James Madison's Montpelier [VA]

Description

The Montpelier Foundation's primary mission is to present the lasting legacy of James Madison (1751–1836) as Father of the U.S. Constitution, architect of the Bill of Rights, and fourth president of the United States. The Montpelier estate, home of Madison for the majority of his life, features the Madison mansion, historic buildings, gardens, forests, a freedman's cabin and farm, and the site of a Civil War encampment.

The Montpelier Foundation offers exhibits, an archaeological lab and sites, hands-on activities, an introductory film, guided tours of the Madison mansion, self-guided landscape tours, a variety of other thematic guided tours, limited transportation grants, and educational programming with suggested grade levels (including in-class outreach presentations).

Boalsburg Heritage Museum [PA]

Description

The Boalsburg Heritage Museum seeks to preserve and share the history of the Boalsburg and Harris Townships, Pennsylvania. The Sarah Sweet House, which holds the museum, was built in 1825 in a typical Pennsylvania Dutch architectural style. The interior houses a variety of period decorative arts original to the area, as well as relevant exhibits.

The museum offers exhibits and tours. Advanced notification of large groups is appreciated.

La Mesa Historical Society and Museum [CA]

Description

The La Mesa Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of La Mesa, California. This history encompasses time as grazing land for cattle and sheep in the late 1800s and as a silent movie production center in the early 1900s. The society is located within the 1908 Reverend Henry McKinney House, a turn of the century house museum. In addition to maintaining the Rev. Henry McKinney House and Museum, the Society is also home to the Palermo building. The Palermo building houses city directories and 1,500 photographs depicting early La Mesa.

The society hosts local third grade classes for McKinney House tours and educational programming on schooling and daily life in the early 1900s. Other opportunities include walking tours, annual historic home tours, photographic presentations, exhibits at special events, and quarterly history roundtables.

Rock Ford Plantation [PA]

Description

Rock Ford Plantation is the 17th-century home of Edward Hand. He purchased the 177 acres in two portions, in 1785 and 1792, and added a Georgian-style brick mansion circa 1794. Rock Ford's four floors conform to the same plan—a center hall and four corner rooms—typical of the period, and the original 18th-century floors, rails, shutters, doors, cupboards, paneling, and windowpanes remain. Furnishings were selected based on Hand's own estate inventory. During Hand's life, the property served as a tenant farm with fields, livestock, and orchards. Today, Rock Ford is one of the most important examples of Georgian domestic architecture surviving in Pennsylvania and the most intact building predating 1800 in Lancaster County.

The plantation offers living history interpretation, hands-on activities, open-hearth cooking demonstrations, guided tours, educational programs for specific grade levels, and a pre-visit education packet.

Boldt Castle [NY]

Description

At the turn-of-the-century, George C. Boldt (1851–1916), millionaire proprietor of the world famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, set out to build a full size Rhineland castle in Alexandria Bay, on picturesque Heart Island. The grandiose structure was to be a display of his love for his wife, Louise. On the death of his wife in 1904, construction was ceased. The site tells of the Boldts' lifestyle and the history of the 1000 Islands region. There are a total of six structures: the Castle; the Power House, which was inspired by Medieval architecture and contains a period steam engine; the Alster Tower, used for entertainment purposes; the Hennery, containing a water tank and pigeon house; the Arch, modeled after Roman monuments, and a stone Gazebo.

Boldt Castle offers a 15 minute film, exhibits, and self-guided tours.

Mansfield Historical Society [TX]

Description

The Mansfield Historical Society collects, preserves, and shares genealogical, biographical, and historical data about the Mansfield, Texas community and its residents. The society operates a museum, housed in a 1899 building previously used as a doctor's office and by the Knights of Pythias.

The society offers guided museum tours and online cemetery and Civil War veteran databases.

Pickett's Mill Battlefield Historic Site [GA]

Description

On May 27, 1864, the Federal Army, having been stopped in its advance on Atlanta two days earlier by the Battle of New Hope Church, attempted to outflank the Confederate position. Some 14,000 Federal troops were selected for the task, and General Howard was given command. After a five-hour march, Howard's force reached the vicinity of Pickett's Mill and prepared to attack. Waiting were 10,000 Confederate troops under the command of General Cleburne. The Federal assault began at 5 p.m. and continued into the night. Daybreak found the Confederates still in possession of the field. The Federals had lost 1,600 men compared to the Confederate loss of 500. The Confederate victory resulted in a one-week delay of the Federal advance on Atlanta. Pickett's Mill is one of the best preserved Civil War battlefields in the nation. Visitors can travel roads used by Federal and Confederate troops, see earthworks constructed by these men, and walk through the same ravine where hundreds died. An 1850's cabin is located on site, and a research library offers maps, books, microfilm, newspapers, and other materials.

The site offers an introductory film, exhibits, 4 miles of trails, a list of Georgia educational standards met by the topic of the site (available online), special event first person and narrative demonstrations performed as living history, a student quiz (available online), guided tours, educational activities, and a research library.

North Carolina Maritime Museum

Description

The North Carolina Maritime Museum documents, preserves, and researches the maritime history of coastal North Carolina. All of the museum's programs and exhibits, both general and specialized, interpret the state's cultural maritime history and offer a larger national perspective on coastal environment and barrier island ecology. The museum holdings include more than 15,000 cultural artifacts and natural history specimens, some 2,000 photographs and negatives, and 1,000 flat documents. The material culture collection of more than 2,000 artifacts includes uniforms of the U.S. Lifesaving Service and U.S. Coast Guard, lifesaving gear and ephemera, fishing gear, decoys, boat models and half-hulls, a Fresnel lens, 200 woodworking tools, nets, sea chests, and maritime paintings and prints. The small craft collection includes 37 historic indigenous boats (including a rare Civil War-era split-log canoe), over 100 models and half-models, 24 outboard engines, and 60 sextants, compasses, telescopes, and plotting instruments that document coastal navigation.

The museum offers teacher workshops, educational programs delivered in-classroom and in conjunction with curricula, a summer science program which includes maritime history, and exhibits.

Pilgrim Memorial State Park [MA]

Description

The Pilgrim Memorial State Park commemorates the 1620 landing of European settlers in New England. Plymouth Rock, a boulder on the shore of Plymouth Harbor, has become a world-famous symbol of the courage and faith of the men and women who founded the first New England colony. A landscaped waterfront park provides views of Plymouth Harbor, in which the Mayflower II is anchored. There are no precise records of the Mayflower's construction, but the Mayflower II is a replica of the class of vessel most likely to have brought the first pilgrims to Massachusetts. Also in the park, the National Monument to the Forefathers honors the pilgrims of the Mayflower.

The park offers exhibits and living history interpreters aboard the Mayflower II.

Homolovi Ruins State Park [AZ]

Description

Homolovi Ruins State Park serves as a center of research for the late migration period of the Hopi (the 13th and 14th century). While archaeologists study the sites and confer with the Hopi to unravel the history of Homolovi, Arizona State Parks provides the opportunity for guests to visit the visitor center, museum, various trails, and campground. The Hopi people supported the creation of the 4,000 acre park in order to protect the ruins of their prehistoric ancestors, the Hisat'sinom (known to archaeologists as the Anasazi) who were believed to have lived in the Homolovi pueblos.

The park offers exhibits and a podcast audio tour of the Homolovi II site (available online).