Locust Grove: The Samuel Morse Historic Site [NY]

Description

The 180-acre Locust Grove is the estate of Samuel F.B. Morse (1791-1872), patent holder on the electromagnetic telegraph and creator of an early version of Morse code. The site contains an Italianate villa, housing a collection of European and American art and decorative arts. The grounds hold gardens. Exhibits include telegraph technology and paintings by Morse himself. Morse lived on the estate between 1847 and his death in 1872.

The site offers an introductory film, exhibits, period rooms, five curriculum-based educational programs, a summer day camp, guided tours of the villa, 100-minute group gardens and grounds tours, 2-hour group villa and gardens tours, and trails. Reservations are required for all group tours.

Minisink Valley Historical Society and the Fort Decker Museum of History [NY]

Description

The Minisink Valley Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of the Minisink Valley which stretches across New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. To this end, the society operates the Fort Decker Museum of History. The structure was originally built in 1760 as a defensive center against Native American attack and as a trading post.

The society offers archival access, exhibits, and 50-minute outreach slide presentations. Appointments are required for archival access. Slide presentation topics include author Stephen Crane, the Delaware and Hudson Canal, artist John Newton Howitt, cemetery history, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the bluestone industry. The website offers a small collection of music and historical photographs.

James J. Hill House [MN]

Description

The 1891 Gilded Age James J. Hill House served as the residence of James J. Hill (1838-1916), chief executive officer of several Great Northern Railway lines; his family; and their servants. The interpretive focuses include family life and the life of the home's domestic servants. Other topics covered include Hill's career; architecture; interior design; and period heating, power, communication, and lighting systems. Hill's original gallery now displays art exhibits.

The house offers residence tours, exhibits, 75-minute tours of the residence for students, video or slide show introductory programs for students, late 19th-century skill workshops for children, 90-minute walking tours and 45-minute bus tours of the Summit Avenue neighborhood, lectures, concerts, and dramatic performances. Reservations are required for field trips. The website offers a word search.

The Paine Art Center and Gardens [WI]

Description

The Paine Art Center and Gardens are located in the historic Paine Mansion, which was built in the early 1930s for the Nathan Paine and his wife, wealthy logging and milling moguls. Today, the center preserves both the historic home and serves as a showcase for the Paine family's art collection.

The center offers exhibits and galleries, guided tours of the center, and special events. The website offers a history of the home, a calendar of events, visitor information, and a virtual tour of the mansion.

Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum [OR]

Description

The Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum presents the history of Mt. Hood, an active volcano. Exhibits address Mt. Hood's natural history, as well as that of skiing, exploring, and the forest service on Mt. Hood. The center also devotes space to an exhibit of fine arts. Collections include sporting equipment and clothing, as well as artifacts related to natural history, the forest service, local history, and Barlow Road.

The center offers exhibits. During June through August the center also offers talks and daily guided walks.

Ryerss Museum and Library [PA]

Description

The Ryerss Museum and Library served as the home of Joseph Ryerss and his family during the second half of the 19th century. The Ryerss were great collectors of international art and the home today includes an Asian gallery, a European gallery, as well as many of the Ryerss' personal items and restored living rooms.

The Museum offers group tours free of charge and a library for student and teacher research.

The Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum [OH]

Description

The Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum contains permanent exhibits about Native Americans, Ohio history, East Asia, and 18th- and 19th-century European and American art, as well as art and history temporary exhibits. Native American artifacts date to prehistory and the 19th century. The East Asian collection includes artifacts from the 18th and 19th centuries, decorative arts, and weaponry.

The museum offers exhibits, guided tours for children, hands-on activities, and educational outreach programs.

Roosevelt's Little White House Historic Site [GA]

Description

Roosevelt's Little White House Historic Site is located in Warm Springs, Georgia, where then Governor of New York Franklin Roosevelt came in order to help heal his polio. Today, the home serves as a historic house museum, and is preserved in much the same way as it was during Roosevelt's time in the home. The house is also home to the "Unfinished Portrait," which was being painted when Roosevelt died.

The home offers guided tours and exhibits, including the famous "Unfinished Portrait." The website offers a brief history of the home, a photo gallery,and visitor information.

Fendall Hall [AL]

Description

Fendall Hall is one of Alabama's outstanding Italianate houses and contains elaborate and rare interior decorative painting dating from the 1880s. Completed in 1860 by Edward and Anna Young, it was home to five generations of the Young family. Among its many treasures are family and period furnishings, marble mantles, and a black and white marble tiled entry. The five-acre site includes gardens and archaeological features.

The site offers tours and occasional recreational and educational events.

Howard County Center of African American Culture [MD]

Description

The Howard County Center of African American Culture presents local and national African American history. The site includes both period rooms depicting typical 19th-century African American residential settings in Howard County, Maryland and exhibits celebrating the inventions and artwork created by African Americans.

The center offers period rooms and exhibits.