Religion in the Colonies

Description

Colonial Williamsburg's Bob Doares looks at the variety of religious views held by North American colonists, including pilgrims, Puritans, and others. He discusses the state of religion and its connections with politics in England at the time, the tensions between religious groups in the colonies, and the gradual development of the idea of religious freedom.

Old Fort Niagara State Historic Site [NY]

Description

The Old Fort Niagara State Historic Site preserves Fort Niagara, founded in 1726. The majority of structures on site date from the 18th and 19th centuries. The fort is strategically located at the mouth of the Niagara River. As a result, it was crucial to deciding American dominance in the Great Lakes Region, as opposed to control by the French or British. Both the British and French controlled either the fort itself or the site of the fort at various points of time. Soldiers lived and trained on site for both World Wars. The fort also shaped the history of the Iroquois. Collections include more than 102,000 artifacts.

The site offers period rooms, student programs, guided tours for students, school overnight programs, school outreach programs, and school distance learning programs. The website offers a virtual tour.

Twin Lights Historic Site [NJ]

Description

Situated 200 feet above sea level atop the Navesink Highlands, Twin Lights has stood as a sentinel over the treacherous coastal waters of northern New Jersey since 1828. Named Navesink Lightstation, it became known as the "Twin Lights of Highlands" to those who used its mighty beacons to navigate. As the primary seacoast light for The Highlands, New York Harbor, it was the best and brightest light in North America for generations of seafarers. Many a life and cargo were saved by the sweep of its light. The current lighthouse, built in 1862 of local brownstone at a cost of $74,000, replaced the earlier buildings that had fallen into disrepair. Architect Joseph Lederle designed the new lighthouse with two non-identical towers linked by keepers' quarters and storage rooms. This unique design made it easy to distinguish Twin Lights from other nearby lighthouses. At night, the two beacons, one flashing and the other fixed, provided another distinguishing characteristic.

The site offers exhibits and tours.

Sterling Historical Society and Little Red Schoolhouse Museum [NY]

Description

The Sterling Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Sterling, NY. To this end, the society operates the Little Red School House Museum. Housed within an 1825 schoolhouse, the museum contains exhibits on military history, area industry, and local artifacts, among other topics.

The society offers exhibits and an hour-and-15-minute narrated boat tour of Fair Haven's bay.

Suffolk County Historical Society [NY]

Description

The Suffolk County Historical Society offers a small museum containing artifacts from the county's history. The collection of artifacts includes Suffolk's maritime history, its Algonquin predecessors, and furniture, tools and personal belongings that were part of the everyday lives of Suffolk's pioneers.

Admission is free and tours are self-guided. There are no educational programs or curriculum materials offered for school groups.

John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove [PA]

Description

The John James Audubon Center is the location of Audubon's first residence in the United States of America. The center is also the only residence still standing. In addition to the historic home, the center features a museum of Audubon's works, including his famous Birds of America.

The center offers guided tours, five miles of hiking trails, a museum with many of Audubon's most famous works, and special events including interpretive activities and presentations. The website offers a calendar of events, visitor information, and a brief history of the site.

Point State Park [PA]

Description

Point State Park is located in central Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the intersection of the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela rivers. The Park is home to a partially restored Fort Pitt, which houses the Fort Pitt Museum and the Fort Pitt Blockhouse, the oldest authentic building in Western Pennsylvania.

The Fort Pitt museum offers guided tours, field trip programs, presentations and exhibits. The Fort Pitt Blockhouse is open to the public year round and offers self guided tours. The website offers visitor information and a basic history of the site while the Fort Pitt Museum website offers lesson plans and field trip guides.

Fort Pitt Museum [PA]

Description

Situated in the recreated Monongahela Bastion at Point State Park, the Fort Pitt Museum commemorates the strategic importance of the Forks of the Ohio during the Great War for Empire in which British, French, Colonial, and Native American forces struggled for control of North America. Through exhibits and programs, the museum also addresses the important role of Fort Pitt during the American Revolution and the early development of the city of Pittsburgh. The site presents tours, exhibits, educational programs, and publications to broaden understanding of the significance of the area known as "the Point." In meeting this goal, Fort Pitt Museum closely examines the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, the various military fortifications established on the site, the many cultures that influenced the development of the region, and the importance of the fur trade and other early commerce.

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

Catoctin Furnace [MD]

Description

The Catoctin Iron Furnace operated from 1776 until 1903, and is located in Cunningham Falls State Park. The furnace site was once a booming industrial complex and community, and utilized the surrounding woodlands for fuel provision. Today, the state park encompasses both the old furnace and the surrounding landscape, and offers visitors an impressive variety of outdoor activities, from hiking to fishing. In addition, visitors can explore much of the Catoctin Furnace historic site.

The site offers visitor information and maps for the state park, along with a fairly detailed history of the furnace.