Los Adaes State Historic Site [LA]

Description

Los Adaes State Historic Site commemorates the Presidio Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Los Adaes (Fort of Our Lady of Pilar at the Adaes), built by the Spanish in reaction to increasing French activity in the vicinity of east Texas. Los Adaes became the capital of the province of Texas in 1729. Although it would retain this title for 44 years, life at Los Adaes was difficult enough that inhabitants quickly became involved with illicit trade with the French in order to prevent starvation.

The site offers a historic structure, educational programs, and tours.

Historic Prophetstown [IN]

Description

Historic Prophetstown is located in the Wabash River Valley and is dedicated to giving its visitors a glimpse into life in the valley during the 19th and early 20th centuries. In addition, Historic Prophetstown has a reconstructed Woodland Indian Settlement.

Historic Prophetstown offers field trip programs, workshops, guided tours, interpretive events, and occasional special events such as storytelling and fairs. The website offers a teacher's guide to field trips at Historic Prophetstown, visitor information, and information regarding upcoming events and workshops.

Fort Humboldt State Historic Park [CA]

Description

This remote military post was established in 1853 to assist in conflict resolution between Native Americans and gold-seekers and settlers who had begun flooding into the area after the discovery of gold in the northern mines. Fort Humboldt was formally abandoned in 1870 and rapidly fell into decay. Today, only the hospital building remains out of the original fourteen structures. It is now a historical museum dedicated to telling the story of the Fort and the Native American groups, including the Wiyot, Hoopa and Yurok of this region. In the 1980s the Surgeon's Quarters was reconstructed and there are plans for its establishment as a period house museum. In 2001 an historic herb and vegetable garden was recreated adjacent to the Hospital. The park also includes a Logging Museum and open air displays of historic 19th- through mid-20th-century logging equipment including the Dolbeer Steam Donkey, "Lucy"; the Bear Harbor Lumber Company's Gypsy Locomotive #1; and the Elk River Mill and Lumber Company's #1 "Falk" locomotive.

The park offers exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events and programs.

Willamette Mission State Park [OR]

Description

The Willamette Mission State Park commemorates the location of the first mission created for Native Americans, founded 1834 by Reverend Jason Lee. The Wheatland Ferry, which carried the first covered wagon across the Willamette River in 1844, also has a landing in the park.

The park offers a monument, ghost structures (framed outlines) indicating the original buildings, and interpretive signage.

Historic Fort Steuben [OH]

Description

The Historic Fort Stueben is a reproduction fort built upon the site of the original. Dating to 1786, the original fort was built by the First American Regiment for the purpose of protecting surveyors from local Native American groups. Their safety thus bolstered, the surveyors were able to map the Northwest Territory (1789-1803), as requested by the Continental Congress. The site includes the First Federal Land Office (an original structure), officers' quarters, enlisted quarters, a quartermaster's office, artificer shop, hospital, and commissary. Topics covered include early Ohio history and the voyage of Lewis and Clarke (1803-1806).

The fort offers tours and demonstrations of surveying, blacksmithing, and flintknapping.

Issaquah Historical Society [WA]

Description

The Issaquah Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Issaquah, Washington and its immediate surroundings. The society operates two museums, the Gilman Town Hall Museum, which focuses on Issaquah history, and the Issaquah Depot Museum, which displays local railway history. The Gilman Town Hall Museum includes the 1914 town jail cells; research center; and a wide selection of artifacts, including an early water pipe, a Native American fur trade knife, and historical graffiti. The structure started as the town hall in the 1890s. The depot museum collections include a vintage caboose, railroad cars, and historical photographs; and is housed in an 1888 railway depot.

The Gilman Town Hall Museum offers exhibits and guided tours by appointment. The Issaquah Depot Museum offers exhibits and guided tours by appointment. A corresponding depot activity booklet can be downloaded from the website. The society offers educational kits for elementary education, which include appropriate lesson plans.

Historic Huguenot Street [NY]

Description

Historic Huguenot Street presents the story of 12 Huguenot refugees who travelled from southern Belgium and Northern France to the United States in 1678, where they bought land from the Esopus people and created a community in what is now New Paltz, New York. The six-acre site includes seven stone houses dating to the early 1700s, a burial ground, and a reconstructed 1717 stone church—all in their original setting. Architectural styles include Hudson Valley Dutch, early Georgian, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival. Archives focus on local history and genealogical documentation.

The site offers exhibits, period rooms for the 1700s and circa 1915, guided tours tailored to group interest, summer archaeology and educational programming, historic craft activities, a colonial-themed overnight program, a variety of educational modules which meet New York educational standards, and library and archival access. The website offers an online library catalog.

Fort Ligonier [PA]

Description

Fort Ligonier is an on-site reconstruction of an early U.S. fort, which stood between 1758 and 1766. The fort withstood the years of the French and Indian War (1754-1763) and Pontiac's War (instigated 1763). In addition to the fort itself and numerous outlying structures, the site displays reconstructions of mid-1700s "Conestoga" wagons. No Conestoga wagons survive to this day. The replica wagons are based on historical accounts and archaeological evidence. A museum serves as the entry point to the fort. Collection highlights include pistols given to George Washington by the Marquis de Lafayette, 13 original French and Indian War era paintings, and a period room with 18th and early 19th-century furnishings.

The fort offers exhibits, an 8-minute introductory video, a gallery, a period room, living history activities, reenactments, guided tours, and a picnic area. Reservations are required for tours.

Newton County Historical Society [AZ]

Description

The Newton County Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Newton County, Arizona. To this end, the society operates a museum and genealogical library with records from Newton and surrounding counties. Collections include the original post office boxes from the local post office, the county's first telephone switchboard, Native American artifacts, historical photographs, farming tools, and furniture.

The society offers museum exhibits.

The Oliver House Museum [NY]

Description

The Oliver House Museum is a historic house museum, focusing on the years 1852 through 1942. The 1852 Italianate structure contains artifacts from the family who resided in the home, as well as from the Yates County Genealogical & Historical Society collections. Topics covered by exhibits include Jemima Wilkinson (1752-1819), the first U.S. woman to found a religious movement (the Universal Friends), and Native Americans.

The museum offers guided tours and unguided exploration, period rooms, and exhibits.