Madeline Island Museum [WI]

Description

The Madeline Island Museum presents the history of Madeline Island, WI and its people. An original 1835 American Fur Company building contains exhibits on Ojibwe life and the mixing of Native American, British, American, and French cultures instigated by the fur trade. Other exhibits address 19th-century trades and hand tools, 19th- and early 20th-century settler life, leisure and tourism, and Protestant and Catholic missionary activity. Other structures housing exhibits include a historic jail, an 1890s barn, and a home built in memory to a drowned sailor. Collection highlights include an 1862 Fresnel lens, religious texts translated into Ojibwe, a boat winch, and a maple-sugaring kettle. The grounds also include fortifications similar to those created by the French in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The museum offers films, exhibits, lectures, workshops, group tours, student tours, educational programs for third through fifth grade students, student tours of La Pointe village, and a fur trade traveling trunk. Group tours and field trips are available by appointment only. Group tours must be scheduled for mid-June through September, and field trips are offered in May and early June. The traveling trunk is available November through March.

Preservation Worcester [MA]

Description

Preservation Worcester seeks to preserve the material history, architecture, and culture of Worcestor, MA. The organization primarily functions as an advocacy association.

The organization offers a variety of one-hour bus and neighborhood walking tours; history presentations; a professional development program for educators; and a third grade program focusing on immigration, industrialization, and transportation. Reservations are required for tours.

Landmark Center [MN]

Description

The Landmark Center was erected in 1902 as a Federal court house and a post office. Today, it houses a variety of community, art, and culture organizations. The center hosts five galleries—the American Association of Woodturners Galleries, which displays contemporary wooden artworks and historical lathes; the Landmark Gallery, depicting St. Paul, Minnesota's postal history; Uncle Sam Worked Here, covering Landmark Center history; the Ramsey County Historical Society's exhibits of local history; and the Museum of Musical Instruments and Gilman Ordway Manuscript Collection, the latter of which specializes in musical correspondence and writing.

The center offers exhibits, guided tours, self-guided tours, guided tours for students, group tours, and living history gangster tours. Student tours can be customized for areas of interest, and meet state educational standards. Reservations for student, group, and gangster tours must be made at least two weeks in advance, and the student and group tours must include 10 or more individuals. The website offers a virtual tour and activities for use by teachers.

Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site [MO]

Description

The Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site is the last fully equipped 1860s woolen mill within the United States. The site displays the original equipment in the layout in which it was used to process wool into yarn or cloth. The site employed approximately 25 operatives, 10 weavers, and five apprentices from Swedish, English, Irish, French, German, and Canadian immigrant populations, as well as U.S. citizens.

The site offers mill tours, house tours, mill and house tours for students, 1870s living history demonstrations and activities, living history programs for students, a two-hour one-room schoolhouse program for students, outreach programs for students, interpretive trails, outdoor activities, and picnic facilities.

Tudor Place Historic House and Garden [DC]

Description

The 1816 neoclassical Tudor Place was built for Martha Custis Parker, Martha Washington's granddaughter, and her husband Thomas Peter. The site presents the governmental, business, and societal aspects of the Peters' lives, as well as the lives of their servants—both enslaved Africans and the English and Irish. Another interpretive focus is the development of Washington, DC, beginning in the 18th century. Collection highlights include 19th-century silver, porcelain, and more than 100 artifacts originally owned by George and Martha Washington. The five and a half acres of gardens largely retain their Federal era design.

The site offers period rooms, gardens, educational programs for students, a summer camp, guided house tours, and self-guided garden tours. Reservations are required for groups of 10 or more. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to notify the staff of their visit in advance.

Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society and Museum [NY]

Description

The Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Western New York. The society's headquarters is the only permanent structure created for the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. Society holdings include more than 100,000 artifacts. Highlights include the largest collection of Pan-American Exposition artifacts, the Pierce Motorette, pacemaker prototypes, and the Red Jacket Peace Medal. Other artifacts can be classified as relevant to the Iroquois, War of 1812, Erie Canal, U.S. Presidents, industrialization, glass, ceramics, paintings, textiles, aviation, or immigration.

The society offers exhibits, 30-minute exhibit tours for students, outreach presentations, and research library access. Four weeks advance notice is required for student tours. A fee is charged for use of the library by non-members. The website offers virtual exhibits, slide presentations and videos for rental, resource kits for rental, and a Buffalo timeline.

Pendarvis [WI]

Description

In the 1830s and 1840s, settlers from other parts of the United States and
Europe began to flow into the Wisconsin Territory. They were lured by the prospect of plentiful lead to be had in shallow diggings throughout the region. As the easy lead became scarce, and greater technical knowledge was needed to work the earth for its deeper lead and zinc deposits, immigrants from Cornwall,
England filled the need. These miners and their families made a lasting imprint on southwest Wisconsin.
At Pendarvis, you can see their stone cottages, learn about their lives, and come to understand how their legacy was preserved in the twentieth century.
Pendarvis offers guided tours for groups by reservation from May through October. Please allow at least 3 weeks lead time. For further information, contact by telephone or e-mail.

Pendarvis offers an elementary level educational activity packet available for free download from the web site.

Historic Bethlehem [PA]

Description

Historic Bethlehem presents and interprets three centuries of life within Bethlehem, PA. The site consists of a visitor center, the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts, Moravian Museum of Bethlehem, Burnside Plantation, Colonial Industrial Quarter, and Goundie House. The Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts discusses the history of the Lehigh Valley in the 18th through 20th centuries via a collection of decorative arts. The museum also hosts toys from the 1830s to 1930s. The Moravian Museum of Bethlehem, housed within a 1741 structure, presents the lives of Bethlehem, PA's Moravian founders. The Burnside Plantation consists of a barn and farmhouse dating to the 18th and 19th centuries. The site was once home to a Moravian missionary active in local politics. The Colonial Industrial Quarter consists of the 1869 Luckenbach Mill; Miller's House; 1762 Tannery; 1762 Waterworks, the first pumped town water system in the U.S.; and the restored working Blacksmith's Shop. The 1810 Federal Goundie House presents exhibits of local history.

The site offers exhibits, period rooms, group site tours, educational programs for students, a student outreach presentation, a traveling trunk, walking tours, Segway tours, lectures, and step on guides. Note that participants must weigh between 100 and 250 pounds for the Segway tours.

Humanities Tennessee

Description

Humanities Tennessee promotes state-wide community through educational history, culture, and literature programming. The organization maintains a lending library of documentary films which are relevant to Southern history and culture.

The organization offers videos for loan.