Freetown Village [IN]

Description

Freetown Village presents the history and culture of the approximately 3,000 free African Americans known to have been living in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1870. The content focus is on the Fourth Ward, which is Indianapolis' oldest African American settlement.

The village offers a summer camp for five through 14 year old children, interactive plays, spiritual music performances, and hands-on children's workshops. With the exception of the summer camp, all programs are available as outreach programming in Indiana and nearby states.

Raynham Hall Museum [NY]

Description

The Raynham Hall Museum is a historic home depicting life between the 1770s and 1870s. Samuel Townsend, a prosperous international merchant, purchased the property in 1738. Townsend later served on the New York Provincial Congress. Between 1778 and 1779, the Queen's Rangers, led by English Lt. Col. John Graves Simcoe (1752-1806), made the Patriot family's home their headquarters. During this time, legend has it, Sally Townsend overheard Benedict Arnold's plan to surrender the West Point fort to the British; and informed the Culper Spy Ring about Benedict (1741-1801) and his accomplice Major John Andre (1750-1780). The site displays over 500 artifacts, including pieces owned by the Townsends and others made in Long Island.

The museum offers colonial and Victorian period rooms, colonial- and Victorian-style gardens, and children's summer workshops.

Bayfield Heritage Association and Heritage Center [WI]

Description

The Bayfield Heritage Association seeks to preserve and share the history of Bayfield and the Apostle Islands region, Wisconsin. To this end, the association operates the Bayfield Heritage Association Heritage Center. Key topics include settlement, logging, brownstone quarries, agriculture, fishing, tourism, and transportation.

The center offers exhibits, a period barbershop, tours, educational programs, and seminars. Upon request, the center will play filmed oral history interviews in which residents discuss when and how their families came to the area.

Hood River County Historical Museum [OR]

Description

Hood River County Historical Museum presents the socio-cultural history of Hood River County, Oregon. Topics addressed within permanent exhibits include the daily lives of pioneer, Native American, and area ethnic groups, as well as Japanese Internment after Pearl Harbor.

The museum offers exhibits, guided tours, self-guided tours, activity tours, research assistance, a traveling trunk on the local fruit industry, and several school tour options. All guided tours are customized to group needs. Payment is required for research assistance.

Huntingdon County Historical Society [PA]

Description

The Huntingdon County Historical Society is dedicated to preserving the historical heritage of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. The society seeks to achieve this aim through special presentations and through the society's three properties, the Mc Murtrie House Museum, the 1823 Shaver's Creek Presbyterian Church, and the J.C. Blair Company Museum.

The society offers guided tours of all of their properties, periodic lectures on local history, historical exhibits, and a research library. The website offers visitor information, genealogical research resources, and general information regarding the society.

Fort Benton [MT]

Description

Fort Benton is located on the banks of the Missouri River and served as a fur trading outpost. The fort was abandoned in the 1860s, and was occupied briefly by the U.S. military before it was finally abandoned for good in 1871. The fort has recently undergone an extensive renovation, and now serves as a museum of Montana history.

The fort offers exhibits, guided tours, and special events. The website offers visitor information and brief history of the fort.

Fresno Historical Society [CA]

Description

The Fresno Historical Society is dedicated to preserving the history of Fresno, California, and of California's Central Valley, one of the five most fertile valleys in the world. The society also operates the Kearney Historic Site, which showcases the history of the valley through the home of Theo Kearney, a raisin mogul.

The society offers a lecture series, tours of the Kearney estate, field trip programs, and educational outreach programs. The website offers visitor information, a history of the society, a history of the Kearney Historic Site, and an events calendar.

Washington Crossing State Park and Johnson Ferry House [NJ]

Description

On December 25, 1776, the icy waters of the Delaware River provided the setting for one of the pivotal events of the American Revolution. The Continental Army had little to celebrate that Christmas and seemed beaten by hunger and cold. After crossing the rough winter river at night, General George Washington and the Continental Army landed at Johnson's Ferry, at the site now known as Washington Crossing State Park. At 4 am, they began their march to Trenton where they defeated the Hessian troops in an unexpected attack. This battle was quickly followed by the Second Battle of Trenton on January 2, 1777, and the Battle of Princeton on January 3, 1777. The Johnson Ferry House, an early 18th-century gambrel roof farmhouse and tavern near the Delaware River, was owned by Garret Johnson, who operated a 490-acre colonial plantation and a ferry service across the river in the 1700s. The house was likely used briefly by General Washington and other officers at the time of the Christmas night crossing of the Delaware. The keeping room, bedchamber, and textile room are furnished with local period pieces, probably similar to the furniture used by the Johnson family from 1740 to 1770. The site also includes an 18th-century kitchen garden.

The site offers exhibits, tours, demonstrations, short film screenings, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Cuneo Museum & Gardens [IL]

Description

The Cuneo Museum is a great example of elegant living in the Gilded Age. Built as a home for Samuel Insull in 1914, the house was bought by the Cuneo family in 1937. The house was designed in the Venetian style of architecture and is filled with antique furnishings and artwork.

Group guided tour and self-guided tours (with a booklet) are available. The estate also includes extensive gardens, a tropical plant conservatory, and deer and peacock pens.

Onondaga Historical Association Museum and Research Center [NY]

Description

The Onondaga Historical Association Museum and Research Center presents the history of Syracuse and Onondaga County, New York. Museum permanent exhibits cover the Franklin Automobile; historic brewing; pottery manufacturing; the Underground Railroad; and county trades, transportation, architecture, settlement, and immigration. Collections include textiles, artwork, decorative arts, Native American artifacts, toys, and locally made commercial products.

The museum offers exhibits, research center access, research assistance, outreach presentations, and educational programs. Note that both research center usage and research assistance require payment. The website offers featured artifact information, a research library catalog, videos on topics of historical interest, children's activities, and an image database. The society also offers educator workshops.