Watson Farm

Description

Before European settlement, Native Americans planted their crops of corn and beans on Conanicut Island overlooking Narragansett Bay. In 1789, Job Watson purchased a piece of this rich farmland, and for the next two centuries, five successive generations of the Watson family cultivated the land, changing their crops and practices as needed to adapt to the evolving market. Today, the property is still a working family farm. The farmers raise cattle and sheep for beef, lamb, and wool markets; grow acres of grass for winter hay supplies; make compost for fertilizer; and cultivate a large vegetable garden. The 1796 house, still used as the farmers' residence, is not open to the public. Visitors are welcome to explore the farmland on their own, following a self-guided walking tour. Educational programs and group tours are available by appointment.

The farm offers tours and educational programs.

Sloane Stanley Museum

Description

A man of great energy and many talents, Eric Sloane (1905&150;1985) was a prolific artist, author, and illustrator and an avid collector of Americana. His extensive collection of hand tools is displayed in a building gifted to the State by the Connecticut-based Stanley Works to mark the company's 125th anniversary. The collection reveals an American heritage of craftsmanship. Adjacent to the museum, Sloane himself built a pioneer cabin as described by Noah Blake in Diary of An Early American Boy, an 1805 diary published by Sloane. The Kent Iron Furnace, which is on the museum property, began production of pig iron in 1826 and continued for almost 70 years. The remains of the granite blast furnace with its Gothic arches can be seen just below the museum.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, and educational and recreational programs.

Waterville Historical Society [ME]

Description

"The Redington Museum offers a comprehensive and charming view of life in Waterville during the past two centuries. Fascinating collections of furniture, accessories, household artifacts, toys, tools, and weapons as well as historical papers and diaries, are located in an elegant Federal-style home at 62 Silver Street. The museum is a civic treasure, maintained and supported with pride by the Waterville Historical Society. Waterville has had a long and varied history of commerce, agriculture, and manufacturing that in turn supported a lively community bound together by educational institutions, the arts, sports, politics, social and recreational activities. A visit to the Redington Museum affords accurate and engaging insights into the lives of the people who lived here."

Thompson-Ames Historical Society of Gilford and Museums [NH]

Description

The Thompson-Ames Historical Society of Gilford seeks to preserve and share the history of Gilford, NH and its people. Particular emphasis is given to Gilford's agricultural history. The society operates three museum structures—the 1834 Union Meetinghouse, John J. Morrill Store of 1857, and the circa 1838 Benjamin Rowe House. The Meetinghouse holds local history exhibits which address religion, leisure activities, military history, and agriculture. The site also contains a Victorian period room and town hall and schoolhouse settings. Highlights include a horsehair sofa, ice fishing equipment, and an eight-foot traverse sled. The Greek Revival Morrill Store used to serve as the meeting place for a farmer's organization. The interior contains an 1800s homestead living room setting; an 1857 store setting; a circa 1940 kitchen; historic signs; musical instruments; and artifacts related to the Grange, New Hampshire government, and local theater. The Greek Revival Benjamin Rowe House is furnished to the style of the 19th and early 20th centuries on the ground floor and the 20th century on the upper floor.

The society offers exhibits, period rooms, tours, school tours, and archive access. Archival materials include transcriptions and recordings of oral histories.

Historic Governors' Mansion [WY]

Description

This Colonial Revival Executive Mansion served as home to Wyoming's governors and their families for 71 years (1905 to 1976). The history embodied in this mansion brings to life the people who served the State of Wyoming and the Nation from this location. Perhaps the greatest distinction of the home is that in 1925 it was the first in the United States to be occupied by a woman governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross. Today, Mansion is open to the public as a historic house museum; it now reflects decor from 1905, 1937, 1955, and 1960s era throughout the home.

The mansion offers exhibits and tours.

Lighthouse Field State Beach and Santa Cruz Surfing Museum [CA]

Description

Also known as Point Santa Cruz, this beach forms the northern boundary of Monterey Bay. It is one of the last open headlands in any California urban area. Housed in the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse, the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum traces over 100 years of surfing history as it relates to Santa Cruz. Visitors to the museum can enjoy a spectacular view of Santa Cruz and the Monterey Bay while overlooking Steamer Lane, an internationally known surfing site. Museum displays include surf boards ranging from redwood "planks" to modern high-tech designs, early wetsuits, photographs showing Santa Cruz surfers and wave riding from the 1930s through today, and continuous videos illustrating surfing's ever-changing styles.

The museum offers exhibits and occasional recreational and educational events.

Western North Carolina Air Museum

Description

The Western North Carolina Air Museum presents historical aircraft in a hands-on setting. Original aircraft on site date from 1930 to 1949, within a period known as the Golden Age of General Aviation. Highlights include a Stearman N2S-4, SNJ-5 Texan, and Piper J2 and J3 Cubs.

The museum offers exhibits and docents ready to answer questions and share stories.

New Jersey State Police Museum & Learning Center

Description

"A visit to the New Jersey State Police Museum & Learning Center provides the opportunity to learn the distinguished history of the nation's most diversified state law enforcement agency. Students learn the history of the State of New Jersey through the historic development of the State Police. Beginning with the State Grange era, through periods of population growth and economic changes, the New Jersey State Police have kept in step, meeting the changing needs of the citizens of the state."