Keweenaw National Historical Park [MI]

Description

Keweenaw National Historical Park presents the history of mining Keweenaw copper reserves between 7,000 years ago and the 1900s. Long used by the Native American populations such as the Ojibwa to create tools and beads, the copper mines were targeted by immigrants in the mineral rushes of the 1800s.

The park offers an information desk, outdoor activities, 90-minute guided Junior Ranger programs, 90-minute guided Calumet walking tours, 90-minute guided walking tours of the Quincy Copper Mining Company surface ruins, self-guided tours, monthly history presentations, and archival access. Appointments are required for archival access, and the historic building housing the archives is not wheelchair accessible. The website offers a mining timeline and a 45-minute PowerPoint park overview, available to educators upon request.

The park includes 19 sub-sites managed by partner organizations. Most activities are offered by these organizations, rather than by the National Park Service. The sub-sites are the Adventure Mining Company, A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum, Calumet Theatre, Chassell Heritage Center, Copper Range Historical Museum, Coppertown Mining Museum, Delaware Copper Mine, Finnish American Heritage Center and Historical Archive, Fort Wilkins Historic State Park, Hanka Homestead Museum, Houghton County Historical Museum, Keweenaw County Historical Society, Keweenaw Heritage Center at St. Anne's, Laurium Manor Mansion Tours, Old Victoria, Ontonagon County Historical Society, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Quincy Mine and Hoist, and Upper Peninsula Fire Fighters Memorial Museum.

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site [CO]

Description

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site consists of a reconstructed 1840s fur trade post. The structures are made of adobe, and the fort sits along the Santa Fe Trail. Built in 1833, the fort soon became central to the activities of the Bent, St.Vrain Company, particularly the trade with the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho peoples for buffalo robes. In 1846, during the Mexican-American War, Colonel Stephen Watts Kearny used the fort to assemble his troops. Trade at the post involved U.S. citizens, Native Americans, and Mexicans.

The site offers a 20-minute introductory film, self-guided tours, tours led by costumed interpreters, demonstrations, school tours and demonstrations, living history encampments which qualify for continuing education credit, a traveling trunk, children's encampments, and Junior Ranger activities. The website offers video podcasts of trade demonstrations, a narrated virtual tour, a video presentation of the experiences of Lewis Garrard (1846-1847) at Bent's Old Fort, and lesson plans.

Fort Davis National Historic Site [TX]

Description

The Fort Davis National Historic Site consists of a surviving frontier Indian Wars fort, used between 1854 and 1891. The soldiers of the fort sought to protect travelers along the San Antonio-El Paso Road and the Chihuahua Trail from Native American attack. The Comanche and Apache peoples proved to be the greatest concern for the fort. Five structures on site have been returned to their 1880s appearances, and are fully furnished. Visitors can also explore 20 other buildings and more than 50 ruins.

The site offers a 15-minute introductory film, period rooms, self-guided tours, one- to three-hour educational programs, costumed interpreters, audio programming, Junior Ranger activities, traveling trunks, hiking trails, and a picnic site. Junior Ranger activity booklets are available in large print and in braille. Reservations are required for school groups. The website offers curricula.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park [WV]

Description

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park presents living history interpretations of past area events and daily life. Harpers Ferry events include the 1859 John Brown's Raid, constant Civil War action, the Niagara Movement's second conference, military industrialization, and the convergence of two railroads and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal circa 1835.

The park offers exhibits, trails, guided tours, self-guided tours, self-guided educational hikes and scavenger hunts, guided educational programs which meet state educational standards, educator workshops, Junior Ranger activities, and picnic areas. The website offers historic photographs, curricula, and a lesson plan.

Fort Laramie National Historic Site [WY]

Description

The Fort Laramie National Historic Site commemorates Fort Laramie. Originally constructed in 1841 as a privately owned fur trade fort, the settlement was known as Fort John. It acquired its new name in 1849, after the U.S. Army purchased the outpost in order to protect travelers on the Oregon Trail from the local Native American populations. The United States and the Plains Indians honored the Treaty of 1851, which demanded peace from both parties, for only three years. During the 1860s, fort soldiers were primarily concerned with maintaining nearby telegraph wires. Collections include 19th-century frontier artifacts.

The fort offers an 18-minute introductory film, exhibits, Junior Ranger activities, and an audio tour for rental. The audio tour includes narration, readings from primary source documents, and soundscapes. The website offers a virtual tour.

Homestead National Monument of America [NE]

Description

The Homestead National Monument of America addresses the impact of the Homestead Act of 1862 on agriculture, Native Americans, national land policy, the prairies, industrialization, and immigration. Sights include the 1872 one-room Freeman School, Heritage Center, Education Center, 1867 Palmer Epard Cabin, and restored tallgrass prairie. The cabin presents post-Civil War homestead life. The Freeman School has been restored to an 1870s appearance. Under the Homestead Act, anyone 21 or over and/or the head of a household could claim 160 acres of previously federally owned land as their own private property.

The monument offers an introductory film, interactive exhibits, Freeman School guided tours, trails, curriculum-based programs for students, Scout programs, interactive demonstrations, distance learning opportunities, and Junior Ranger activities. The school is open for tours on request. Classes can host a day of lessons within the Freeman School. The website offers historical photographs, videos of farming demonstrations, audio files of Abraham Lincoln's words, a curriculum guide, a math activity booklet, a coloring book, dot-to-dot activities, and a suggested reading list for students.

Ponzi's Scheme: True Story of a Financial Legend

Description

Professor Mitchell Zuckoff follows the life of Italian immigrant Charles Ponzi (1882-1949), legendary con man who set up the Securities Exchange Company, which promised investors massive returns on their investments based on the buying and trading of international postal reply coupons. The scheme, begun around 1918, collapsed in 1920 after the Boston Post revealed it to the public. The presentation includes slides.

Audio and video options are available.

Scam, Scandal, Murder, and Mayhem in Colonial Boston Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 01/04/2008 - 14:03
Description

COO of the New England Genealogical Society D. Brenton Simons explores the criminal history of colonial Boston. He examines such issues as murders and murderers, including a serial murderer; con men; and witch trials. His presentation includes slides.

Audio and video options are available.

North Shore Boston: Country Houses of Essex County Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 01/04/2008 - 14:03
Description

Preservation consultant Pamela Wilkinson Fox discusses historic country houses and mansions outlying the Boston area. Fox follows the trend of the rich and famous building country homes and communities along Massachusett's North Shore (Essex County), beginning in the 19th century. Her presentation includes slides.

Audio and video options are available.