Pensacola Historical Society and Museum [FL]

Description

The Pensacola Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Pensacola, FL and its people. To this end, the society operates a resource center, housing the society collections, and a museum of local history. Permanent exhibits address maritime history, the Navy and Army, Pensacola's multicultural community, forts and the Civil War, and Native American life. Collections include costume, tools, housewares, furnishings, office equipment, and manuscripts.

The society offers exhibits, guided student tours, self-guided student tours with or without a scavenger hunt, traveling trunks, customizable outreach presentations, student historical research awards, and archive and collection access. Archive and collection access is free to students and members. Traveling trunk topics include Native American history, Jewish history, the Civil War, and British Pensacola.

Fort Ridgely Historic Site [MN]

Description

The soldiers of Fort Ridgely, erected in 1853, served to monitor and control the actions of settlers in land recently sold by the Eastern Dakota. The Dakota, also known as the Eastern Sioux, moved to a reservation after being convinced to give up the land. However, crop failure, the government's lack of commitment to its assurances, and unethical fur trade practice led the Dakota to directly attack the fort during the 1862 U.S.-Dakota war. The federal government was victorious, providing the fort with reinforcements.

The site offers tours for groups and students.

Caldwell Heritage Museum [NC]

Description

The Caldwell Heritage Museum presents the history of Caldwell County, NC. Collections include medical, musical, and military artifacts, as well as historic cameras. Permanent exhibits detail county history from pre-colonial times to present day. Exhibit topics include local Native Americans, pioneers and the Revolutionary War, county formation, the Civil War, the fire department, railroads, furniture and industries, the military, children's lives, vernacular tools, local schools, and Davenport College. The museum is located within the final Davenport College structure. The college offered higher education opportunities to women between 1855 and 1933.

The museum offers exhibits and a reading and listening room. If local schools are closed, dismissed early, or have delayed openings due to weather, the museum schedule will be altered for the day.

Western Heritage Center [MT]

Description

The Western Heritage Center seeks to share the human history of the Yellowstone River Valley and the Northern Plains. The center ventures to do so through all relevant perspectives, including those of Native Americans, U.S. military men, Asians, Africans, Europeans, Russians, and French trappers. Permanent exhibits include the artistic works of J.K. Ralston (1896-1987), his studio cabin, and an overview of Montana's Native American tribes. The latter exhibit presents Crow and Northern Cheyenne oral histories gathered by the center. The site is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

The museum offers exhibits, period rooms, student tours of exhibits, museum and historic site tours for a wide variety of groups, archive access, monthly presentations, traveling exhibits, and traveling trunks. Archive access is by appointment only. The website offers a virtual exhibit.

Phoenix Museum of History [AZ]

Description

The Phoenix Museum of History presents the historical development of Phoenix, AZ and the Salt River Valley. Exhibits topics include the first area general store, local people and places of note, and the Hohokam, among other subjects. Main interpretive focuses include archaeology, prehistory, family life, transportation, business, industry, and architecture.

The museum offers exhibits, curriculum-based program and tour options, a fourth grade outreach program, Scout programs, and research library access. Student programs must be scheduled at least four weeks in advance.

Chenango County Historical Society Museum [NY]

Description

The Chenango County Historical Society Museum presents the local history of Chenango County, NY. The museum is housed within the 1892 Ward School No. 2. Exhibits address Native American life, railways, the Chenango Canal, china, glassware, military history, costume, Victorian life, pioneer life, and local craft and medical trades. The site also includes an 1800 through 1850 period room and an 1854 schoolhouse.

The museum offers exhibits, a period room, research library access, and research assistance. The schoolhouse is open by request. Please call in cases of severe weather to ascertain that the museum is open. A fee is charged for genealogical research conducted upon request. Advance notice is requested for library use.

Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site [CO]

Description

The 230-acre Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site is a living history farm depicting Ute and Plains Indian life circa 1775 and life on an 1860s homestead, 1880s home and ranch, and 1907 Edwardian estate. Cows, horses, chickens, and sheep are kept on site.

The site offers exhibits, period rooms, a junior docent program, and concerts. The site is open between June 6th and August 16th.

Tennessee State Library and Archives

Description

The Tennessee State Library and Archives collects publications and archival materials relevant to the history of Tennessee. Collections include manuscript materials, birth and death records, census records, county records, governors' papers, military records, Native-American and African-American records, newspapers, maps, photographs, postcards, state records, and Tennessee legislative records.

The website offers research library and archives access as well as virtual exhibits, lesson plans, primary sources, and an archive of digitized primary sources.

Gem County Historical Society and Historical Village Museum [ID]

Description

The Gem County Historical Society of Gem County, ID operates the Historical Village Museum. The museum complex contains a museum of the history of Emmett, ID; the circa 1900 cottage of the fifth governor of Idaho (1901-1903), Frank W. Hunt; the Little Red Schoolhouse; the Bunkhouse; and the Blacksmith Shop. The Hunt cottage contains its original furnishings. The Bunkhouse presents information on indigenous animal species and the local cattle and sheep industries. Topics addressed in the local history museum include Native American life, irrigation, the fruit industry, settlers, trappers, and miners. Collection highlights include a "coyote gun" and a broom maker dating to the 1880s.

The society offers exhibits, period rooms, and presentations and tours for students.

Vermont State Historical Society and Museum

Description

The Vermont State Historical Society presents the history of the state of Vermont from the days of Abenaki dominance to circa 2000. To this end, the society operates a museum and a history and genealogy research library. The Vermont History Museum's permanent exhibit depicts change over time through a series of full-size period settings, interpreting the state motto, "Freedom and Unity." Collection highlights include the document which officially admitted Vermont to the Union and shoe buckles once worn by Ethan Allen (1738-1789), who helped capture Fort Ticonderoga in 1775.

The society offers exhibits, curriculum-based guided student tours with hands-on activities, curriculum-based student educational programs, traveling trunk rentals, a lending library for educators, in-service educator training, family workshops, and research library access. Students and members may use the library free of charge. The website offers virtual exhibits, transcriptions of select manuscripts and Civil War diaries and letters, historical photographs, and lesson plans.