Guilford Courthouse National Military Park [NC]

Description

The Guilford Courthouse National Military Park commemorates the largest Revolutionary War battle fought in the Southern Campaign, the March 15, 1781 Battle of Guilford Courthouse. At the altercation, Major General Nathanael Greene led the American troops, while Lord Charles Cornwallis led the British. The battle was a success for the outnumbered British, who forced the Americans to retreat. However, the loss of roughly one-fourth of their force led Cornwallis and the British to abandon their attempts to overtake the Carolinas. Cornwallis is best remembered as the general who lost the American colonies. It is of note that Cornwallis fought in the revolution despite misgivings about the harshness of British rule over the colonies.

The park offers exhibits; a 32-minute introductory film; a 10-minute animated map program on battle tactics; a walking, biking, or driving self-guided tour with wayside exhibits; 28 monuments; Junior Ranger activities; interpretive talks; musket firing demonstrations; a scavenger hunt; and an educational program. The website offers digital exhibits, historic photographs and postcards, lesson plans, a teacher's guide to the American Revolution, a timeline of the Revolutionary War, and two films for rental. Visitors with visual impairment can participate in a 20-minute tactile map program.

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park [CA]

Description

The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park presents the maritime history of the Pacific Coast. The visitor's center, within a 1908 cannery warehouse, discusses the ethnic diversity of the San Francisco area and displays a First Order Fresnel lighthouse lens. A variety of historic vessels and access to working boat builders are also available on site. Historic vessels include the 1886 square-rigger Balclutha, 1890 steam ferryboat Eureka, 1895 schooner C. A. Thayer, 1891 scow schooner Alma, 1907 steam tug Hercules, 1914 paddlewheel tug Eppleton Hall, and circa 1890 Bay Ark, as well as 6 small craft including a replica Chinese shrimp junk.

The park offers interactive exhibits, information panels, films, ranger-led interpretive programs, tours, sail raising demonstrations, Junior Ranger activities, and a research library. Tours are available on the pier, the Balclutha, the Eureka, and the Hercules. The library is open by appointment only. The website offers videos and a virtual tour, pre- and post-visit activities, curriculum materials, and other activities.

Capitol Hill Parks [DC]

Description

Capitol Hill Parks includes all parkland between the 2nd streets NE and SE and the Anacostia River. The four major parks in this space are the Folger Park, which contains numerous examples of historic architecture; Lincoln Park, which contains memorials to Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865), 16th President of the United States, and Civil Rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955); Marion Park; and Stanton Park, which houses a statue of General Nathanael Greene (1742-1786), the Revolutionary War leader who drove the British out of Georgia and the Carolinas in 1782.

The site offers tours upon request.

Minute Man National Historical Park [MA]

Description

Minute Man National Historical Park is the site of the Revolutionary War's opening battles, which took place on April 19, 1775. The site commemorates these battles and the ideals of freedom and liberty for which they stood. Topics covered include Paul Revere's Ride and the battles of Lexington Green, North Bridge, and Battle Road. Key sites include the Hartwelll Tavern, a period home; The Wayside: Home of Authors, eventual home to muster master of the Concord Minutemen Samuel Whitney, Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), and Harriet Lothrop (1844-1924); and the North Bridge, site of the "shot heard 'round the world."

The park offers two visitor's center, a multimedia presentation, a film, exhibits, an interpretive 5-mile trail, educational programs led by rangers in period and modern dress, musket firing demonstrations, guided tours of The Wayside, guided walks of the trail, cell phone audio tours, bicycle tours in cooperation with an outside company, professional development workshops for educators, ranger-guided education programs for students, and Junior Ranger activities. The website offers pre-visit materials, a lesson plan, a library catalog, structure reports, and national register documentation.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site [KS]

Description

The Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site commemorates the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 decision in the Brown v. Board of Education case, which ended legal segregation in the public school system. The site is located within one of four former African American elementary schools, the Monroe Elementary School. The school has been restored to a 1954 appearance. Permanent exhibits address relevant people, places, and events; the feelings of being subjected to discrimination; and the impact of the case. Computer consoles invite visitors to share their own experiences.

The site offers a ranger-led orientation, a 25-minute introductory film, interactive and traditional exhibits, 90-minute tours for students, outreach presentations for students, distance learning programs, Junior Ranger activities, and access to a non-circulating research library. Picnic tables are located in the nearby Cushinberry Park. Access to the library is by appointment only. The website offers historical photographs, an interactive activity, scavenger hunt worksheets for third grade through high school, an electronic field trip, a DVD and teacher's guide, Teaching with Historic Places lesson plans, a web quest, children's activities, and a curriculum kit.

Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site [AL]

Description

The Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site is located on Tuskegee University. Sights include the George W. Carver (circa 1864-1943) Museum and The Oaks, Booker T. Washington's (1856-1915) home. Other figures honored include Dr. Frederick W. Patterson (1901-1988), founder of the United Negro College Fund, and Dr. Robert Moton, who stressed the need for health care for African American veterans. Carver is known for his support of the peanut as an alternative to the southern cotton crop, which had been ravaged by the boll weevil. Washington founded the Tuskegee Normal School for Colored Teachers, later the Tuskegee Institute, to provide education to African American students. Due to the strength of the aeronautical engineering program at the institute, the site was selected by the military to train African American pilots for World War II.

The site offers exhibits, interpretive programs, 30-minute introductory films on George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington, guided tours of The Oaks, period rooms, tours of the historic Tuskegee University, and 2-hour curriculum-based programs. Reservations are required for curriculum-based programs. The Oaks is not fully wheelchair accessible. Films can be played with captions.

Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site [AK]

Description

The Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site preserves the site at which nine African American students entered the Little Rock Central High School for the first time on September 23, 1957. Their right to do so, determined under the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision, proved a national symbol of the end of segregation in public schools. Despite the legality of the situation, desegregation was still highly inflammatory to many. The students had previously been turned away by the Arkansas State Guard before federal troops were deployed to escort them to and from the school.

The site offers interactive exhibits, captioned audio-visual programs, oral history listening stations, 30-minute guided group tours of the high school, gardens, Junior Ranger activities, Trail of Tears guided bicycle tours, student educational programs, teacher workshops for credit, school outreach presentations, and a traveling trunk. Tours of the school require two weeks advance notice, and groups must include 10 or more individuals. The high school is still in use. As a result, visitors may not tour the school without a guide. The website offers oral history videos, a pre-visit booklet, and lesson plans.

Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park [OH]

Description

The Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park celebrates the history and accomplishments of Wilber Wright (1867-1912), Orville Wright (1871-1948), and Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906). Other topics addressed include changes in Air Force aviation technology. Sights include two interpretive centers; the Wright brothers' printing office, styled to period; a Wright brothers' bicycle shop; the brothers' third airplane, built in 1905; the Huffman Prairie Flying Field; and Dunbar's final residence. The Wright brothers are best known for creating the world's first successful airplane, while Dunbar was an African American poet celebrated for his 1896 poem "Lyrics of a Lowly Life."

The park offers two introductory films; exhibits; period rooms; guided tours of the Wright Cycle Company building, Wright-Dunbar Village, and the Huffman Prairie Flying Field; guided bicycle tours; children's programs; curriculum-based educational programs; and Junior Ranger activities. Tours of the Wright Cycle Company building are available on request only, and reservations are required for groups. Reservations are required for all school programs. The website offers an interactive timeline.

De Soto National Memorial [FL]

Description

The De Soto National Memorial commemorates Spaniard Hernando de Soto's (circa 1496-1542) 1539 arrival at Tampa Bay. Following the landing, de Soto and his men encountered, and in some cases fought, local Native American groups over the course of four years. Collections include historic arms and armor. Between December and April, the site offers re-enactments and demonstrations at Camp Uzita.

The park offers a 22-minute introductory film, exhibits, helmets and armor for guests to try on, guided walking tours, nature trails with interpretive signage and wayside exhibits, 40-minute outreach presentations, Junior Ranger activities, Junior Ranger camps, and a picnic area. The website offers a suggested reading list.

President's Park (White House) [DC]

Description

President's Park contains the White House, home to every U.S. president except George Washington, and the surrounding area. The park visitor center is the hub of the park activities. Permanent exhibits within the visitor center address symbolism, First Families, celebrations and ceremonies, the work which takes place in the White House, and the White House's architecture and interiors. In addition to the White House, the park contains the First Division Monument, General William T. Sherman Monument, District Patentees Memorial, Boy Scout Memorial, Second Division Memorial, Butt-Millet Fountain, Haupt Fountains, Bullfinch Gatehouses, and Zero Milestone, as well as memorial statues of select Revolutionary War heroes.

The park offers a 30-minute introductory video, exhibits, a children's activity area, Junior Ranger activities, self-guided White House tours, educational programs for students, and an Underground Railroad traveling trunk. White House tour requests must be submitted through one's Member of Congress, and can be requested up to six months in advance. Please see the website for details. Tours are only permitted for groups of 10 or more.