Deep River Historical Society

Description

We are the sole organization devoted to:
*maintaining & preserving the Deep River Stone House and grounds;
*promoting general interest in the history of Deep River, Connecticut, and the United States;
*collecting and preserving historical records and artifacts of Deep River and its environs.

Heritage Center of Dickinson County [KS]

Description

The Center consists of two historical museums and surrounding outdoor exhibits. The Historical Museum depicts life on the plains during the American pioneer movement and westward expansion periods. Exhibits treat topics including Native American and pioneer life, railroads, agriculture, and the Victorian and cow-town eras. The Museum of Independent Telephony recreates the unique flavor of early independent telephone system history with hands-on displays of antique telephones, insulators, switchboards, and pay stations. Outside is the Pioneer Community, with actual buildings from around the county and the Parker Carousel, a national landmark carousel. Exhibits include a log cabin, barn, store, phone office, agriculture equipment, windmill, chickens and more.

The center offers exhibits, tours, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Museum of Bus Transportation

Description

"The purpose of the Museum of Bus Transportation organization is to provide museum-quality displays of the bus industry for the public to showcase the industry's growth and development in the United States and to celebrate the role that the bus industry continues to play in the mobility and progress of the American public. This museum will promote the bus industry, and will seek to be of continuous interest to both the general public and the bus enthusiast."

Conway Historical Society

Description

"Headquartered in this exquisite federal home of William Kimball Eastman, the CHS serves all areas of the Conways. The museum features period rooms representing 1818 through 1945. Eastman Lord House Museum in Conway was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001."

Toledo Firefighters Museum

Description

"Founded in 1976 for the purpose of preserving the history of the Toledo Fire Division and educating citizens about fire prevention and safety. In memory of fallen firefighters, the two-story museum is located in a working fire station, "Old Number 18 Fire House", circa 1920, which was replaced by a new station in 1975."

Martin House Museum

Description

"The Fulton Historical Society is located in this Civil War era home donated to the City by Leonard and Maxine Martin. The Society has taken over the operation of the home as a repository of information and materials relevant to the history of the City of Fulton and its inhabitants. In addition, the Society wishes to preserve the heritage of the community and provide educational opportunities for the purpose of increasing and enriching public knowledge."

Patents as Primary Sources

Date Published
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Photo, Isaac Singer's 1854 Patent Model...
Article Body

Ever tried teaching with technology? No, we don't mean Twitter, Facebook, iPods, cutting-edge interactive whiteboards, or even video and DVD players.

We mean patents.

The U.S. Patents and Trademark Office and Google Patents stockpile millions of patents, dating from 1790 to the present. In a July 2010 Organization for American Historians article, Chemical Heritage Foundation fellow Cai Guise-Richardson suggests ways to mine these historical document collections for classroom use.

Maybe you're studying Eli Whitney's cotton gin. What did the original patent look like? Can students decipher what the device does and how it works from the diagrams alone, or is it unclear? What sort of language does Whitney use to describe his invention, and how does he think it will help society?

Ask your students to think about the technology they encounter every day. Do laptops, MP3 players, cars, phones, household appliances—even toys—ever stop changing? No—there's always a new model or a different brand to buy. Inventions in the past developed in the same way. Try a Google Patent search for "cotton gin" to discover just how many variations and improvements on Whitney's invention eager inventors have developed since 1794, when Whitney first patented his design.

Try an advanced search using a word and a date. In 1901, were there any patents containing the word "genetics?" Probably not. What about in 1954, the year after scientists Watson, Crick, and Franklin discovered the structure of DNA? How about in 1990?

Think of other terms that might show up frequently in patents in different time periods. Is "bomb shelter" more frequent after World War II? How were radioactive substances used before they were proved dangerous? Consider this 1925 patent suggesting that rendering food and water radioactive will help prevent disease and preserve freshness. Do students think we're using any inventions today that we'll wish we hadn't in the future? What sorts of words and phrases do they think would show up frequently in patents today?

Pick a phrase or an invention and start exploring! Refer to Guise-Richardson's article for more suggestions if you have difficulty searching or run dry of ideas.