Fort Hays State Historic Site [KS]

Description

Generals George A. Custer, Nelson Miles and Philip Sheridan, Major Reno, William "Buffalo Bill" Cody and James B. "Wild Bill" Hickok are part of the history of this outpost on a military trail. Established in 1865 in the land of the Cheyenne and Arapaho, Fort Hays protected railroad workers and travelers on the Smoky Hill Trail. Visitors can see the military items and photographs at the visitor center, as well as the original 1867 blockhouse, furnished officers' quarters, the original 1872 guardhouse, and Native American artifacts.

The site offers exhibits, tours, and educational and recreational programs.

Chief Vann House Historic Site [GA]

Description

During the 1790s, James Vann became a Cherokee Indian leader and wealthy businessman. He established the largest and most prosperous plantation in the Cherokee Nation, covering 1,000 acres of what is now Murray County. In 1804 he completed construction of a 2-and-a-half-story brick home that was the most elegant in the Cherokee Nation. After Vann was murdered in 1809, his son Joseph inherited the mansion and plantation. Joseph was also a Cherokee leader and became even more wealthy than his father. In the 1830s almost the entire Cherokee Nation was forced west by state and federal troops on the infamous Trail of Tears. The Vann family lost their elegant home, rebuilding in the Cherokee Territory of Oklahoma. Today the Vann House survives as Georgia's best-preserved historic Cherokee Indian home. A guided tour allows visitors to see the house which features hand carvings, a "floating" staircase, a 12-foot mantle, and fine antiques.

The site offers tours, exhibits, a film, demonstrations, and recreational and educational events.

Kaw Mission State Historic Site

Description

The Kaw Mission houses a museum that tells the story of the building that was home and school to thirty Kaw boys from 1851–1854. The Kaw lived in the Neosho Valley for less than thirty years when, despite an impassioned plea by Chief Allegawaho, the U.S. government removed the Kaw to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). At the museum, visitors can learn more about Chief Allegawaho, the Kaw Indians, and others who lived in the area.

The site offers exhibits, a short film, and tours.

Prudence Crandall Museum

Description

The Museum is housed in the U.S.'s first academy for African-American women, which operated from 1833–1834. The school was run by Prudence Crandall (1803–1890), today designated as Connecticut's state heroine. The museum includes period rooms, changing exhibits, and a small research library.

The museum offers exhibits, research library access, and educational and recreational programs.

Autry National Center [CA]

Description

The Autry National Center celebrates the American West through three important institutions: the Museum of the American West, the Southwest Museum of the American Indian, and the Institute for the Study of the American West. The Autry was established in 2003 following the merger of the Southwest Museum, the Women of the West Museum , and the Museum of the American West (formerly the Autry Museum of Western Heritage). Through innovative exhibitions, a broad range of programs, and an extensive collection of art and artifacts, the Autry National Center explores the distinct stories and interactions of cultures and peoples, and their impact on the complex, evolving history of the American West.

The museums provide exhibits, tours, performances, film screenings, and other educational and recreational programs.

Turtle Mountain Chippewa Indian Historical Society

Description

The Society operates a museum filled with items reflecting Chippewa traditions. These include sculptures created by talented local stone carvers and paintings by both young and old artists. The traditional history collection includes many objects that show the unique culture of the Chippewa, as well as three dioramas, showing the Chippewa transition from the woodlands to the plains, and a recreated Red River ox cart represents the Metis culture also found among the Native regional cultures.

The museums offers exhibits and research library access.

Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

Description

With 16 historic buildings in its main complex, which occupies most of a square block in downtown Decorah, Iowa, and two National Register sites just outside the city, Vesterheim houses over 24,000 artifacts, which include large samplings from the fine, decorative, and folk arts, and the tools and machinery of early agriculture, lumbering, and other immigrant industries. Vesterheim also acts as a cultural center dedicated to preserving living traditions by offering classes in Norwegian folk art and culture, Elderhostels, and special programs for preschool, elementary, secondary, and college students.

The museums offers exhibits, classes, tours, research library access, and other educational and recreational programs.

Baltimore American Indian Center [MD]

Description

The Baltimore American Indian Center (BAIC) is an urban American Indian Center established to assist and support American Indian and Alaskan Native families with moving into an urban environment and adjusting to the culture change they will experience. The BAIC also serves as a focal point for the Indian community for social and cultural activities and to educate non-native people about the cultures of the North American Indian and Alaskan Native communities.

The Center offers educational cultural classes and workshops, as well as an annual powwow.

Washington County Historical Society, LeMoyne House, and LeMoyne Crematory [Pennsylvania]

Description

Located in the LeMoyne House in Washington, Pennsylvania, the WCHS provides many programs, activities, and services to individuals and groups in the tri-state area. The LeMoyne House is Pennsylvania's first National Historic Landmark of the Underground Railroad. Built in 1812 by John Julius LeMoyne, the house became part of the Underground Railroad under his son, Francis Julius LeMoyne. The society also oversees the LeMoyne Crematory, the first crematory in the United States.

The house offers tours, exhibits, and access to a research library; the crematory offers tours; and the society offers lectures, workshops, conferences, and other educational programs.

St Joseph Museum [MO]

Description

The St. Joseph Museums, Inc., is a non-profit organization encompassing local museums dedicated to the research, preservation, interpretation, exhibition, and teaching of St. Joseph and the Midland Empire’s history and cultures. It pursues this mission through collections analysis, ethnographic research, preservation of material culture, interpretive exhibitions, and educational programming. The St. Joseph Museums, Inc., is comprised of the Black Archives Museum, the Glore Psychiatric Museum, the Wyeth-Tootle Mansion, and the St. Joseph Museum.