Schroeder Saddletree Factory Museum [IN]

Description

For 94 years, workers at the Ben Schroeder Saddletree Company crafted tens of thousands of wooden frames for saddle makers throughout the United States and Latin America. It was the nation's longest lasting, continually operated, family-owned saddletree company. John Benedict "Ben" Schroeder, a German immigrant, started his business in a small brick workshop in 1878, though it grew to include a woodworking shop, boiler room and engine shed, a sawmill, a blacksmith shop, an assembly room, the family residence, and several outbuildings. After his death, Ben's family kept his dream alive by adding stirrups, hames for horse collars, clothespins, lawn furniture, and even work gloves to their line of saddletrees. The factory closed in 1972 and was left completely intact. Recognized by historians as one of America's premier industrial heritage sites, the Schroeder Saddletree factory has been restored to allow visitors to Madison to tour through this vintage workplace. Belts turn and the original antique woodworking machines spin into action. Sawdust is whisked from machines into the boiler room, where it once fueled the steam boiler that powered the equipment. Saddletree patterns hang, cobweb covered, from the ceiling.

The museum offers tours, demonstrations, and exhibits.

Wells Fargo History Museum [CA]

Description

The Wells Fargo History Musuem presents the role of Wells, Fargo & Co., a joint stock banking and express business company founded in 1852, in the commercial history of Sacramento, California. Artifacts of note include an original Concord Coach, historical panoramic paintings, original maps and views of Sacramento, a Wooten patent desk, and The Livingston Sacramento Postal History Collection.

The museum offers exhibits.

The Mariners' Museum [VA]

Description

The Mariner's Museum presents information and artifacts relevant to the field of maritime history. Highlights include more than 150 small vessels from over 36 countries; August F. Crabtree's miniature ships; displays on shipbuilding, cartographic, and navigational advancements between 1400 and 1700; the largest international maritime library in the western hemisphere; and the USS Monitor Center. The center includes a full-scale replica of the Monitor, the first U.S. Navy ironclad warship, used in the Civil War. The museum also owns and maintains a 550-acre park.

The museum offers exhibits, maritime science and history educational programs which complement state educational standards, scavenger hunts, distance learning programs, outreach speakers, lectures, research library access, research assistance, paddle boat rental, and fishing boat rental. Payment is required for research assistance. The website offers virtual exhibits, artifact of the month, and images for educational use.

African American Museum [LA]

Description

The African American Museum presents information regarding the arrival of Africans and the development of the free African American community within Louisiana. The museum also interprets their struggles, adaptations, and contributions, with particular emphasis on the Attakapas District of Southwest Louisiana during the 18th and 19th centuries. It outlines the rise and fall of slavery, highlighting the economic struggles faced by the free African American population during Reconstruction.

The museum offers lectures and both traditional and electronic exhibits.

Historic Manheim Preservation Foundation and Museum [PA]

Description

The Historic Manheim Preservation Foundation and Museum presents artifacts of local historical interest including written records, china, ceramics, early U.S. furniture, and Stiegel glass. Henry William Steigel or "Baron Steigel" (1720–1785) founded Manheim in 1762 and was the originator of one of the earliest glass manufacturing operations in 18th-century America.

The foundation offers exhibits, the Ensminger Library, and lectures.

Hagley Museum and Library [DE]

Description

Hagley Museum and Library collects, preserves, and interprets the unfolding history of American enterprise. Hagley is the site of the gunpowder works founded by E. I. du Pont in 1802. This example of early American industry includes restored mills, a workers' community, and the ancestral home and gardens of the du Pont family.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, educational programs, research library access, demonstrations, and recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Old Economy Village [PA]

Description

Old Economy Village interprets the history of the Harmony Society, a highly successful 19th-century religious communal society, and preserves and interprets the unique material culture of the Society during its period of residence in Beaver County, PA, for citizens of and visitors to the Commonwealth.

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

Traverse des Sioux Historic Site [MN]

Description

The Traverse des Sioux location was a meeting place and crossroads for centuries, and was frequented by American Indians and European fur traders and farmers. In 1850, with the passing of a treaty in 1851 the land at Traverse des Sioux became open to the public. Within a year, a booming town was located on the site, with a population of over 300. Less than two decades later, another town was chosen as the county seat, and nothing was left of Traverse des Sioux.

The Historic Site offers self guided tours and hiking. The website offers a brief history of the location and visitor information.

Wayne County Historical Society [PA]

Description

The Wayne County Historical Society is dedicated to preserving the history of Wayne County, Pennsylvania. The society owns and operates three museums, the 810 Main Street Museum which focuses on local history, the JB Parks Farm Museum, which is open during the county fair and showcases the history of Wayne County agriculture, and the Bethel School, which is a historic one room schoolhouse.

The 810 Main Street Museum offers guided tours while the J.B. Parks Farm Museum and the Bethel Schoolhouse both offer self-guided tours. The society also offers special events including periodic speakers, and offers speakers which will lecture on a variety of topics. The website offers visitor information, a brief history of the area, and an events calendar.