California Law Enforcement Historical Society

Description

The California Law Enforcement Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of law enforcement officers in California. To this end, the society operates a mobile history museum. The museum addresses the years between 1850, when California officially became a state, to present day. Collection highlights include historic patches and badges.

The society offers exhibits.

John Wingate Weeks Estate [NH]

Description

The Mt. Prospect estate was built at the direction of John Wingate Weeks, leading conservationist, U.S. congressman, U.S. senator, and secretary of war under presidents Harding and Coolidge. Set at the very top of Mt. Prospect, the house and grounds provide a 360-degree panorama of mountain splendor, including the Presidential Range of the White Mountains, the Green Mountains of Vermont, the Kilkenny Range, the Percy Peaks, and the upper Connecticut River Valley. The Weeks estate is one of the best preserved of many grand summer homes built in New Hampshire during this period.

The estate offers tours and recreational and educational events.

Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace [GA]

Description

The Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace preserves the home in which Juliette Gordon Low (1860-1927), founder of the Girl Scouts within the United States, was born. The house itself is an 1818 English Regency townhouse. The home is furnished with family possessions, objects which belonged to Low herself, and artifacts selected to depict period taste.

The site offers period rooms, guided tours, school tours, Scout programs, and nine educational programs for students. Educational programs range from the life of Low to shipping and the cotton industry in Georgia. The website offers photographs and pre-and post-visit activities.

Herreshoff Marine Museum / America's Cup Hall of Fame [RI]

Description

The Herreshoff Marine Museum / America's Cup Hall of Fame celebrates the unique accomplishments of the Herreshoff family and the related drama of the America's Cup races. From 1863 to 1945, the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, on the site of the present day Museum, produced the world's finest yachts. The genius of naval architect Captain Nathanael Greene Herreshoff along with the business acumen of his blind older brother John Brown Herreshoff truly built the "better mouse trap" for which the world beat a path to Bristol. Today, visitors from around the world see the nation's finest collection of yachts, all Herreshoff and many more than 100 years old. They can view the design models recording Captain Nat's design genius and see the products of his innovations. The companion America's Cup Hall of Fame is the international center for appreciation of the Cup.

The museum offers exhibits, research library access, lectures, classes, and occasional recreational and educational programs; the hall offers exhibits.

Chateau De Mores State Historic Site [ND]

Description

This site memorializes the life and activities in North Dakota of Antoine de Vallombrosa, the Marquis de Mores, who arrived in 1883. Among his enterprises were a beef packing plant; a stagecoach line; a freighting company; refrigerated railway cars; cattle and sheep raising; land ownership; and a new town which he called Medora, in honor of his wife. The Chateau, a 26-room, two-story frame building, was built in 1883 as the summer residence of the Marquis's family. The Chateau is now a historic house museum and contains many of the original furnishings and personal effects of the de Mores family.

The site offers tours, exhibits, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Virginia Aviation Museum [VA]

Description

Located in Richmond, Virginia, the Virginia Aviation Museum features the spectacular SR-71 Blackbird as well as 36 historic vintage aircraft and other pieces of aviation memorabilia. The museum also is home to the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame.

The museum offers exhibits, field trip programs, outreach programs, and occasional special events such as the annual Air Fair. The website offers visitor information, information regarding some of the aircraft on display, and information regarding the educational programs offered.

Oregon Coast History Center [OR]

Description

The Oregon Coast History Center seeks to preserve and share the history of Lincoln County, Oregon and the Central Oregon Coast. To this end, the society operates the Burrows House and Log Cabin. The 1895 Queen Anne-style Burrows House. The house offers exhibits on local history, a law office setting, and a Victorian parlor. The Log Cabin presents Lincoln County history, including maritime history, local bridges, and Native American life. Plans exist to create a maritime history center. Collections include more than 40,000 artifacts dating as far back as 1850. Collection highlights include the charter boat, Kingfisher.

The center offers exhibits, period rooms, district walking tours, educational outreach programs, research library access, oral histories, and research assistance. The log cabin includes a children's hands-on learning area. Reservations are required for group tours.

Florence Griswold Museum [CT]

Description

The Florence Griswold Museum building was the site of one of the most renowned Impressionist art colonies in the United States. Founded in 1899, the Lyme Art Colony hosted Impressionist and Tonalist artists such as Edward Rook, Childe Hassam, Willard Metcalfe, and Henry Ward Ranger. The artists favored landscapes and plein air painting. The museum itself is housed within the 1817 Late Georgian mansion in which the artists boarded. The upper floor hosts exhibits while the lower maintains the appearance of the home in 1910. The site also includes additional exhibit space, an education center, the restored gardens, and William Chadwick's (1879-1962) studio.

The museum offers exhibits, period rooms, guided tours for groups, self-guided tours, student tours, student hands-on activities, school outreach programs, resource library access, painting opportunities, workshops, summer camps, gardens, lectures, educator workshops and tours, and boxed lunches. If students wish to order boxed lunches rather than bringing a bag lunch, advance notice is required. Outreach program options include art activities and lectures. The website offers the opportunity to watch a video about the colony, a teacher's guide, lesson plans, pre- and post-visit activity suggestions, and suggested reading lists.

Kentucky Historical Society

Description

The Kentucky Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of the state of Kentucky. To this end, the society operates the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, the Martin F. Schmidt Research Library and Special Collections, the Old State Capitol, and the Kentucky Military History Museum. The center presents Kentucky history and famous figures from Kentucky, including Daniel Boone and Ashley Judd. The library houses more than 90,000 published works, as well as archival materials. The Old State Capitol was the first Greek Revival structure west of the Appalachians, and was used between 1830 and 1910. The military museum, located within the Old State Arsenal, presents state military history.

The Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History offers exhibits and research library access. The Martin F. Schmidt Research Library and Special Collections offers research library and archives access. The Old State Capitol offers period rooms. The Kentucky Military History Museum offers exhibits. Reservations are required for group tours. Curriculum-based interactive tours are available for students. The society also offers children's activities, a junior historical society, theatrical productions, monthly brown bag lectures, geneaology workshops, teacher workshops, and an annual Kentucky history conference.

The Kentucky Military History Museum is closed for renovations.

Courthouse Square Association [MI]

Description

The Courthouse Square Association seeks to preserve and share the history of Eaton County, Michigan. To this end, the society operates a local history museum which is located within the 1885 Greek Revival Eaton County Courthouse. Exhibits include the judge's chambers, law library, circuit courtroom, town histories, a Victorian parlor, military artifacts, a one-room school, a 19th-century doctor's office, Native American artifacts, and a 20th-century farm kitchen. Collections include more than 13,000 artifacts.

The museum offers exhibits and period rooms. School and tour groups are asked to make reservations.