The Mariners' Museum [VA]

Description

The Mariner's Museum presents information and artifacts relevant to the field of maritime history. Highlights include more than 150 small vessels from over 36 countries; August F. Crabtree's miniature ships; displays on shipbuilding, cartographic, and navigational advancements between 1400 and 1700; the largest international maritime library in the western hemisphere; and the USS Monitor Center. The center includes a full-scale replica of the Monitor, the first U.S. Navy ironclad warship, used in the Civil War. The museum also owns and maintains a 550-acre park.

The museum offers exhibits, maritime science and history educational programs which complement state educational standards, scavenger hunts, distance learning programs, outreach speakers, lectures, research library access, research assistance, paddle boat rental, and fishing boat rental. Payment is required for research assistance. The website offers virtual exhibits, artifact of the month, and images for educational use.

California Citrus State Historic Park

Description

This park preserves some of the rapidly vanishing cultural landscape of the citrus industry and tells the story of this industry's role in the history and development of California. The park recaptures the time when "Citrus was King" in California, recognizing the importance of the citrus industry in southern California. In the early 1900s, an effort to promote citrus ranching in the state brought hundreds of would-be citrus barons to California for the "second Gold Rush." The design of the park is reminiscent of a 1900s city park, complete with an activity center, interpretive structure, amphitheater, picnic area, and demonstration groves. The land contained within the park still continues to produce high-quality fruits.

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

Historic Pullman Foundation [IL]

Description

The Historic Pullman Foundation supports visitation, preservation, and restoration of the historic town of Pullman, Illinois. Founded in 1880 by George M. Pullman, president of Pullman's Palace Car Company, as a model industrial community, Pullman was situated for easy access to the big city markets of the day via rail. Buildings of note include the 1881 Hotel Florence; the 1880 rail car construction facility; the 1893 Market Hall, and the 1887 Greenstone Church, which contains one of the few manual tracker organs in the U.S. today. Artifacts on view include furniture from the Pullman Mansion and Hotel Florence, as well as a model train collection of Pullman manufactured rail cars.

Historic Pullman offers exhibits, an educational video, self-guided tours, walking tours, and tours specifically for schools and/or large groups.

Historical Society of Palm Beach County and Johnson Palm Beach County Museum [FL]

Description

The Historical Society of Palm Beach County promotes local history, in part through support of the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County Museum. Located in a historic 1916 courthouse, the museum presents artifacts that once belonged to Pre-Columbian inhabitants; Seminole Indians; early pioneers; the business and philanthropic community; educators; and influential leaders in communications, medicine, and politics.

The museum offers exhibits, a video display, and both self-guided and docent-guided tours. The society offers fourth-grade Florida history and preservation curricula, a seventh-grade county history and civics curriculum, several traveling trunks, docent-guided walking tours, lectures, an annual art contest with a historic theme, and a history institute for social studies and history teachers.

Historic Manheim Preservation Foundation and Museum [PA]

Description

The Historic Manheim Preservation Foundation and Museum presents artifacts of local historical interest including written records, china, ceramics, early U.S. furniture, and Stiegel glass. Henry William Steigel or "Baron Steigel" (1720–1785) founded Manheim in 1762 and was the originator of one of the earliest glass manufacturing operations in 18th-century America.

The foundation offers exhibits, the Ensminger Library, and lectures.

Pullman State Historic Site

Description

The site preserves surviving portions of the industrial complex developed in the early 1880s by George M. Pullman (1831–1897) to build luxury railroad passenger cars. The site, though under heavy reconstruction, features special interest tours of the factory site and regular temporary exhibits, and participates in or co-hosts a number of special events and cosponsors community programs for all ages and backgrounds.

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

Quincy Historical Society [MA]

Description

The Quincy Historical Society presents the history of Quincy, Massachusetts, best known as the home of John and Abigail Adams and John Quincy Adams, and the its contributions to ways of life in the United States. Other notable influences from Quincy include use of their granite supplies; the "Quincy Method" in education; the Fore River Shipyard and its products; and Howard Johnson ice cream, restaurants, and hotels. The Adams Academy, which houses the society, used to function as a boys' college preparatory school and dates to 1872. Gothic revival in style and using local granite, the academy stands on the previous site of the house in which patriot John Hancock was born.

The society offers exhibits, guest lectures, guest performances, curricula, public speaking by request, several publications, and a non-circulating library.

Hagley Museum and Library [DE]

Description

Hagley Museum and Library collects, preserves, and interprets the unfolding history of American enterprise. Hagley is the site of the gunpowder works founded by E. I. du Pont in 1802. This example of early American industry includes restored mills, a workers' community, and the ancestral home and gardens of the du Pont family.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, educational programs, research library access, demonstrations, and recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Old Economy Village [PA]

Description

Old Economy Village interprets the history of the Harmony Society, a highly successful 19th-century religious communal society, and preserves and interprets the unique material culture of the Society during its period of residence in Beaver County, PA, for citizens of and visitors to the Commonwealth.

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

Tod Engine Foundation [OH]

Description

The Tod Engine Foundation works towards the preservation of the history of the steel industry in Youngstown, Ohio. A big part of the foundation's focus is the preservation of the equipment used to manufacture steel. The Tod engine was a 260 ton rolling mill steam engine built in Youngstown that was central in one of the area's biggest steel plants. The foundation has recently completed the Tod Engine Heritage Park, a park in Youngstown housing the Tod engine and a small museum.

The heritage park offers exhibits regarding the steel industry and the Tod Engine. Volunteers can give visitors a sense of the importance of the Tod Engine. The website offers historical information regarding the steel industry and Tod Engine.