Historical Society of Carroll County and Museums [MD]

Description

The Historical Society of Carroll County seeks to preserve and share the history of Carroll County, Maryland. To this end, the society operates three historic structures—the 1807 Sherman-Fisher-Shellman House, the circa 1800 Kimmey House, and the circa 1820 Cockey's Tavern. The Kimmey House presents local historical artifacts. Collection artifacts date from the 18th century to present.

The Sherman-Fisher-Shellman House offers period rooms, styled to 1807 specifications. The Kimmey House offers a research library and exhibits.

Cockey's Tavern is currently closed for renovation.

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.

Historic Cold Spring Village [NJ]

Description

Historic Cold Spring Village presents daily life in South Jersey between 1790 and 1840. The site includes gardens, heritage crops, a farm, and 26 restored buildings. These buildings include an inn, a schoolhouse, a print shop, a pottery shop, a blacksmith shop, a bookbindery, and several residences.

The village offers history exhibits, a 7-minute introductory film, period rooms, costumed living history interpreters, a children's activity area, outreach presentations, a junior trade apprenticeship program, and multiple concession and meal sites. Reservations are appreciated. Please notify the village if you feel that you or your group require handicapped accommodations. The website offers games, craft ideas, and recipes.

Pond Spring: The General Joe Wheeler Home [AL]

Description

Once home to prehistoric Native Americans, Pond Spring is the post-Civil War home of General Joseph Wheeler, a Confederate major general, a U.S. congressman, and a Spanish-American War general. Following the Civil War, Wheeler became a national symbol for reunification and reconciliation. Wheeler's daughter, "Miss Annie Wheeler," served in three wars as a Red Cross nurse. The 50-acre site includes a dogtrot log house built around 1818, a circa-1830 Federal-style house, the 1880s Wheeler house, eight farm-related outbuildings, two family cemeteries, an African-American cemetery, a small Indian mound, a pond, a boxwood garden, and other garden areas.

The site offers tours by appointment.

Friends of the Governor's Mansion [TX]

Description

The Friends of the Governor's Mansion advocate the history, preservation, and restoration of Texas' 1856 Greek Revival Governor's Mansion. The mansion has served as the official home of every governor of Texas and governor's family since its construction in 1856. The mansion is the single oldest executive residence west of the Mississippi River.

The website offers suggested educational activities and suggested reading.

The mansion is closed for periodic restoration, complicated by fire damage.

Ute Indian Museum [CO]

Description

The Museum lies on the original 8.65-acre homestead owned by Chief Ouray and his wife, Chipeta. Migrating from the mountains in the summer to river valleys in the winter, the Utes used the abundant plants and animals of the Uncompahgre River valley for food, clothing, and shelter. Built in 1956 and expanded in 1998, the museum offers one of the most complete collections of the Ute people. The grounds include the Chief Ouray Memorial Park, Chipeta's Crypt, and a native plants garden. Recently renovated and expanded, the museum now includes the Montrose Visitor Information Center, gallery space, classrooms, and a museum store. The museum complex includes shady picnic areas, walking paths, and a memorial to the Spanish conquistadors who traveled through the area in 1776.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, and educational programs.

Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site

Description

Lincoln's New Salem preserves the site of New Salem village, where young Abraham Lincoln lived for six formative years, from 1831 to 1837. The centerpiece of Lincoln's New Salem is the imaginative recreation of the log village. Built in the 1930s and 1940s as a Civilian Conservation Corps program, the village features twenty-three historically furnished buildings, including several homes, stores, and tradesmen's shops, as well as a tavern, school, wool carding mill, and a saw- and gristmill. Scattered throughout the village are log barns and other outbuildings.

The site offers exhibits, a short film, living history interpreters, performances, lectures, and other recreational and educational events and programs.

San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park [CA]

Description

San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park honors the soldiers who fought in the battle between the U.S. and Californio forces on December 6, 1846 in the midst of the Mexican-American War. Generals Stephen Kearny and Andres Pico both claimed victory. The battle was only one of the military encounters in California in the war, but it proved to be the bloodiest and most controversial as to the outcome. The park has been set aside, not as a monument to war, but as a reminder of the human ideals, actions, and passions that can drive nations to bloodshed.

The park offers exhibits; tours; and occasional recreational and educational events, including living history events.

Living History Farms [IA]

Description

Living History Farms is composed of three working farms, the 1700 Ioway Indian Farm, the 1850 Pioneer Farm, and the 1900 Horse-Powered Farm, as well as an associated pioneer town and Indian village. In addition, Living History Farms has a new 8,000 foot visitor center, which provides exhibits and presentations.

Living History Farms offers guided tours, exhibits and presentations in the visitor center, field trip programs, school outreach programs, a summer day camp, and interpretive events and activities. The website offers visitor information, an events calendar, a history of the museum, and information regarding all programs offered by the museum.