exhibits, living history interpreters, nature trails, a planetarium, and a picnic site.

East Linn Museum [OR]

Description

The East Linn Museum presents the history of the Sweet Home, Oregon area through period rooms and exhibits of vernacular items. Collection highlights include historical cameras, telephones, and firearms. The period covered extends from 1852 to present.

The museum offers period rooms and exhibits.

Nevada County Historical Society and Museums [CA]

Description

The Nevada County Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Nevada County, California. To this end, the society operates the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum, North Star Mine Powerhouse and Pelton Wheel Museum, Firehouse Museum, and Searls Library. The railroad museum presents local transportation history. Collection highlights include seven historic railroad cars, dating from 1889 to circa 1940. The mining museum's collection highlights include a working Cornish pump; working stamp mill; and the largest Pelton wheel, a mechanism for supplying air to power the mines, ever made. The Firehouse Museum, housed in an 1861 structure, presents exhibits on the Maidu people, the Donner Party, Chinese-American daily life and religion between 1877 and 1938, and vernacular items dating from circa 1850 to present.

The society offers monthly speakers and both library and archive access. Research assistance is available for a fee. The railroad museum and firehouse museum offer exhibits. The mining museum offers self-guided tours, period dioramas, and exhibits. The website offers digital historical and genealogical databases.

David Davis Mansion [IL]

Description

David Davis (1815–1886) was born in Maryland and studied law in New England. In 1862 President Lincoln appointed Davis to the United States Supreme Court. In 1877 Davis resigned from the court after being elected to the United States Senate by the Illinois legislature and served as Senate president pro tempore from 1881 to 1883. Davis commissioned French-born architect Alfred Piquenard to design this late-Victorian style mansion, primarily as a residence for his wife, Sarah Davis. The three-story yellow brick home comprises 36 rooms. The large, tree-shaded lot includes an 1872 wood house, a barn and stable, privies, a foaling shed, carriage barn, and a flower and ornamental cutting garden. The circular drive to the Mansion remains as originally configured. The property was entered on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and in 1975 was declared a National Historic Landmark.

The site offers tours, a short film, and educational and recreational events and programs.