Central High School Museum [AR]

Description

In the summer of 1957, the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, decided to desegregate it schools, setting in motion the turn of events that defined the Little Rock Nine, and included protests, marches, riots, and threats of violence. The Central High School Museum chronicles the history of the 1957, the year of desegregation.

The museum offers visitors copies of the 1957 student newspaper, a variety of exhibits showcasing life inside Central High during 1957, and offers videos and other primary sources from the 1957 school year. The website offers a history of desegregation in Little Rock, as well as an events calendar, a timeline of events in 1957, and visitor information.

It looks like this site no longer exists as a visitor's center and is being renovated. Check back on this one.

Fort Washita

Description

Fort Washita was established in 1842 as the southwestern-most post in the United States. (Beyond the borders to the south and west was the Republic of Texas which had recently won its independence from Mexico.) The purpose of the post was to protect the Chickasaw and Choctaw Indians from the Plains Indians. For centuries the latter had used this area for hunting and were not happy with newcomers settling in the area. Troops stationed at Fort Washita from time to time in the 1840s included the 2nd Dragoons, the U.S. Regiment of Riflemen, the 6th Infantry, the 7th Infantry, and the 5th Infantry. During a portion of the 1850s the post served as the United States Army Field Artillery School. Throughout the 1840s and 1850s the post provided quarters for the United States Indian Agency to the Chickasaw and Choctaw governments. On April 16, 1861, the fort was abandoned by U.S. forces under the command of Colonel William Emory. The next day Fort Washita was occupied by Confederate forces and used during the War Between the States. For the next hundred years, the buildings were used by members of the Colbert family who were leaders of the Chickasaw Nation. The fort was acquired by the Oklahoma Historical Society in 1962 and has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.

Website does not specify services available at the site.

Marais des Cygnes State Historic Site

Description

On May 19, 1858, proslavery men killed five free state men and wounded five others in a ravine that is now listed as a National Historic Landmark. The shootings shocked the nation and became a pivotal event in the "Bleeding Kansas" era. A few months later, abolitionist John Brown came to the site and constructed a fortified cabin. Visitors to the site can learn more about free-staters and border ruffians and their stories.

Website provides no specifics about services offered at this site.

Fort Mims

Description

Fort Mims site commemorates the Fort Mims battle which took place August 30, 1813. The attack on Fort Mims is considered a leading cause of the Creek War of 1813-1814.

Site offers no staff or facilities, according to website.

Fort Clark Trading Post State Historic Site

Description

Fort Clark Trading Post State Historic Site is one of the most important archaeological sites in the state because of its well-preserved record of the fur trade and of personal tragedy. More than 150 years ago, it was the scene of devastating smallpox and cholera epidemics that decimated most of the inhabitants of a Mandan and later an Arikara Indian village. The archaeological remains of the large earthlodge village, cemetery, and two fur trade posts (Fort Clark Trading Post and Primeau's Post) are protected at the site, located one and one-quarter mile west of the town of Fort Clark, Mercer County.

Site may not offer any interpretative services beyond a self-guided tour and signage.

Chicago Jewish Historical Society

Description

The Society has as its purpose the discovery, preservation and dissemination of information concerning the Jewish experience in the Chicago area. The Society seeks out, collects, and preserves written, spoken, and photographic records, in close cooperation with the Chicago Jewish Archives, Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies. The Society publishes historical information, holds public meetings at which various aspects of Chicago Jewish history are treated, mounts appropriate exhibits, and offers tours of Jewish historical sites.

Though the Society does not have a museum, it does offer lectures and tours of Jewish historic sites in Chicago.

Organization, without a historic site base of its own. May still be worth including, though?

Swedish-American Historical Society

Description

The Swedish–American Historical Society is a nonprofit organization founded in 1948, with the mission of recording the achievements of the Swedish pioneers. The society is devoted to the mission of studying the Swedish emigration, its history, and the culture of the Swedes in North America through research, publications, programs, and archives.

Does not appear to offer educational opportunities beyond access to archives.