Evanston Historical Society and Charles Gates Dawes House [IL]

Description

The Dawes House was built in 1894–5 on a two-acre site near Lake Michigan. Designed in the style of French chateaux by architect Henry Edwards-Ficken of New York, the massive three-and-a-half story structure has 25 rooms, six bedrooms, seven bathrooms and 11 fireplaces. The house was built for Robert Sheppard and his family; it was purchased by Charles Gates Dawes in 1909 and remained the Dawes family home until 1957 when it was given to Northwestern University to be used as the headquarters of the Evanston Historical Society (now known as the Evanston History Center). Northwestern University gave the house to the EHC in 2009.

The house is open to the public for docent-led tours. The two parlors, formerly used as a reception room and a music room, now feature exhibitions. The library, dining room, and great hall are furnished mostly with original Dawes pieces. A permanent exhibit on Evanston history is located on the second floor, with smaller rotating exhibits on the 2nd floor and in the research room.

The EHC offers lectures, workshops, and other educational programs, as well as community events. School and group tours are available upon request. The EHC maintains an extensive archives of documents, maps, photographs, films, clipping files and other resources and is open to the public during designated hours.

Warren County Historical Society, Museum, and Glendower State Memorial [OH]

Description

The Society maintains a museum and Glendower State Memorial. The Museum is housed in Harmon Hall, a three story, 28,000-square-foot brick building. It contains artifacts from prehistoric eras to the mid-20th century. Glendower is a restored Greek Revival mansion, one of the five built during the 19th century. John Milton Williams, a framer of the state's constitution, employed Amos Bennett to build the rectangular central unit in the 1840s. The 13 rooms include a formal drawing room with two fireplaces. All rooms, furnished with Empire and early Victorian style pieces, reflect the skilled local craftsmen and gracious living of the residents.

A website specifically for the Historical Society can be found here.

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

George Washington Foundation, Historic Kenmore, and Ferry Farm [VA]

Description

The Foundation operates two historical sites, Historic Kenmore and Ferry Farm. Built by George Washington's sister, Betty Washington Lewis and her husband Fielding Lewis, Kenmore, a 1775 Georgian-style mansion, reflects the pre-Revolutionary War wealth and status of the Fredericksburg merchant. Lewis lost his fortune due to his patriotic support of the war but the house he built remains. Ferry Farm is the boyhood home of George Washington. Augustine Washington moved his family to this property in 1738, when his son, George, was six years old. George received his formal education during his years here, and forged friendships in the neighborhood that lasted the rest of his life. In 1754, George moved to Mount Vernon while his mother, Mary Ball Washington, stayed on at the farm until 1772, when she moved to Fredericksburg.

The foundation offers educational programs and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events); Kenmore offers tours; Ferry Farm offers exhibits and tours.

Iolani Palace [HI]

Description

A Hawaiian national treasure and the only official state residence of royalty in the United States, 'Iolani Palace was the official residence of the Hawaiian Kingdom's last two monarchs—King Kalakaua, who built the Palace in 1882, and his sister and successor, Queen Lili'uokalani. During the monarchy period, the Palace was the center of social and political activity in the Kingdom of Hawai'i.

The palace offers tours, exhibits, concerts, educational programs, other workshops and classes, and occasional educational and recreational events.

Westport Historical Society and Harris Kearney House Museum [MO]

Description

In 1855, Colonel John Harris and his wife Henrietta built a two-story, all brick, Greek revival house "on a ridge just east of town." The home was known as the "Mansion House." Today, it houses the Society's headquarters and serves as a visitor center and house museum.

The society offers tours, educational programs, research library access, and occasional recreational and educational events; the house offers tours.

Seneca Falls Historical Society and Museum [NY]

Description

The Society's Museum is located in a structure dating back to 1823. The building was part of a 10-acre estate with carriage house, tool shed, vineyard, garden, and orchard. The Mynderse Family lived there until 1875 when Mrs. Leroy Partridge purchased the house and began an extensive remodeling and updating that changed the two story dwelling into the three-story, 23-room, Queen Anne style home that stands today. The original Gothic Revival tool shed is now the "Bee Hive," a replica of a general store , located behind the house. Also located in the back yard is the Town Clock that was once on top of the Hoskins Block and moved to the grounds by Texaco Oil in October 1968. The first floor of the Museum shows a combination of the original furnishings of the house as the Partridge and Becker families lived here, as well as reproductions and decorations both complimentary to the time period and from historical events in Seneca Falls.

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

Saugerties Historical Society and Kiersted House Museum [NY]

Description

The Society operates the historic Kiersted House as its headquarters and museum. The Kiersted House is architecturally significant as an example of early-18th and 19th-century local building craft and practices. The original builder is still unknown, but the first recorded owner of the homestead was Hiskia Dubois in 1724, and it was purchased by Dr. Christopher Kiersted in 1773. The House displays changing exhibits on local history.

The society offers occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events); the museum offers exhibits.

Lee-Fendall House Museum [VA]

Description

The Lee-Fendall House is an excellent resource for teachers of American and local history. The history of the Lee-Fendall House began in 1784, when Revolutionary War hero “Light Horse Harry” Lee, father of Confederate General Robert E. Lee sold the property to his cousin, and follows our nation’s struggles and successes from its early years as a republic through the tumultuous Civil War years when convalescing Union soldiers were housed here and into the 20th century when labor leader John L. Lewis bought the house. A beautiful collection of Lee family heirlooms and other period pieces produced by Alexandria craftsmen help to tell the story of early Victorian family life in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

The house is open for tours where guests are able to explore the stunningly restored house and award-winning gardens. Special events and lectures are regularly scheduled. Youth and scout programs can be arranged.

Ritzville's Museums: Dr. Frank R. Burroughs Home and Railroad Depot Museum [WA]

Description

Historic Ritzville maintains two museums. The Burroughs Home was the residence of Ritzville's pioneer physician, Dr. Frank R. Burroughs. It has been restored to its original condition and its collection highlights clothing and household items from the 1890s to the 1920s. The Depot features commercial artifacts relevant to Ritzville around the turn of the century. These include the town's original horse-drawn hearse and a working telegraph machine.