Haddon Fire Company Museum [NJ]

Description

The Haddon Fire Company Museum houses two pumpers (dating from 1818 and 1873), helmets, uniforms, a collection of metal toy fire equipment, and the company's original banner. The site has been structured to suggest how a fire house might have looked 200 years ago. The Haddon Fire Company is the nation's second oldest volunteer fire company in continuous existence, founded in 1764.

The museum offers exhibits.

Finger Lakes Boating Museum [NY]

Description

The Finger Lakes Boating Museum presents information concerning the long history of boating in the region, dating back to the Iroquois Nation. The collection includes over 90 boats built in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, as well as related artifacts. The archive contains extensive information about the boat building industry within the region. It is of note that the museum currently displays its collection in a variety of venues, as it has yet to establish a dedicated architectural space.

The museum offers exhibits.

Blair County Historical Society [PA]

Description

The Blair County Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Blair County, Pennsylvania. The society operates a museum with period rooms and exhibits on the early iron industry, transportation, medicine, military history, toys, geology, and education. The museum is housed in the Baker Mansion. This home was occupied by iron master Elias Baker and his family beginning circa 1836. Other sites operated by the society include the Royer Mansion, previously owned by another iron master; the Dick Schoolhouse; and Etna Furnace. The Blair County Historical Society holds a collection approaching 100,000 artifacts. The major period covered is 1850 through the 1920's. The collection includes a wide variety of items depicting everyday life, including clothing and accessories, furniture, household appliances, toys, china, ceramics and glassware, lighting devices, and tools. Other categories include firearms and military relics, medical tools and equipment, transportation artifacts, rocks and minerals, and material from local schools and businesses.

The society offers a traveling trunk focused on mid–19th–century daily life; Royer Mansion tours; Baker Mansion tours; a museum exhibits; research library; and archives.

Museum of the City of New York [NY]

Description

The Museum of the City of New York presents the history of New York City and its people. Permanent exhibits offer artifacts and information relevant to New York's theatrical history, interior design, firefighting, maritime commerce, and toys made or used in the city. The collection consists of 1.5 million items in the following categories: decorative arts; prints, photographs, paintings, sculptures, and drawings of the city and/or its people; theater and Broadway; toys; and costumes and textiles.

The museum offers a 25-minute introductory multimedia presentation, exhibits, lectures, performances, guided school tours, educational programs, self-guided tours, summer programs, educator workshops, an after school architecture and urban planning program, and Saturday American history classes. Reservations are required for all school groups, guided or self-guided. Headsets and neck loops are available for hard-of-hearing visitors, and all films are captioned. The website offers materials for self-guided school groups.

Due to ongoing renovations, the fire engines are in storage; and the halls containing the exhibit New York Interiors (1690-1906) is currently closed.

Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum [NY]

Description

Pieter Claessen Wyckoff emigrated from Holland to New Amsterdam in 1637 at the age of 17. In 1649, he brought his bride Grietje van Ness to this house, where they raised 11 children. Wyckoff House is one of New York State's oldest existing domiciles.

A second website for the site can be found here.

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

Liberty Museum and Arts Center [NY]

Description

The Liberty Museum & Arts Center Building was first constructed as a hotel in 1894. The Poellman House, as the hotel was known, contained 30 rooms with baths, steam heat, all "sanitary arrangements" and a first class Café and Bowling Alley. The hotel closed in 1936. The Liberty Museum has a dual mission of presenting creative arts as well as programs of local and regional history. Themes which have been previously covered include Catskills resorts, Main Street, and the history of Route 17.

The museum and art center offer exhibits, art classes, lectures, cultural programs, and programs designed for children.

Wayne County Historical Society [NY]

Description

The Wayne County Historical Society seeks to heighten awareness of and to preserve the history of Wayne County, New York. The society operates the Museum of Wayne County History, which currently has over 8,000 items in its collection, spanning a wide range of time.

The society offers a quarterly newsletter specifically written for educators, a historic map club, a series of pen-pal letters written by a fictional child from the past, educational kits for rental, in-classroom presentations by costumed docents, and guided tours.

Trenton Police Museum [NJ]

Description

The Trenton Police Museum preserves and shares the history of the law enforcement officers of Trenton, New Jersey. Collections include historic photographs. The museum is currently located in the basement of the city police department.

The museum offers exhibits for individual visitors and small groups. All visitations require appointments. The website offers a digital exhibit summarizing the history of the department.

Ephrata Cloister [PA]

Description

One of America's earliest religious communities, the Ephrata Cloister was founded in 1732 by German settlers seeking spiritual goals rather than earthly rewards. Gathered in unique European style buildings, the community consisted of celibate Brothers and Sisters, and a married congregation of families. At the zenith of the community in the 1740s and 1750s, about 300 members worked and worshiped at the Cloister.

The site offers a short film, exhibits, tours, educational programs, research library access, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).