Death in the Haymarket Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 01/04/2008 - 14:03
Description

Author and professor Howard Zinn and professor James Green look at the Chicago Haymarket Riot of May 1886, in which a bomb killed several policeman at a Chicago labor rally, and the resulting trial and executions. They also discuss the history of the working class in the U.S. generally.

Lincoln at Peoria: The Turning Point

Description

From the Gilder Lehrman Institute website:

"On October 16, 1854, from the steps of the courthouse in Peoria, Illinois, an obscure former congressman named Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech arguing that slavery was incompatible with the Founders' vision of America as articulated in the Declaration of Independence. Lewis Lehrman, co-founder of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and author of Lincoln at Peoria: The Turning Point, explores the origins and the consequences of this important speech."

Lincoln's Family and Childhood

Description

Catherine Clinton, professor of U.S. history at Queens University Belfast, sifts through the myths and realities of Abraham Lincoln's early life. Lincoln's youth was beset by poverty and loss—his mother died when he was only 10, and his father suffered from bouts of melancholy. Clinton argues that these ordeals helped Lincoln to deal with later obstacles and tragedies.

Alfred P. Sloan Museum [MI]

Description

The Alfred P. Sloan Museum of Flint Michigan presents local history, historic automobiles, and scientific principles. Historic topics are covered in the Hometown Gallery and Piersen Automotive Gallery. Collections include more than 125,000 artifacts including textiles, prehistoric objects, and more than 80 historic vehicles made in Flint.

The museum offers hands-on activities; exhibits; films; a vehicle conservation and restoration shop; archival access; arts and crafts workshops; group tours; group picture-puzzle scavenger hunts; more than 11 hands-on educational programs, ranging from autowork to the fur trade; a planetarium; and a lunchroom. Reservations are required for school groups. Separate reservations are required for use of the lunchroom by large groups.

Preservation Wayne [MI]

Description

Preservation Wayne seeks to promote awareness of Detroit's past and current achievements through tours, lectures, publications, and full-time accessibility to the media. Their areas of architectural focus include the works of Louis Kamper (1861–1953), architect of Book Tower and the Book Cadillac Hotel, and Albert Kahn (1869–1952), a major American industrial architect and designer of the General Motors Building and Detroit Police Headquarters. Other topics include the history of sculpture, residential structures, automobiles, skyscrapers, and theater in Detroit.

The organization offers a variety of tours and a lecture series.

Pawnee Indian Museum State Historic Site [KS]

Description

The Pawnee Nation was the dominant power of the Central Plains for hundreds of years. This museum tells the story of an 1820s Pawnee village. The most remarkable feature is the museum’s centerpiece—the excavated floor of a large 1820s Pawnee earth lodge. Visitors can walk the perimeter of the lodge and view the rare sacred bundle that hangs above the altar. After touring the museum, they can walk the interpretive trail that winds through the depressions marking other lodges.

The site offers exhibits, tours, and educational programs. An alternative website for the Pawnee Indian Museum is located here.

Fort Boonesborough State Park [KY]

Description

Fort Boonesborough was originally built in 1775 by Daniel Boone and his men to serve as a frontier outpost along the Kentucky River. Today, the fort has been completely reconstructed and functions as a living history museum, giving modern-day visitors a sense of what life was like for pioneers in Kentucky. In addition to the reconstructed fort, the park contains the Kentucky River Museum, which provides visitors with "insight into the lives of families who lived on the river and worked the locks and dams in the 1900s."

The park offers exhibits, tours for school groups, living history demonstrations, special school days throughout the year, and other educational and recreational events. The website offers visitor information, a photo gallery featuring 13 photographs of the park, and an events calendar.

House of David Museum [MI]

Description

The House of David Museum presents the story of the Christian religious community known as the House of David, founded in 1903. Members created most, if not all, of the items which they needed or desired for the rest of the community. At its height during the 1930s, the House of David served the early U.S. tourist population through its own amusement park, hotels, and restaurants, among other amenities. The House of David was also known for its baseball prowess, and would play games against teams in the Negro Leagues—unthinkable at a time when sports were so stringently divided by race.

The museum offers exhibits and self-guided tours. Appointments are required for groups of 25 or more. Groups receive an introduction and, when possible, a guided tour.

Gardner Museum of Architecture and Design [IL]

Description

The Gardner Museum is a stone Romanesque Revival style building erected in 1888. It was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Patton and Fisher and built with limestone supplied by the Frederick W. Menke Stone Works of Quincy. It presents exhibits related the history of local architecture and design. The second floor's large room, formerly the library reading room, has a tongue and groove wood vaulted ceiling. It now houses the "Aspirations in Glass" exhibit of stained glass windows saved from demolished churches.

The museum offers exhibits, research library access, and tours. Unfortunately, the museum is now closed due to lack of funding.