Pardee Home Museum [CA]

Description

The Pardee Home Museum is the centerpiece of Oakland's Preservation Park Historic District, and is a phenomenal piece of 19th century architecture. The home was built by California Governer Enoch Pardee who became famous for his handling of the enormous earthquake in 1906. The home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and today stands as a historic house museum.

The home offers tours and an educational curriculum for fourth through sixth graders. The curriculum corresponds to collections inside the home. The website offers visitor information and basic historical information regarding the home.

Chemung County History Museum [NY]

Description

The Chemung County History Museum presents the history of the Chemung River Valley, New York and Pennsylvania. Library highlights include information on celebrated author Mark Twain's (1835-1910) life in Elmira, New York and research, official documentation, and personal accounts of the Elmira Prison Camp. The camp was in use between 1864 and 1865 and housed Confederate prisoners of the Civil War.

The museum offers exhibits, educational programs, guided walking tours, outreach programs, traveling trunks, a National History Day competition, an annual Civil War lecture series, and research library access. Library access is free to members and students. The website offers historical photographs.

Whitewater Canal State Historic Site [IN]

Description

The Whitewater Canal State Historic Site preserves one of the remaining canals in Indiana. The site consists of the canal, which is still navigable, and a grist mill. Both are open to visitors during the summer months.

The Canal offers boat rides, tours of the grist mill, carriage rides, tours for school groups, in-class standards-based outreach programs, and educational materials available for checkout. The website offers visitor information, a calendar of events, and a brief history of the website.

Filoli Center [CA]

Description

Filoli, a country estate built in 1915, operates today as a historic house museum. Visitors can also explore the gardens surrounding the house.

Filoli offers exhibits; recreational and educational events and programs including tours, classes, and nature hikes; and tours for school groups. The website offers visitor information, an events calendar, information on upcoming educational events, and virtual tours of the house and gardens.

Cliveden of the National Trust [PA]

Description

The Cliveden National Trust Historic Site is located in the Germantown neighborhood in Philadelphia. The house served seven generations of Philadelphia's Chew family, and housed British troops during the Revolutionary War.

Today, the home serves as a historic house museum, and offers field trip programs for schoolchildren grades 3–8, and exhibits on the history of Philadelphia. The website offers a history of Cliveden, research information, a calendar of events, electronic educational resources, and visitor information.

Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site [LA]

Description

The Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site, located along the Bayou Teche in southern Louisiana, preserves the 1815 plantation home Maison Olivier and presents a reproduction of an early 1800s Acadian farmstead, including a family home, outdoor kitchen, slave quarters, and barn.

The historic site offers tours, exhibits, and occasional special events. The website offers a history of the historic site, as well as visitor information, a short virtual tour, and a listing of nearby attractions.

Old Cowtown Museum [KS]

Description

The Old Cowtown Museum is a living history museum where visitors can experience life in the midwest during the 1870s. Old Cowtown consists of a visitor's center, which offers exhibits and visitor information, as well as a fully reconstructed pioneer town. The reconstructed town contains a residential section, a blacksmithing shop, a business area, and a farm.

The museum offers educational programs, including tours tailored for specific grade groups; wagon rides; costumed interpreters; historic structures furnished with time period furnishings; and special events such as lectures, reenactments, and special interpretive events. The website offers visitor information, information regarding educational programs, supplemental materials for teachers including lesson plans and worksheets, and an events calendar.

Natick Historical Society [MA]

Description

The Natick Historical Society is dedicated to preserving and showcasing the history of Natick, Massachusetts, from its inauspicious beginnings as a Praying Indian Plantation to the present day. The society owns and operates a local history museum and research library.

The museum offers collections and exhibits that cover the history of Natick from its inception until the present day. The society offers educational programs for schoolchildren and special events including lectures and presentations. The website offers visitor information, a history of Natick, and information on upcoming special events.

Fort Lauderdale Fire and Safety Museum [FL]

Description

The Fort Lauderdale Fire and Safety Museum is located in Fire Station 3 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The museum is currently under construction, but is open to the public on Saturdays, and chronicles the history of the Fort Lauderdale Fire Department while working to educate the public and schoolchildren in basic fire safety.

The museum is currently under construction, and only offers limited exhibits and hours. When completed, the museum will have exhibits focusing on both fire safety and the history of the fire department, and will offer tours and field trip programs. The website offers visitor information, a virtual tour of the museum, information regarding exhibits and museum collections, and information regarding upcoming events.