Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum [PA]

Description

Landis Valley Museum, a living history village and farm, collects, preserves, and interprets the history and material culture of the Pennsylvania German rural community from 1740 to 1940 and enhances understanding of their successful practices, interactions with others, and the impact on the state and nation for citizens of and visitors to the Commonwealth. Visitors experience 18th- and 19th-century village and farm life in Lancaster County, PA, all in one visit. With over 100 acres and many historic buildings to explore throughout the four seasons, there is always something to see at Landis Valley Museum.

The site offers exhibits, tours, demonstrations, educational programs that meet PA state curriculum standards, lectures, workshops, and recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Historic Washington State Park [AR]

Description

Historic Washington is a restored 19th-century town with 45 historic structures. Classic examples of Southern Greek Revival, Federal, Gothic Revival, and Italianate architecture stand as a legacy to life in Washington from 1824 to 1889. From its establishment in 1824, Washington was an important stop on the rugged Southwest Trail to Mexico, and later, Texas. James Bowie, Sam Houston, and Davy Crockett each traveled through Washington at various times. Vistiors can stroll the plank boardwalks along streets that have never been paved, and explore this tree-shaded town many call "the Colonial Williamsburg of the Southwest."

The site offers exhibits, tours, demonstrations, research library access, workshops, and educational and recreational events (including living history events).

Jerome County Historical Society and Museum and Idaho Farm and Ranch Agricultural Museum [ID]

Description

The Society operates a local history museum, the Jerome County Historical Museum, as well as the Idaho Farm and Ranch Agricultural Museum. The latter displays many specimens of old farm equipment and original buildings from the surrounding area, including an exhibit from the World War II Minidoka Japanese Relocation Camp that was located at Hunt, ID in Jerome County.

The society and Jerome County Historical Museum offer exhibits, tours, and research library access; the Agricultural Museum offers exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Century House Historical Society and the Snyder Estate [NY]

Description

The Century House Historical Society preserves the industrial history of the Rosendale natural cement region, operating from the Snyder Estate. The estate began in the early 1800s as a family farm. With the local discovery of natural cement, the site experienced substantial industrial growth until the 1970s.

The society and the estate offer exhibits, tours, and occasional educational and recreational events.

Aurora Colony Historical Society and Museum [OR]

Description

The Society's Museum
The Old Aurora Colony Museum displays and preserves artifacts recounting the history of the Aurora Colony communal society and presents the history, families, and crafts of Oregon's Aurora Colony. The colony was a Christian communal society, consisting nearly entirely of Swiss and German immigrants, which lasted from 1856 to 1883. The museum is located within several structures, including the circa 1860 Ox Barn, 1876 Steinbach Cabin, Will Family Summer Kitchen, Kraus boot and shoe shop, blacksmith shop, and the circa 1864 Kraus House. The Kraus House, Steinbach Cabin, and summer kitchen are furnished to period.

The museum offers exhibits, period rooms, one-hour guided tours, self-guided tours, educational programs for students, a fourth grade farm program for students, outreach speakers, and weekly programming related to quilting. Reservations are required for guided tours, student educational programs, and outreach speakers. The farm program includes a curriculum-based teacher's notebook and pre-visit video. The website offers original Aurora Colony musical scores.

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

Arthurdale Heritage and New Deal Homestead Museum [WV]

Description

Visitors to Arthurdale, WV can revisit the 1930s. Established in 1933, by the United States government, Arthurdale is the nation's first New Deal Homestead Community. Created through President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal legislation, the community provided a new chance at life for residents of West Virginia who were suffering from the Great Depression. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt served as the empathetic force behind the community, which became known as "Eleanor’s Little Village" because of her interest. Today, Arthurdale is a National Historic District that features 160 of the 165 original homesteads. The New Deal Homestead Museum is a multi-building museum comprised of a forge filled with original tools, a service station reminiscent of a bygone era, the historic Center Hall, the original federal government administration building, and a fully restored Arthurdale homestead.

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

Austerlitz Historical Society and Old Austerlitz Historical Village [NY]

Description

The Society operates the Old Austerlitz Historical Village where artifacts, photos, and memorabilia relating to the town are displayed in a collection of 18th and 19th century buildings. These buildings include an 1818 one-room schoolhouse, an 1850s church, a blacksmith's, the 1770 Sauers-Kellogg House, a granary, the Morey-Deveraux House, and the 1830s Varney House.

The society offers occasional recreational and educational events; the village offers tours.

Historic Georgetown, Inc.

Description

Historic Georgetown, a Colorado non-profit corporation, was created to initiate, encourage and integrate efforts to preserve the rich heritage of the Georgetown/Silver Plume National Historic Landmark District. Historic Georgetown Inc. is dedicated to preserving five different 19th century homes in order to give visitors a glimpse at what early life was like in Georgetown, from the poor to the rich.

The site offers virtual tours of all five faithfully restored homes, as well as information about Historic Georgetown Inc. and its upcoming events.

Fire Museum of Maryland [MD]

Description

The Fire Museum of Maryland opened in 1971 as a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation. It ranks as one of the finest fire fighting museums in the United States, and displays apparatus from 1806 to 1957. As an educational institution, the Fire Museum provides a variety of special events for children, fire fighters, and interested adults that introduces them to the history of antique fire apparatus and the related memorabilia. Through a variety of exhibits and audio-visual programs, the history of fire fighting is told. Videos on hand-drawn apparatus, the 1904 Baltimore fire, fire prevention, and technical subjects provide a diverse learning experience.

The site offers educational information, shopping, research information, and general information about the museum.

Belle Grove Plantation [VA]

Description

Belle Grove is an 18th-century grain and livestock farm, which, in its prime (circa 1815), encompassed about 7,500 acres of land. The unique limestone house was completed in 1797 for Major Isaac Hite and his wife Nelly, sister of future President James Madison. The house has remained virtually unchanged through the years, offering visitors an experience of the life and times of the people who lived there in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. During the Civil War, Belle Grove was at the center of the decisive Battle of Belle Grove or Cedar Creek. Today, the plantation includes the main house and gardens, original outbuildings, a classic 1918 barn, an overseer's house, the slave cemetery, a heritage apple orchard, fields and meadows, and scenic mountain views.

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