Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site [NY]

Description

Franklin D. Roosevelt loved Springwood and considered the estate home. The first U.S. Presidential Library was started by FDR here. Visitors to the Home of FDR and Presidential Library and Museum can learn about the only President elected to four terms.

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

Touro Synagogue National Historic Site [RI]

Description

The Touro Synagogue was dedicated in 1762, and serves an active congregation today. The congregation was founded in 1658 by Sephardim who fled the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal and were searching for a haven from religious persecution in the Caribbean. Today, the synagogue celebrates not only their story, but serves to honor all who came to this shore seeking to worship freely.

A second website for the synagogue can be found here.

The site offers tours.

Navajo National Monument [AZ]

Description

The Navajo National Monument preserves three Navajo cliff dwellings. The cliff dwellings are open to the public year round, and showcase Navajo life prior to European settlement. The monument is also home to a visitor center and museum of Navajo life.

The monument offers ranger-led tours of the cliff dwellings, guided tours of the museum, and exhibits and presentations in the museum and visitor center. The website offers visitor information and historical information regarding the monument. In order to contact the monument via email, use the "contact us" link located on the left side of the webpage.

Morristown National Historical Park [NJ]

Description

The Morristown National Historical Park preserves the site where the Continental Army wintered in 1777 and during the Hard Winter of 1779-1780. Key sights include the Washington's Headquarters Museum; the 1772 Ford Mansion, headquarters of George Washington; the Jockey Hollow Visitor Center; the historic Wick House; and the 1777 Fort Nonsense Hill. Fort Nonsense was built as a fortified site for retreat should the British force the Continental soldiers from their position. It was never used, leading to its current name.

The park offers a 20-minute introductory film, a 10-minute introductory film, exhibits, period rooms, guided tours of Ford Mansion, self-guided tours of the Wick House, self-guided tours of Fort Nonsense Hill, a fourth and fifth grade curriculum-based program, Junior Ranger activities, outdoor activities, a tour road with wayside exhibits, and research library access. Accessibility is limited at the Ford Mansion. Reservations are required for groups of 10 or more wishing to tour Ford Mansion, as well as for all educational programs. An application is required for library use. The website offers a virtual tour of the Ford Mansion.

Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site [NY]

Description

Eleanor Roosevelt chose Val-Kill for her retreat, her office, her home, and her "laboratory" for social change during the prominent and influential period of her life from 1924 until her death in 1962. During that time she formulated and carried out her social and political beliefs. This is the place most closely associated with one of the most prominent women of 20th-century America.

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

Mesa Verde National Park [CO]

Description

The Mesa Verde National Park contains more than 4,000 archaeological sites and cliff dwellings. The area served as home for the Ancestral Pueblo people between 600 and 1300, and now interprets their life and history. Within the park, visitors can find a visitor center, museum, five publicly accessible cliff dwellings, and a kiva site.

The park offers a 25-minute introductory film, exhibits, self-guided tours, guided tours, a 90-minute curriculum-based tour of one of the dwellings, one-hour evening talks, lectures, half-day guided bus tours, Junior Ranger activities, hiking trails, outdoor activities, restaurants, and a cafe. Offerings vary widely by season. Please read the website's "Operating Hours and Seasons" section to verify that your areas of interest will be open to the public at the time you wish to visit. The site wishes to note that all cliff dwelling tours are strenuous. The website offers pre-visit, post-visit, and on site activities.

Homestead National Monument of America [NE]

Description

The Homestead National Monument of America addresses the impact of the Homestead Act of 1862 on agriculture, Native Americans, national land policy, the prairies, industrialization, and immigration. Sights include the 1872 one-room Freeman School, Heritage Center, Education Center, 1867 Palmer Epard Cabin, and restored tallgrass prairie. The cabin presents post-Civil War homestead life. The Freeman School has been restored to an 1870s appearance. Under the Homestead Act, anyone 21 or over and/or the head of a household could claim 160 acres of previously federally owned land as their own private property.

The monument offers an introductory film, interactive exhibits, Freeman School guided tours, trails, curriculum-based programs for students, Scout programs, interactive demonstrations, distance learning opportunities, and Junior Ranger activities. The school is open for tours on request. Classes can host a day of lessons within the Freeman School. The website offers historical photographs, videos of farming demonstrations, audio files of Abraham Lincoln's words, a curriculum guide, a math activity booklet, a coloring book, dot-to-dot activities, and a suggested reading list for students.

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site [IA]

Description

The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site consists of the cottage in which Hoover was born; the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum; the graves of Hoover and his wife, Lou Henry Hoover; 81-acres of tallgrass prairie; and sites from the period in which Hoover lived in the area. Hoover (1874-1964), lived in West Branch for the first nine years of his life. An orphan, he would eventually become the 31st President of the United States. The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum has a separate listing within this database.

The site offers a 12-minute introductory film; exhibits on Hoover's childhood, life, and U.S. history; approximately 3-hour and 45-minute guided field trips; self-guided field trips; guided tours of the Birthplace Cottage, Blacksmith Shop, 1853 Schoolhouse, and the Friends Meeting House where Hoover's parents worshiped; self-guided tours; period rooms; blacksmithing demonstrations; 1.7 miles of trails; guided prairie walks; Junior Ranger activities; research library access; an educator program; and picnic shelters. Wheelchairs are available for use on site. Reservations are required for educational field trips. The website offers a virtual tour, pre-visit orientation video, pre- and post-visit activity suggestions, curriculum guides, a lesson plan, and activities for the prairie walk.

Old Stone House [DC]

Description

The Old Stone House, located in Washington DC's Rock Creek Park, is unique due to its history as a simple home built by common people. The home is one of DC's oldest standing structures, dating back to the 18th century, and commemorates the lives of ordinary Americans in the nation's capitol.

The house offers guided tours. The website offers visitor information and a history of the house.

Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site [NH]

Description

Visitors to this site can discover the beautiful home, studios, and gardens of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, one of America's greatest sculptors. Over 100 of his artworks can be seen in the galleries, from heroic public monuments to expressive portrait reliefs, and the gold coins which changed the look of American coinage. Visitors can also enjoy summer concerts, explore nature trails, or discover their own talents during a sculpture class.

The site offers a short film, exhibits, tours, workshops, other educational programs, and educational and recreational events.