Gropius House

Description

Walter Gropius, founder of the German design school known as the Bauhaus, was one of the most influential architects of the 20th century. He designed this house as his family home in 1937, when he came to teach at Harvard's Graduate School of Design. Modest in scale, the house was revolutionary in impact. It combined the traditional elements of New England architecture—wood, brick, and fieldstone—with innovative materials rarely used in domestic settings at that time—glass block, acoustical plaster, and chrome banisters, along with the latest technology in fixtures. In keeping with Bauhaus philosophy, every aspect of the house and its surrounding landscape was planned for maximum efficiency and simplicity of design. The house contains an important collection of furniture designed by Marcel Breuer and made for the Gropiuses in the Bauhaus workshops.

The house offers tours and educational and recreational programs.

Victorville Fire Museum [CA]

Description

The Victorville Fire Museum presents a collection of firefighting equipment and memorabilia dating from the 1930s, as well as artifacts and information pertinent to the historical development of the Victorville Fire Department. The museum is housed in one of the city's earliest fire stations, Station No. 1.

The museum offers exhibits and tours.

Governor's Mansion State Historic Park [CA]

Description

California's executive mansion, popularly known as the Governor's Mansion, was built in 1877 for Albert and Clemenza Gallatin. Albert was a partner in the Sacramento hardware store of Huntington & Hopkins. The State of California purchased the house from Joseph and Louisa Steffens to use as a home for California's first families in 1903 for $32,500. Victorian architecture was somewhat out of style by then, but the house was suitably impressive, conveniently located, and comfortable. Today's guests see marble fireplaces from Italy, gold-framed mirrors from France, and exquisitely handcrafted hinges and doorknobs, all of which are reminders of the Gallatins and the Victorian era. Outside some of the Mansion's abundant vegetation includes flowers, shrubs, and trees dating back to 1877. When visitors look behind the grape-stake fence and see Governor Brown's swimming pool built in 1959, they are reminded that the Governor's Mansion State Historic Park is really a walk through time.

The park offers tours and occasional recreational and educational events.

Senator George Norris State Historic Site [NE]

Description

George Norris spent over 40 years representing Nebraskans in the United States Congress, but he always returned to his humble house in McCook, which served as his home base from 1902 to 1944. At the Norris House, visitors will discover the fascinating story of the father of the Rural Electrification Act, the Tennessee Valley Authority Act, and Nebraska's one-house legislature. Exhibits located in the basement of the house trace the senator's life and career.

The site offers tours, exhibits, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Tillamook Air Museum [OR]

Description

The Tillamook Air Museum, housed in a WWII blimp hangar, is one of the top five privately owned aircraft collections in the United States. Collection highlights include over 30 war planes—a P–38 Lightning, F4U–Corsair, P51–Mustang, PBY Catalina, and SBD Dauntless dive bomber—pieces of the Hindenburg, and a WWII Luftwaffe flight jacket.

The museum offers exhibits, a jet simulator, and a cafe.

Hagley Museum and Library [DE]

Description

Hagley Museum and Library collects, preserves, and interprets the unfolding history of American enterprise. Hagley is the site of the gunpowder works founded by E. I. du Pont in 1802. This example of early American industry includes restored mills, a workers' community, and the ancestral home and gardens of the du Pont family.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, educational programs, research library access, demonstrations, and recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum [IA]

Description

The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum is a nationally recognized center for the study of 20th–century history and the American presidency, as well as offering exhibits relevant to the life of Herbert Hoover (1874–1964), 31st President of the United States.

The site offers exhibits, a research library, guided tours, and special events including concerts and reenactments. The website offers a variety of other online sources for students and educators, including lesson plans; games; digital image archives; digital copies of major Hoover documents; and information and activities focusing on the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957), pioneer and author of Little House in the Big Woods and its sequels.

High Plains Historical Society and The Northern Drylanders Museum [CO]

Description

The High Plains Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Northern Weld County, Colorado. To this end, the society operates The Northern Drylanders Museum. Located within the 1934 Old Nunn Municipal Hall, the museum presents information and artifacts of local historical interest.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, lectures, and outreach presentations. Reservations are required for group tours.

Oakleigh Historic House [AL]

Description

The Oakleigh Historic House presents society, working class, and servant life in the mid 20th century along the Gulf Coast. The Greek Revival structure was built circa 1833 as the home of James W. Roper, cotton factor. The 1850 Cook's house served as the property slave quarters, and the 1850 Cox-Deasy House presents local history circa World War II.

The site offers period rooms and guided tours of the main house.

President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site [VT]

Description

The President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site presents Calvin Coolidge's (1872-1933) boyhood home, which also served as the site where he was sworn in as the 30th President of the United States following the death of Warren Harding. The site has been restored to its appearance in 1923, the year in which the aforementioned event took place. In addition to Coolidge's home, the public can also visit the Plymouth Cheese Factory, created by Coolidge's father; a general store; a church; several barns; the dance hall turned temporary White House; heritage gardens; and the home in which Coolidge was born.

The museum offers period rooms and exhibits on Coolidge's life, horse-drawn vehicles, and farming equipment, among other topics.