Scotty's Castle [CA]

Description

Scotty's Castle, or the Death Valley Ranch, was designed as a vacation home for a wealthy Chicago couple, Albert Mussey Johnson and his wife Bessie. However, according to legend, it was built by Walter Scott or "Death Valley Scotty" with the earnings from his secret mines. The site interprets the Roaring 20s and the 1930s, which suffered from the Great Depression. Construction was permanently halted in 1931 when Johnson and Scott discovered that the site was located on government land.

The home offers 50-minute living history tours, tours for students, exhibits, a snack bar, and picnic areas. Tours interpret the year 1939. Tour transcriptions are available in Japanese, German, Dutch, Korean, Russian, Slovenian, Italian, Czech, Danish, Spanish, and French. The website offers a virtual tour.

The second floor is temporarily inaccessible by wheelchair. Gasoline is currently unavailable on site. The nearest gasoline is located 45 miles from the site.

Confederate Reunion Grounds State Historic Site [TX]

Description

Confederate Reunion Grounds State Historic Site is located on the Navasota River in Limestone County. In 1889, 24 years after the end of the Civil War, veterans of the Confederacy in Limestone and Freestone counties assembled as an encampment and formed the Joe Johnston Camp No. 94–United Confederate Veterans. The organization's constitution formulated during the 1889 meeting stated that its purpose was to perpetuate the memories of fallen comrades, aid disabled survivors and indigent widows and orphans of deceased Confederate soldiers, and preserve the fraternity that grew out of the war. The 1889 meeting was the first of a series of annual reunions that continued with few interruptions for the next 57 years. Attractions at the site include historic buildings such as the 1872 Heritage House, an 1893 dance pavilion, a Civil War steel-barreled Val Verde cannon, and two scenic footbridges that span Jack's Creek.

The site offers occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

California State Railroad Museum

Description

The California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento is a tribute to the role of the "iron horse" in connecting California to the rest of the nation. The museum features 21 restored locomotives and cars, some dating back to 1862. There is a full-scale diorama of an 1860s construction site high in the Sierra Nevada as well as a bridge elevated 24 feet above the museum floor.

The museum offers exhibits, train rides, a short film, tours, research library access, educational programs, and recreational and educational events.

Dorsey Chapel Historic Site [MD]

Description

This small frame meetinghouse-style church is distinguished by its steeply pitched gable roof and late Victorian ornamental treatment of its principal gable front. The upper gable has alternating courses of sawtooth and rectangular shingles, a quatrefoil bulls-eye ornament, and a turned wooden finial at the ridge. Each of the chapel's side walls is lighted by three gothic-arch windows that have delicate tracery in the upper sashes.

The church offers tours.

Trolley Museum of New York

Description

The Trolley Museum of New York presents the history of rail transportation and the effect thereof on the Hudson River Valley. Collections include 21 subway, rapid transit, and trolley cars from throughout the United States and Europe. These cars date from between 1897 and 1952. The museum is located on the foundations of the Ulster and Delaware Railroad Yard's engine house.

The museum offers exhibits, a film, the opportunity to view restoration work in progress, a one and a half-mile trolley ride, and picnic sites along the trolley route.

Pendarvis [WI]

Description

In the 1830s and 1840s, settlers from other parts of the United States and
Europe began to flow into the Wisconsin Territory. They were lured by the prospect of plentiful lead to be had in shallow diggings throughout the region. As the easy lead became scarce, and greater technical knowledge was needed to work the earth for its deeper lead and zinc deposits, immigrants from Cornwall,
England filled the need. These miners and their families made a lasting imprint on southwest Wisconsin.
At Pendarvis, you can see their stone cottages, learn about their lives, and come to understand how their legacy was preserved in the twentieth century.
Pendarvis offers guided tours for groups by reservation from May through October. Please allow at least 3 weeks lead time. For further information, contact by telephone or e-mail.

Pendarvis offers an elementary level educational activity packet available for free download from the web site.

Berkeley County Historical Society [WV]

Description

The Berkeley County Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Berkeley County, West Virginia, founded 1722. To this end, the society operates a museum within the Belle Boyd House. The residence was the childhood home of Belle Boyd (1844-1900), Confederate spy and femme fatale actress. Exhibits topics include the Civil War in the Lower Shenandoah Valley, Belle Boyd, county history, 1860 through 1920 dress, Abraham Lincoln, World War II, the Spanish American War, the Revolutionary War, African American history, and baseball player Hack Wilson. The grounds include an herb garden and a rose garden.

The society offers a 51-minute film, exhibits, gardens, archival access, and research assistance. A fee is charged for research requests.

Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum [CA]

Description

The Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum consists of three historic sites—the 1870s Workman House; 1927 Spanish Colonial Revival mansion, La Casa Nueva; and El Campo Santo, a historic private cemetery. La Casa Nueva has been returned to its 1928 appearance, and is used to present southern California history between 1830 and 1930. The residence's art tile and stained glass work are of note. The interior of the Workman House has yet to be restored. The cemetery contains the remains of Pio Pico (1801-1894), last governor of Mexican California.

La Casa Nueva offers period rooms and guided tours. The Workman House offers guided tours. El Campo Sancto offers self-guided tours. The museum also offers guided tours for students, a 10-day 4th grade curriculum unit, a junior curator camp, research library access, and a picnic area. Two weeks advance notice is required for groups of 10 or more. Groups may reserve the picnic area. Tours can be customized to fit visitor interests. Appointments are required for library access.

Babylon Village Historical Society and Museum [NY]

Description

The Babylon Village Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Babylon, NY and the surrounding area. To this end, the society operates a museum of local history. Exhibit topics include 19th-century life, historic farming tools, Victorian life, and life in the 1920s-1940s.

The society offers exhibits, a scholarship, and a fourth grade educational program.

Spokane Sea Services Museum [WA]

Description

The Spokane Sea Services Museum chronicles the history of the USS Spokane, a Jeneau-class cruiser that made its maiden voyage in 1945 at the tail end of World War II. The museum hosts an impressive collection of USS Spokane artifacts an memorabilia.

The museum offers exhibits and guided tours. The website offers basic visitor information regarding the museum, a brief history of the ship, and a photo gallery of the ship.