Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park [CA]

Description

Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park secures for the people and makes available for their observation, inspiration, and enjoyment, the gold discovery site and its environs as an accurate portrayal of the story that unfolded at the time of the discovery and Gold Rush. The park's interpretive program primarily embraces the period from 1847 through 1852, but also shows the town of Coloma as it developed. Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park is the place where James W. Marshall found flecks of gold in the tailrace of the sawmill he was building for himself and John Sutter. This discovery in 1848 changed the course of California's and the nation's history. Visitors can see a replica of the original sawmill and over 20 historic buildings including mining, house, school, and store exhibits. Visitors have the opportunity to try panning for gold in the American River and enjoy hikes and picnics under the riparian oak woodlands. Overlooking the river canyon, where the gold discoverer rests today, visitors ca see California's first historic monument, the statue of James Marshall pointing at his gold discovery site .

The park offers exhibits, tours, educational programs, living history events, and other recreational and educational events.

Fort Toulouse / Fort Jackson State Historic Site [AL]

Description

History is alive and outside at Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson. Here Native Americans, Spanish explorers, French soldiers, English and Scottish traders, American settlers, and modern archaeologists have all left their mark. Frequent living history events showcase a recreated 1751 French fort, recreated Creek Indian houses, and the partially restored 1814 American Fort Jackson. A 3,000-year-old Mississipian Indian mound, the William Bartram Nature Trail, and an early 19th-century house weave even more strands into this colorful tapestry of Alabama's earliest days.

Two other websites for the site exist: a second general website here and a website for the site's living history programs here.

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

American Sign Museum [OH]

Description

The American Sign Museum presents the history of the United States sign industry and the impacts thereof. Collections include more than 3,000 artifacts—signs, sign making tools, sketches, models, and other items. Signs range from classic gilt lettered pieces to neon and novelty signs.

The museum offers exhibits and guided tours. Admission can be scheduled outside of the museum's normal hours of operation. Please call ahead to ascertain that the museum will be open on the day you wish to visit.

Historic Halifax State Historic Site [NC]

Description

Located on the Roanoke River, the town of Halifax developed into a commercial and political center at the time of the American Revolution. North Carolina's Fourth Provincial Congress met in Halifax in the spring of 1776. On April 12 that body unanimously adopted a document later called the "Halifax Resolves," which was the first official action by an entire colony recommending independence from England. A guided walking tour takes visitors into several authentically restored and furnished buildings. These include the 1760 home of a merchant, the house and law office of a 19th-century attorney, and the 1808 home of a wealthy landowner. The 1833 clerk's office, a jail, Eagle Tavern, and a unique archaeological exhibit are also featured on the tour.

The site offers a short film, exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Columbia State Historic Park [CA]

Description

The town's old Gold Rush-era business district has been preserved, with shops, restaurants, and two hotels. Visitors have the chance to time-travel to the 1850s, imagining life when gold miners rubbed shoulders with businessmen and the other residents in Columbia. Visitors can experience a bygone era watching proprietors in period clothing conduct business in the style of yesterday. There are opportunities to ride a 100 year-old stagecoach, pan for gold, or tour an active gold mine.

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

Skylands Manor, Ringwood Manor, and State Botanical Garden [NJ]

Description

Skylands Manor, with its English Jacobean architecture common in the English countryside 400 years ago, was designed by John Russell Pope for Clarence McKensie Lewis, a stockbrocker and civil engineer. Built in the 1920s, it is constructed of native stone and half-timbers. The weathered stone facade of this 44-room mansion blends into the landscape. The mansion contains rooms with antique paneling as well as new American Oak paneling and large windows, some of which contain 16th-century stained glass medallions. Moulded plaster ceilings and an elaborately carved staircase add the finishing touches to this impressive country house. Ringwood Manor, which was home for a succession of well-known ironmasters for nearly 200 years, sits comfortably on a low hill. Iron production in this area began in the 1740s. In the mid-19 century, Ringwood Manor was owned by Abram S. Hewitt, America's foremost ironmaster. Dedicated in 1984, the State Botanical Garden is the culmination of two eras of landscape architecture under the direction of Francis Lynde Stetson, owner of Skylands from 1891—1922. The garden contains an extensive variety of plants, including evergreens and deciduous trees and shrubs in specialty areas.

A second website specifically for Ringwood can be found here.

A second website specifically for Skylands and the State Botanical Garden can be found here.

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

Hearst San Simeon State Historic Monument and Castle [CA]

Description

La Cuesta Encantada, "The Enchanted Hill" high above the ocean at San Simeon, was the creation of two extraordinary individuals, William Randolph Hearst and architect Julia Morgan. Their collaboration, which began in 1919 and continued for nearly 30 years, transformed an informal hilltop campsite into the world-famous Hearst Castle—a 115-room main house plus guesthouses, pools, and eight acres of cultivated gardens. The main house itself, "La Casa Grande," is a grand setting for Hearst's collection of European antiques and art pieces. It was also a most fitting site for hosting the many influential guests who stayed at Hearst's San Simeon ranch. Guests included President Calvin Coolidge, Winston Churchill, George Bernard Shaw, Charles Lindbergh, Charlie Chaplin, and a diverse array of luminaries from show business and publishing industries.

The site offers exhibits, tours, a 40-min. film, living history presentations, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Hardin County Museums [OH]

Description

The museums of Hardin County, OH, include the Hardin County Historical Museum, a museum of local history, and the turn-of-the-century Hardin Historic Village and Farm. The village consists of the Staadt Log House, general store, Beech Grove one-room schoolhouse, and the Ada Railroad Building, as well as exhibits of historic agricultural equipment. Exhibits within the Hardin County Historical Museum address Native American life, Kenton toys, and the fine arts, among other topics.

The museum is open January through March, and offers exhibits and group tours. The farm is open May through September by appointment only, and offers exhibits.

Herreshoff Marine Museum / America's Cup Hall of Fame [RI]

Description

The Herreshoff Marine Museum / America's Cup Hall of Fame celebrates the unique accomplishments of the Herreshoff family and the related drama of the America's Cup races. From 1863 to 1945, the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company, on the site of the present day Museum, produced the world's finest yachts. The genius of naval architect Captain Nathanael Greene Herreshoff along with the business acumen of his blind older brother John Brown Herreshoff truly built the "better mouse trap" for which the world beat a path to Bristol. Today, visitors from around the world see the nation's finest collection of yachts, all Herreshoff and many more than 100 years old. They can view the design models recording Captain Nat's design genius and see the products of his innovations. The companion America's Cup Hall of Fame is the international center for appreciation of the Cup.

The museum offers exhibits, research library access, lectures, classes, and occasional recreational and educational programs; the hall offers exhibits.

Gadsby’s Tavern Museum [VA]

Description

Gadsby's Tavern Museum consists of two buildings, a circa 1785 tavern and the 1792 City Hotel. The buildings are named for Englishman John Gadsby who operated them from 1796 to 1808. Mr. Gadsby's establishment was a center of political, business, and social life in early Alexandria. The tavern was the setting for dancing assemblies, theatrical and musical performances, and meetings of local organizations. George Washington enjoyed the hospitality provided by tavernkeepers and twice attended the annual Birthnight Ball held in his honor. Other prominent patrons included John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Visitors are invited to take a moment to journey back to the 18th-century tavern and hotel where famous historical figures and everyday people dined and slept and learn about the history, architecture, decorative arts, social customs, food, and clothing of a past era.

The museum offers tours, educational programs, classes, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).