National Council for the Social Studies [MD]

Description

"The mission of National Council for the Social Studies is to provide leadership, service, and support for all social studies educators." The council is currently the largest association in the country devoted solely to social studies education; and works to establish a successful baseline curriculum for social studies education, to promote effective use of technology in the classroom, and to aid the passage of effective legislation favoring social studies curriculum. The National Council for the Social Studies does this by working with educators and legislators across the country.

The council offers summer educator workshops. The website offers information about the council and its programs, professional information for educators in the social sciences, resources for potential advocates, and links and information regarding external resources, including periodicals and similar organizations.

Discovery Museum [CA]

Description

"The Discovery Museum of Sacramento is a family-focused educational institution dedicated to enriching the lives of local residents and visitors to the Sacramento Region by encouraging the exploration of history, science, and space." The museum is split into two entities, the Challenger Learning Center, which is an interactive space mission simulator which consists of a realistic Mission Control Center and spacecraft, and the Science and Space Center, which is a traditional museum focusing on scientific discovery. The Challenger Learning Center is primarily a children's educational center, and is only open to public groups by appointment. The Science and Space Center features a variety of exhibits, including live animals and a planetarium.

The site offers an events calendar, visitor information for both locations, an online gift shop, and information on all programs offered by the Challenger Space Center.

Jubilee College State Historic Site [IL]

Description

Note: As of January 2011, site is closed due to short staffing. Check site for status.
The Jubilee College State Historic Site preserves the remnants of Jubilee College, which was founded in 1839 by Philander Chase, the first Episcopal Bishop of Illinois. The school included a theological seminary, a college, a classical preparatory school for boys, a seminary for girls, and some small farming operations. Now, visitors can tour the school, which has been partially restored to its 19th century state. In particular, visitors are offered a guided tour of the recreated chapel/schoolroom/dormitory wing and the recreated library and schoolmaster's office.

The site is part of the greater Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) website, and so only offers minimal visitor information regarding Jubilee College, but does offer links to the greater resources of the IHPA and other historic sites in Illinois, including Abraham Lincoln's presidential library.

Wilmington Railroad Museum [NC]

Description

The Wilmington Railroad Museum seeks to provide visitors with a fun and educational experience regarding rail in Wilmington, NC, with a special emphasis on the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. In 2007, the museum was moved into its current headquarters, a historic 1880s railroad freight warehouse. The museum features a variety of exhibits, a library of press articles which are available to researchers on location, and a children's area featuring interactive exhibits and model trains.

The site offers historical information about the museum, brief excerpts from three of the many articles available on site in the museum library, an online gift shop, visitor information, and several photo-galleries featuring photographs of different areas of the museum. In order to contact the museum via email, use the "contact us" link on the website.

Flag House and Star-spangled Banner Museum [MD]

Description

At the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House, visitors take part in an interactive experience in which they become part in the story of the sewing of the flag that inspired the National Anthem. They step into living history as they meet Mary Pickersgill, the spirited woman who made the flag. They learn firsthand from Mary, her family, and friends what life was like in the 19th century and take part in activities that let them experience it for themselves.

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

Northfield Historical Society and Middle School Museum [MN]

Description

The Society operates the Northfield School Museum, dedicated to preserving the history of the old Northfield Middle School building. This building opened its doors in 1911 as the Northfield Central High School. With the construction of the new middle school the last classes were held in the old school in 2004.

The society offers research library access and occasional educational and recreational events; the museum offers exhibits.

Astor House Museum and Clear Creek History Park [CO]

Description

Visitors to the Astor House Museum and Clear Creek History Park can explore how the people of Golden, CO, settled a bustling town that served the developing West as a government center and mining supply town. They can tour an 1800s boarding house and homestead where early Colorado pioneers worked and played, see what life was like on the frontier, and hear stories of the people who called this place home. The Astor House was built in 1867 and stayed in continuous operation as a boarding and rooming house until 1971—over 100 years! It rented rooms and served hot meals to lawmakers, laborers, miners, students, and families, some of whom stayed for weeks or even months. Clear Creek History Park recreates the look and feel of a late 1800s mountain ranch complete with gardens, a working blacksmith shop, schoolhouse, and chicken coop (chickens included).

The sites offer tours, demonstrations, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society and Heritage Junction [CA]

Description

The Society operates Heritage Junction, a site including eight historic buildings: the 1890 Pardee House, the 1893 Newhall Ranch House, the 1887 Saugus Train Station, the 1865 Mitchell Adobe, the 1919 Edison House, the 1878 Kingsburry House, the 1927 Callahan Schoolhouse, and the 1926 Ramona Chapel.

The society offers lectures, film screenings, and occasional recreational and educational events; the Kingsburry House offers tours; and the Saugus Train Station offers exhibits.

Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village [DE]

Description

For the child who believes milk comes from the grocery store instead of a cow, for the woman who remembers using a cornsheller on her grandmother's farm, or the family who takes 20th-century technological advances and the farmer for granted, the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village offers a memorable and educational experience. By preserving the quickly fading agricultural heritage of Delaware and the Delmarva Peninsula, the Museum stands as an important legacy for future generations. A main exhibit building and 15 historic structures associated with a 19th-century farming community bring the fascinating story of agriculture to life. More than 4,000 artifacts are displayed in the main exhibit building—from butter churns to threshers, from an 18th-century log house to the first broiler chicken house.

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

Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum [MO]

Description

The Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum properties includes eight buildings: six historically significant buildings and two interactive museums whose collections include 15 original Norman Rockwell paintings. A self-guided tour of the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum properties gives visitors the chance to explore the Hannibal of Samuel Clemens's childhood and experience the beloved stories he created as Mark Twain through the power of his imagination.

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