Gunsmith

Description

George Suiter, gunsmith at Colonial Williamsburg, talks about the gun trade and gunsmithing in the colonial era.

To listen to this podcast, select "All 2006 podcasts," and scroll to the January 16th program.

Making Barrels

Description

Ramona Vogel, an apprentice cooper at Colonial Williamsburg, talks about the coopering trade as practiced in the colonial era and modern misperceptions about women and work at the time.

To listen to this podcast, select "All 2006 podcasts," and scroll to the March 27th program.

The Art of Weaving

Description

Max Hamrick, a Colonial Williamsburg weaver, talks about the process and place of weaving in colonial-era society.

To listen to this podcast, select "All 2006 Podcasts," and scroll to the May first program.

Woodley House [DC]

Description

Built in 1801, The Woodley House had a panoramic view of the fledgling American Capitol. The mansion would host a series of prominent Americans, including two presidents, two Secretaries of War, a Secretary of the Treasury, a Secretary of State, a Senator, a Judge, an admiral, and General George Patton. The Maret School purchased the home in 1950, and today serves as a historic house museum.

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

Eastern Shore Railway Museum [VA]

Description

"What You’ll Find at the Museum:
* 1906 New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk (later Pennsylvania) Railroad passenger station
* 1890's maintenance-of-way tool shed full of tools and other railway artifacts
* Turn-of-the-century crossing guard shanty
* Railcars lined up on the Museum's sidings
* Picnic tables and a pavilion for family reunions
* Artifacts from the many railroads that have operated on the Delmarva peninsula since the mid-1800's"

Twin Lights Historic Site [NJ]

Description

Situated 200 feet above sea level atop the Navesink Highlands, Twin Lights has stood as a sentinel over the treacherous coastal waters of northern New Jersey since 1828. Named Navesink Lightstation, it became known as the "Twin Lights of Highlands" to those who used its mighty beacons to navigate. As the primary seacoast light for The Highlands, New York Harbor, it was the best and brightest light in North America for generations of seafarers. Many a life and cargo were saved by the sweep of its light. The current lighthouse, built in 1862 of local brownstone at a cost of $74,000, replaced the earlier buildings that had fallen into disrepair. Architect Joseph Lederle designed the new lighthouse with two non-identical towers linked by keepers' quarters and storage rooms. This unique design made it easy to distinguish Twin Lights from other nearby lighthouses. At night, the two beacons, one flashing and the other fixed, provided another distinguishing characteristic.

The site offers exhibits and tours.

Veraestau [IN]

Description

When Jesse Holman combined the Latin words for spring, summer, and fall to name his property Veraestau in 1810, he hoped winter would never touch his home. Set high above the Ohio River in Aurora, IN, the landmark home captures a long sweep of Indiana's architectural history and exemplifies the historic preservation practiced by generations of two families—the Holman/Hamilton clan and the O'Brien/Gibson family.

The home offers tours.

Morris-Butler House [IN]

Description

Visitors to the 1865 Morris-Butler House can immerse themselves in the Victorian era. Tours, events, and exhibits at the museum highlight architecture, decorative arts, and family life in the 19th century. From the formal parlor to the private living quarters, visitors can see how an upper-middle-class family and its servants lived in the Victorian era. Rare furnishings fill rooms adorned with stenciled ceilings and elaborate wallpaper and plasterwork. In addition to its architecture, the museum contains a collection of 19th-century sculptures, paintings, and lithographs from all over the world.

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