Museum and White House of the Confederacy [VA]

Description

The Museum of the Confederacy is located in Richmond, Virginia, and is housed in the Civil War residence of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy. The home serves as both a historic house museum and general museum of the Confederacy.

The museum offers a variety of exhibits that showcase the history of the Confederacy, living history programs during the summer months, and tours for adults and children. The website offers teacher resources, including lesson plans and field trip information; visitor information; and a calendar of events.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum [IL]

Description

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum presents the history of President Abraham Lincoln and the state of Illinois. The non-circulating Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library's mission is the collection and preservation of archival resources related to state history. Holdings include more than 5,000 newspaper titles, 400,000 photographs, 5,000 broadsides, 7,000 audio tapes, 1,000 World War II oral histories, 10,000,000 manuscripts, and 1,500 letters signed by Lincoln. The museum focuses on Lincoln's life, divided between his presidency and the preceding years.

The museum offers traditional and interactive exhibits, full-scale dioramas, a 17-minute film, storytelling, a 15-minute holograph presentation, a children's area, library tours, research library access, a high school summer internship program, and catered box lunches. Appointments are necessary for research in the Manuscripts, Audiovisual, and Lincoln Collections. Advance notice is required for all school groups, box lunches, and for library tours. Wheelchairs are available for use on the premises. Theater presentation scripts are available in French, German, Spanish, and Japanese. The website offers a list of relevant state educational standards, seven teacher resource guides, information on the Horace Mann-Abraham Lincoln Fellowship for educators, and an educator's pass.

Shaker Historical Museum [OH]

Description

The Shaker Museum is housed in a mansion overlooking Upper Shaker Lake. The museum exhibits a large collection of Shaker objects. Many are from North Union, a Shaker colony founded in 1822 and located in what is now the city of Shaker Heights. The museum also has a library with collections from both the 19th-century Shakers and 20th-century Shaker Heights. By 1850, North Union was a prosperous community of 200. At first it sold produce and handmade furniture to nearby communities. Cleveland's mass production industries eventually put them out of business. The colony disbanded in 1889.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, lectures, and research library access.

John Brown Farm State Historic Site [NY]

Description

The John Brown State Historic Site is comprised of John Brown's home and grave. Brown (1800-1859) advocated abolition through armed resistance. He is best known for the 1859 raid at Harper's Ferry, although he also led the 1856 Pottawatomie Massacre.

The site offers guided tours and reenactments, as well as a variety of outdoors activities, including hiking and cross-country skiing. The site only offers basic visitor and historic information.

Henry Morrison Flagler Museum [FL]

Description

The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum preserves Whitehall, the estate of Henry Flagler, the noted railroad baron. The museum both chronicles the life and times of Flagler and the Florida East Coast Railway and serves as a local art museum.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, educational programs, and recreational and educational events.

National Council for the Social Studies [MD]

Description

"The mission of National Council for the Social Studies is to provide leadership, service, and support for all social studies educators." The council is currently the largest association in the country devoted solely to social studies education; and works to establish a successful baseline curriculum for social studies education, to promote effective use of technology in the classroom, and to aid the passage of effective legislation favoring social studies curriculum. The National Council for the Social Studies does this by working with educators and legislators across the country.

The council offers summer educator workshops. The website offers information about the council and its programs, professional information for educators in the social sciences, resources for potential advocates, and links and information regarding external resources, including periodicals and similar organizations.

Grant Cottage State Historic Site [NY]

Description

It was at this small cottage in the Adirondack Mountains that Ulysses S. Grant died of throat cancer on July 23, 1885. He had finished proofreading his memoirs only four days earlier. "Today, the cottage and its furnishings remain essentially the same as during the Grant family's stay for six weeks in 1885. Guests to the cottage may visit the spacious porch, tour the cottage's four rooms, and view floral arrangements that remain from Grant's August 4th funeral."

The site offers brief historical information and visitor information regarding Grant Cottage. In addition, the site is part of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, and so offers information regarding all of New York's state parks and historic sites.

Seattle Architecture Foundation [WA]

Description

The Seattle Architecture Foundation is dedicated to advancing public awareness and appreciation of fine Seattle-area architecture. To this end, the foundation hosts a variety of educational events, including exhibits located in the foundation's headquarters, walking tours, and youth education projects. In addition, the foundation works as an advocate for impressive architecture throughout the Seattle metro area.

The site offers detailed information regarding the exhibits, walking tours, and youth programs offered by the foundation, as well as links for aspiring architecture advocates.

The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms [NJ]

Description

Located in the township of Parsippany-Troy Hills, Craftsman Farms is the former home of designer Gustav Stickley, a major proponent of the "Arts and Crafts" style of home building and furnishing. The home, which was built in 1911, is one of the most notable landmarks of the Arts and Crafts movement, and has been designated a National Historic Landmark. Stickley is most well known for his furniture design, which today is often called "mission" or "Craftsman" furniture, and is noted for being handmade and utterly functional. Visitors to the site can enjoy many classic examples of "Arts and Crafts" style furniture as well as learn more about the history of the movement and the history of Gustav Stickley.

The site offers historical information about Stickley, Craftsman Farms, and the Arts and Crafts movement. In addition, the site offers visitor information, an events calendar, and an online store.

Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace Foundation [CA]

Description

The Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace Foundation serves three main functions. First, the Foundation aids in the operation of the presidential library for Richard Nixon. As such, the library offers an enormous amount of documents and information about the Nixon presidency, including all primary sources relevant to the administration. For research access and information, visit http://www.nixonlibrary.gov/, the official website of the Nixon Library. Secondly, the site serves as a historic house museum, and gives visitors a view of Richard Nixon aside from his presidency. Finally, the Foundation helps to raise interest and scholarship in the Nixon presidency by hosting events at the Nixon Library throughout the year.

The site offers an events calendar, a very short virtual tour of the museum, links to the the Nixon presidential library, an event planner, and limited information about current exhibits.