Berrien County Historical Association and The History Center at Courthouse Square [MI]

Description

The Berrien County Historical Association seeks to preserve and share the history of Berrien County, Michigan, founded in 1831. To this end, the society operates The History Center at Courthouse Square. Sights include the 1839 Court House, complete with reproduction furnishings and local history exhibits; two reconstructed jail cells; the circa 1830 Murdock Log House, also stocked with period furnishings; and Bennett's Forge, a working blacksmith shop.

The association offers exhibits, tours, student tours, a mock trial educational program for students, living history outreach programs for schools, lectures, and archives access. Please call ahead to schedule use of the archives, plan school visits, or request outreach programming. Outreach program options include talks by a Civil War soldier or French voyageur.

Osborne Homestead Museum [CT]

Description

Adjacent to the rolling hills and open meadows of Osbornedale State Park, the recently renovated Osborne Homestead Museum encompasses the house and grounds of the former Frances Osborne Kellogg Estate. Originally constructed in the mid-1800s, the house was enlarged and completely remodeled in the Colonial Revival style during the 1920s. Its restored interior now displays the original contents of the estate, which constitutes a significant collection of antiques and fine arts.

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

Spartansburg County Historical Association and Museums [SC]

Description

The Spartansburg County Historical Association seeks to preserve and share the history of Spartansburg County, South Carolina. To this end, the society operates three historical sites and a regional museum. The Seay House began as a Scots-Irish one-story log home, built before 1850. This residence is most like the dwelling of an average early inhabitant of the Spartansburg area. Interpretation focuses on late 19th- and early 20th-century women's lives. The circa 1795 Price House grounds also include a kitchen building and double-pen slave cabin. The home served as a residence and bed and breakfast. Interpretation focuses on the original owners, Thomas and Anne Price. The circa 1765 Walnut Grove Plantation includes a plantation home, Rocky Spring Academy, a forge, a meat house, a kitchen building, a well house, a barn, and the reconstructed office of the region's earliest physician to have received collegiate training. The site depicts area life prior to 1805. The Regional History Museum's permanent exhibits address an chronological overview of Spartansburg area developments, textiles, military history, and locally made furniture.

The Seay House offers period rooms, interpretive signage, and school tours. The Price House offers period rooms and guided tours. Walnut Grove Plantation offers guided tours of the home, kitchen, and Rocky Spring Academy; self-guided grounds tours; a nature trail; and the Moore family cemetery. The Regional History Museum offers student tours, curriculum-based programs for students, exhibits, traveling trunks, and summer camps. Reservations are required for school tours to the Seay House and for groups of 10 or more visiting the Price House and/or Walnut Grove Plantation. Visitors to the cemetery are asked to remain on the trail.

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.

Historic Deerfield [MA]

Description

In historic Deerfield, visitors can step back into early America as they tour 11 house museums, exploring hundreds of years of history along an original, mile-long street. Two houses, the Stebbins House and Sheldon House, are available for self-guided tours all day during the regular season.

The site offers exhibits, tours, workshops, educational programs, research library access, and recreational and educational events.

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.

McFaddin-Ward House [TX]

Description

The 1906 Beaux Arts Colonial McFaddin-Ward House presents the history of its residents and that of the Beaumont, TX area between 1906 and 1950. The McFaddins were involved in real estate, trapping, rice farming, rice milling, cattle, and oil. The grounds contain historic gardens. The carriage house contains period rooms and exhibits addressing the McFaddin's business interests and automobiles.

The house offers a 10-minute introductory film, period rooms, exhibits, guided tours, gardens, self-guided carriage house tours, and seventh grade tours. Guided tours consist of no more than eight visitors, and children under eight are not permitted. Spike heels cannot be worn in the residence. The home is not wheelchair accessible. The website offers pre-tour information and post-visit suggestions for educators.

The Snyder Estate [NY]

Description

The Century House, also known as the Snyder Estate, is the former home of Andrew Snyder, and was a small family farm until the discovery of natural cement in the region in 1825. The area experienced impressive industrial growth up to the 1970s, and was the United State's largest producer of cement during that time.

The estate offers guided tours of the Century House, Widow Jane Mine, and Cement Industry Museum. The estate also offers field trip programs, outreach programs, and special events. The website offers visitor information, a history of the estate, and information regarding upcoming events.

Sparta Rock House [TN]

Description

The small, stone Rock House, originally built to collect tolls on a private road, was built between 1835 and 1839 by Barlow Fiske, who operated a stagecoach inn and stables nearby. It played an important role in the early development of Tennessee's transportation system. Andrew Jackson often stopped here on trips from Nashville to Washington. Other notable visitors included James K. Polk, Sam Houston, and Frank Clement, all once governors of the Volunteer State.

The house offers tours.

This is the Place Heritage Park [UT]

Description

Visitors can journey back in time at Old Deseret Village, a collection of more than 40 historic homes and buildings brought to life by historical interpreters. This is the Place Monument, located in the park, marks the end of the 1,300-mile Mormon trail.

The park offers exhibits, tours, educational programs, demonstrations, and educational and recreational events (including living history events).