Thomas Edison House [KY]

Description

The Thomas Edison House served as Thomas Edison's (1847-1931) residence between 1866 and 1868. Built circa 1850, the home now contains collections including cylinder and disc phonographs, Edison Business Phonographs, an Edison Kinetoscope, and early light bulbs. Thomas Edison is best known for his invention of the electric light bulb. However, while living at this site, his main interest was improving telegraph technology.

The house offers exhibits, period rooms, guided tours, 10 through 35-minute films, a learning module which encourages creation of student inventions, and hands-on telegraph demonstrations.

Little Buffalo State Park [PA]

Description

Little Buffalo State Park contains an operating gristmill, a historic covered bridge, a historic farmhouse, a narrow gauge railroad trace, and a historic railroad car.

The site offers environmental education programs, hands-on activities, guided walks, campfire programs, teacher workshops, outdoor activities, and picnic sites. Reservations are required for group visits. Please do not bring firewood into the park. This is to avoid introduction of invasive species.

Waseca County Historical Society and Museum [MN]

Description

The Waseca County Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Waseca County, Minnesota. To this end, the society operates a research center and a museum of local history.

The society offers exhibits, research library access, and research assistance. Non-members are charged a fee for library use; and anyone requesting research assistance will be charged as well. The website offers a family history database, a word search, and a cross word puzzle.

Shelburne Museum [VT]

Description

The Shelburne Museum, located in northern Vermont, is one of the nation's finest and most unconventional art museums. The museum is home to over 150,000 works, which range from impressionist paintings to quits and textiles. The collection is displayed in 39 seperate exhibition buildings.

The museum offers guided tours, field trip programs, summer camps, and art exhibits. The website offers a brief history of the museum, as well as visitor information, and summaries of current museum exhibits.

Pioneer Living History Village [AZ]

Description

The Pioneer Living History Village is a 90-acre living history 1800s town. Structures are either period or reproductions based on historical research. Sights include an opera house in which Lilly Langtry (1853-1929), famed English actress and beauty, once sang; the childhood home of Henry Fountain Ashurst (1874-1962), one of the first Senators of Arizona; and a circa 1880 cabin which survived an Apache raid.

The museum offers period rooms, demonstrations, living history interpreters, and re-enactments. The museum is closed on rainy days.

Fort Revere Park [MA]

Description

The 8-acre grounds of Fort Revere Park contain a water tower, military museum, and the remains of two coastal forts.

The park offers an observation deck, exhibits, and a picnic area. Appointments are needed for weekday visits to the water tour and/or museum.

Moraga Historical Society and History Center [CA]

Description

The Moraga Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados—now Moraga, Orinda, and Lafayette, CA. The rancho, created in 1841, was a 13,316-acre land grant awarded to Joaquin Moraga and Juan Bernal by the Mexican government. To achieve their goal, the society operates a history center with artifacts and archival materials.

The society offers exhibits and archival access.