Dirt on Their Skirts

Description

This electronic field trip looks at pioneering women baseball players, owners, umpires, and teams from as early as 1866, all the way up to present-day women playing and working in baseball. The common thread running through the stories examined is the efforts of women and girls to be a part of America's national pastime: baseball.

Many Americans are surprised to learn that women once played professional baseball in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), from 1943-1954. Founded by Chicago Cubs owner Phil Wrigley as a method to entertain Americans and keep ball parks full during World War II, the league provided an unprecedented opportunity for young women to play professional baseball; see the country; and aspire to careers beyond the traditional female roles of teacher, secretary, nurse, librarian, or housewife.

The Miller Place - Mount Sinai Historical Society [NY]

Description

The Miller Place - Mount Sinai Historical Society has two historical properties that can be toured in the summer or by appointment at other times of the year. The Miller House was built in 1720 on land bought by Andrew Miller Sr., an English immigrant who worked as a cooper, in 1670. The other property, the 1820 Daniel Hawkins House was home of the Hawkins family from Setauket and is located just east of the Miller house.

Tours are available upon appointment. There is no specific educational programming for school groups so the teacher will have to work with the museum to design a field trip.

Ball-Sellers House [VA]

Description

The Ball-Sellers House is an example of an ordinary 1700s home, built and inhabited by mid-18th-century yeoman farmer and miller, John Ball. The original logs with daubing, wide plank floors, and rare clapboard roof remain to this day.

The house offers an interpretive docent.

Livingston County Historical Society and Museum [NY]

Description

The Livingston County Historical Society is dedicated to preserving and showcasing the history of Livingston County and the Geneseo area. The society owns and operates a local history museum, presenting a variety of exhibits on the history of the Geneseo area.

The museum offers exhibits on local history, including pieces of historic furniture and historic artifacts, and is one of the few remaining examples of cobblestone architecture in New York. The website offers visitor information and a brief history of the society.

Campbell House Museum [MO]

Description

Built in 1851, the first house in the elegant neighborhood Lucas Place, the Campbell House was the home of renowned fur trader and entrepreneur Robert Campbell and his family from 1854 until 1938. The museum contains hundreds of original Campbell possessions including furniture, paintings, clothing, letters, carriages, and a unique set of interior photographs taken in the mid-1880s.

The museum offers tours, educational programs, research library access, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey House [VA]

Description

The circa 1939 Pope-Leighey House is an example of Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian architecture—residential architecture designed to be affordable to the average individual and to mesh with its natural environment. The home's furnishing were also designed by Wright to provide an immersion environment.

The house offers period rooms, guided tours, and a book club video presentation and guided tour. Reservations are required for groups of 10 or more.

Hearthstone Historic House Museum [WI]

Description

The Hearthstone Historic House Museum is located in Wisconsin, and holds the honor of being the first home in the world lit by hydroelectricity. Today, the home stands as a historic house museum, and is opne to visitors year round.

The home offers guided tours, the "discovery trunks" school outreach program, special events, and exhibits. The website offers a brief history of the home, visitor information, and information regarding upcoming events.

Rising Sun Tavern [VA]

Description

Built by Charles Washington around 1760 as his home, this frame building became a tavern in 1792, operating in the bustling town of Fredericksburg. The Tap Room features a reconstructed bar cage and fine collection of 18th- and 19th-century English and American pewter. Another spacious room provided a space for meetings and private dinners by patrons of the tavern. "Tavern wenches" provide visitors with a lively interpretation of 18th-century tavern life. The tavern is filled with period furnishings and stories of early life in Fredericksburg.

The tavern offers tours.

Erie County Historical Society and Museum [PA]

Description

The Erie County Historical Society is dedicated to preserving the unique historical heritage of Erie, Pennsylvania, and the surrounding area. The society runs two museums, the Battles Museums of Rural Life and the Museum of Erie County History, and also operates two historic house museums, the Cashier's House and the Watson-Curtze Mansion. Finally, the society owns and operates the Erie Planetarium, a prime attraction for school groups and visitors of all ages.

The society offers guided tours, exhibits, traveling exhibits, school outreach programs featuring 60-90 minute presentations, planetarium shows, and special events. The website offers visitor information, histories of the society and its attractions, a calendar of events, and information regarding the educational programs offered by the society.

Douglas County Museum of Natural & Cultural History [OR]

Description

Douglas County traverses an amazing variety of terrain, from the snowcapped peaks of the Cascade mountains to the Pacific Ocean. The Douglas County Museum of Natural & Cultural History chronicles human history in Douglas County, from the Umpqua tribe which first settled the area 10,000 years ago until the present day, and also pays special attention to the history of mining, fishing, farming, and logging, all of which have been an integral part of the Douglas County economy.

The museum offers exhibits, guided tours, outreach programs, and special events such as presentations and lectures. The website offers visitor information, a history of the museum, information regarding museum programs, and an events calendar.