Bostonian Society and Old State House Museum [MA]

Description

The Bostonian Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Boston, Massachusetts. To this end, the society operates the Old State House Museum. The museum presents information on the Old State House itself, the Boston Massacre, Boston and the Revolutionary War, staff favorite artifacts, and architectural conservation and preservation, among other topics. The Old State House itself was built in 1713 to house local government offices.

The society offers interactive and traditional exhibits, a multimedia presentation, guided student tours, self-guided student tours, an educational program for students, self-guided group tours, guided group tours, wayside historical markers, research library access, research assistance, and teacher workshops. Groups of 10 or more are required to make reservations at least three weeks in advance. The library is open by appointment only. Non-member library use requires payment of a fee, and is limited to two-hour sessions. The museum is not wheelchair accessible. The website offers virtual exhibits, lesson plans, primary documents, pre- and post-visit activities, a scavenger hunt and self-guided tour for use on site, and an online Boston Massacre game.

National World War One Museum [MO]

Description

The National World War One Museum presents World War I both prior to and during U.S. involvement. Exhibits include general chronology, large-scale settings, thematic displays, and study centers. Highlights include a Renault FT17 World War I tank, displaying the damage that it took in battle, and examples of shell art. A memorial is also located on site. The museum seeks to inspire reflection on values, ethics, responsible decisions, and resolution of conflict, as relevant throughout time.

The site offers a 12-minute introductory video, environmental audio, traditional and interactive exhibits, an open-air observation deck, a cafe, and research center access. Reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance for school groups. Students may eat bag lunches on the lawn or order box lunches at least one week in advance. Appointments are necessary to use the research center.

San Diego Air and Space Museum [CA]

Description

The Museum provides visitors with a journey through the history of flight. Visitors may stand beneath a model of the Montgolfier brothers' hot air balloon of 1783—the first manned vehicle in recorded history to lift man above the Earth. They can view specimens of aircraft from World War I, or marvel at the antics of the barnstormers of the 1920s. Mint condition aircraft help visitors appreciate the increasingly complex technology represented in the classic military aircraft of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, and exhibits on space flight project aeronautics into the future.

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

La Purísima Mission State Historic Park [CA]

Description

Misión la Purísima Concepción de María Santísima (Mission of the Immaculate Conception of Most Holy Mary) was founded by Father Presidente Fermin de Lasuén on December 8, 1787. It was the 11th of 21 Franciscan Missions established in Alta California. A major earthquake on December 21, 1812, destroyed many of the mission buildings. Father Mariano Payeras received permission to relocate the mission community four miles to the northeast in La Cañada de los Berros, next to El Camino Real. La Purísima Mission was officially established in its new location on April 23, 1813. Materials salvaged from the buildings destroyed by the earthquake were used to construct the new buildings, which were completed within 10 years. The end of the California missions came in 1834, when the Mexican government, which had gained independence from Spain, transferred control of the missions from the Catholic Church to civil authorities. Today, La Purísima Mission State Historic Park is considered the most completely restored mission in California, with 10 of the original buildings fully restored and furnished, including the church, shops, quarters, and blacksmith shop. The mission gardens and livestock represent what would have been found at the mission during the 1820s. Special living history events are scheduled throughout the year. A visitor center features information, displays, and artifacts; and a self-guided tour gives visitors the opportunity to step back in time for a glimpse of a brief, turbulent period in California's history.

The site offers exhibits, tours, living history events, educational programs, and occasional other educational and recreational events.

Monterey State Historic Park [CA]

Description

Visitors to this park can step into the past on the "Monterey Walking Path of History" and view the site where Spanish explorers first landed in Monterey in 1602; see one of the nation's last remaining whalebone sidewalks; and walk the same streets that author Robert Louis Stevenson walked in 1879 as they explore this two-mile path and discover some of California's most historic homes, buildings, and gardens along the way. Monterey served as California's capital under Spanish, Mexican, and U.S. military rule. The U.S. flag was first officially raised in California here on July 7, 1846, bringing 600,000 square miles of land to the United States. Ten buildings, including the Custom House, the oldest government building in California, and several residences (now house museums with guided tours), are all part of the Path of History.

The park offers exhibits, tours, educational programs, occasional living history events, and occasional other educational and recreational events.

Ashland: The Henry Clay Estate [KY]

Description

The Ashland estate consists of an 18-room mansion, outbuildings, exhibit space, formal gardens, and walking trails. Henry Clay (1777-1852) temporarily quelled the regionalism which eventually led to attempted secession, helped negotiate the Treaty of Ghent, served as Speaker of the House, supported South American governments, and introduced the Amicus Brief. Clay was also a Senator, Secretary of State, lawyer, farmer, and horseman. The structure itself was completed circa 1812, in the Federal style. Rebuilt in 1857 by later family members, the home is still similar to its original appearance but now includes Italianate, Victorian, and Greek Revival elements.

The estate offers one-hour guided mansion tours, period rooms, thematic and general guided tours for students, exhibits, self-guided outbuilding tours, gardens, trails, and a cafe. It is advisable to schedule as far in advance as possible for school visits. The website offers pre-visit handouts, a trivia game, and suggested reading lists for students.

House in the Horseshoe [NC]

Description

In spring and summer, bright flowers surround this plantation house named for its location on a horseshoe bend in the Deep River. The house (circa 1770) was owned by Philip Alston, whose band of colonists seeking independence from Britain was attacked here in 1781 during the American Revolution by British loyalists led by David Fanning. Later, four-term governor Benjamin Williams lived in the house, which now features antiques of the colonial and Revolutionary War eras.

The site offers exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Washington County Historical Society and Museum [MD]

Description

The Washington County Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Washington County, MD. To this end, the society operates a museum within the Miller House, a late Federal townhouse dating to between 1818 and 1823, and the 1904 two-room Beaver Creek School. Exhibits in the Miller House include period rooms set to 1850s through 1870s appearances, clocks, dolls, Shenandoah Valley pottery, the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, and the C and O Canal. The house grounds also include a library and gardens. The Beaver Creek School contains period school, workshop, parlor, and cobbler shop settings; vintage toys; costumes and uniforms; an 1840s hand crank organ; and other artifacts.

The society offers exhibits, period rooms, a garden, and research library access.

Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park [FL]

Description

Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1973, Florida's southernmost state park is popular for recreation, as well as U.S. military history. The fort was one of a series built in the mid-1800s to defend the nation's southeastern coastline. Completed in 1866, Fort Zachary Taylor played important roles in the Civil War and Spanish-American War.

The park offers tours, exhibits, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).