Wilton House Museum [VA]

Description

The Wilton House is a circa 1753 Georgian style home, once the center of the Randolph family's tobacco plantation. Site guests included Washington, Jefferson, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Collections date from the 18th- and 19th-century, and assist in the interpretation of the mid-18th-century plantation owner lifestyle and the story of the Wilton House and its residents. The site is furnished to the specifications of an 1815 survey.

The museum offers exhibits, period rooms, curriculum-based tours for students, hands-on activities for students, an outreach program for students, an after school program, a day trip to local sites for students, group tours, Scout tours, and summer camps. Two weeks advance notice is required for school tours. Please mention at the time of reservation if disability accommodations are needed.

Bostonian Society and Old State House Museum [MA]

Description

The Bostonian Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Boston, Massachusetts. To this end, the society operates the Old State House Museum. The museum presents information on the Old State House itself, the Boston Massacre, Boston and the Revolutionary War, staff favorite artifacts, and architectural conservation and preservation, among other topics. The Old State House itself was built in 1713 to house local government offices.

The society offers interactive and traditional exhibits, a multimedia presentation, guided student tours, self-guided student tours, an educational program for students, self-guided group tours, guided group tours, wayside historical markers, research library access, research assistance, and teacher workshops. Groups of 10 or more are required to make reservations at least three weeks in advance. The library is open by appointment only. Non-member library use requires payment of a fee, and is limited to two-hour sessions. The museum is not wheelchair accessible. The website offers virtual exhibits, lesson plans, primary documents, pre- and post-visit activities, a scavenger hunt and self-guided tour for use on site, and an online Boston Massacre game.

San Diego Air and Space Museum [CA]

Description

The Museum provides visitors with a journey through the history of flight. Visitors may stand beneath a model of the Montgolfier brothers' hot air balloon of 1783—the first manned vehicle in recorded history to lift man above the Earth. They can view specimens of aircraft from World War I, or marvel at the antics of the barnstormers of the 1920s. Mint condition aircraft help visitors appreciate the increasingly complex technology represented in the classic military aircraft of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and exhibits on space flight project aeronautics into the future.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, research library access, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Danbury Museum and Historical Society [CT]

Description

The Danbury Museum and Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of New England. Particular emphasis is given to that of Danbury, Connecticut. The Danbury Museum includes the circa 1785 John and Mary Rider House, circa 1790 Dodd Hat Shop, Marian Anderson Studio, and Charles Ives Birthplace. Additional exhibits and a research library are located within Huntington Hall. Marian Anderson (1897-1993) was an internationally recognized contralto, while Charles Ives (1874-1954) is known for his career as a Modernist composer.

The society offers exhibits, summer camps, and research assistance. Fees are charged for research conducted on request. The library is only accessible to museum members.

Greater Cape May Historical Society and the Colonial House [NJ]

Description

The Greater Cape May Historical Society operates the Colonial House. The Colonial House was built prior to the Revolutionary War. Memucan Hughes, member of an area whaling family, used the site as a tavern during the Revolution. His eldest son later used the building as a residence. The site presents the Hughes' life in historic Cape May, New Jersey.

The house offers exhibits.

Historic Bath [NC]

Description

European settlement near the Pamlico River in the 1690s led to the founding of Bath, North Carolina's first town, in 1705. By 1708, Bath had 50 people and 12 houses. It soon became North Carolina's first port. Political rivalries, Indian wars, and piracy marked its early years, but in 1746 Bath was considered for the colony's capital. However, when county government moved away in the late 1700s, Bath lost most of its importance and trade. Its original town limits encompass a historic district today. Restoration efforts in Bath have saved the St. Thomas Church, the Palmer-Marsh House, Van Der Veer House (circa 1790), and the Bonner House (circa 1830).

The site offers a short film, exhibits, tours, educational programs, film screenings, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Historic Columbus Foundation [GA]

Description

The Historic Columbus Foundation primarily functions as an advocate for historical preservation and heritage tourism in Columbus, GA. However, the foundation also operates the Heritage Corner, which consists of an early 19th-century log cabin, the 1828 Federal Walker-Peters-Langdon House, 1840s Woodruff Farm House, the Greek Revival Victorian Pemberton House, and the Italian-villa style Janice Persons Biggers House. The Pemberton House served as the residence of Dr. John Stith Pemberton, creator of the original Coca-Cola recipe, between 1855 and 1860. All of the above properties are furnished to the style of their respective period. The lower floors of the Rankin House, the foundation's headquarters, also serve as a historic house museum, focusing on the years between 1850 and 1870. The society's final public site is the Heritage Park, which is an outdoor recreation area with interpretive panels.

The foundation offers period rooms, tours, curriculum-based guided student tours and programs, a park, and wayside interpretive panels. Reservations are required for all student tours and programs.

Hanford-Silliman House [CT]

Description

The circa 1764 Hanford-Silliman House served as New Canaan's tavern and inn or "ordinary" at a time when towns were required by law to have such an establishment available for travelers. The interior is furnished to period.

The site offers period rooms and guided tours.

Mount Airy Mansion [MD]

Description

The Mount Airy Mansion dates back to colonial times when it was the home of the Calvert family. The home was originally built by Charles Calvert, Third Lord of Baltimore, as a hunting lodge. Today, the home stands as a historic house museum, and gives visitors a glimpse into the lives of the colonial elite.

The mansion offers guided tours and special events. The website offers a brief history of the mansion, a photo gallery of the mansion, visitor information, and a listing of upcoming events.

Sotterley Foundation and Plantation [MD]

Description

The Sotterley Plantation, built in 1703, is one of the oldest examples of colonial architecture in Maryland's Tidewater region. The plantation was built by James Bowles, a wealthy British tobacco merchant and later owned by the Plater family, which included Maryland's sixth governor, George Plater III. The plantation was favored by George Washington and may have served as a model for his home, Mount Vernon. The site also includes a slave cabin, gardens, and several 18th-century outbuildings.

School groups may take the standard plantation tour (mansion and gardens), a specialized tour with a more personal feel, or a self-guided tour. Groups may opt to dine on the portico after their tour. The site also offers a variety of educational programs for students of all ages, focusing on Maryland history, agriculture and daily life, and the environment.