Whitewater Canal State Historic Site [IN]

Description

The Whitewater Canal State Historic Site preserves one of the remaining canals in Indiana. The site consists of the canal, which is still navigable, and a grist mill. Both are open to visitors during the summer months.

The Canal offers boat rides, tours of the grist mill, carriage rides, tours for school groups, in-class standards-based outreach programs, and educational materials available for checkout. The website offers visitor information, a calendar of events, and a brief history of the website.

Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices

Description

The Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices are within the only remaining building in which Abraham Lincoln maintained a law office. The site consists of the surviving portion of a three-story brick commercial block constructed in 1840–41. The restored building's first-floor visitor center consists of an exhibit gallery and audiovisual theater, along with a room interpreted as an 1840s post office facility. On the second floor are rooms representing those used by the federal court, and on the third floor a "common room" and three lawyers' offices. Two of the offices were used by Lincoln and his partners, prominent local attorneys Herndon and Stephen T. Logan. The recreated offices are notable for the plainness and disorder that were remembered by Lincoln associates.

The site offers exhibits, a short film, and tours.

Old Cowtown Museum [KS]

Description

The Old Cowtown Museum is a living history museum where visitors can experience life in the midwest during the 1870s. Old Cowtown consists of a visitor's center, which offers exhibits and visitor information, as well as a fully reconstructed pioneer town. The reconstructed town contains a residential section, a blacksmithing shop, a business area, and a farm.

The museum offers educational programs, including tours tailored for specific grade groups; wagon rides; costumed interpreters; historic structures furnished with time period furnishings; and special events such as lectures, reenactments, and special interpretive events. The website offers visitor information, information regarding educational programs, supplemental materials for teachers including lesson plans and worksheets, and an events calendar.

University Museums [IA]

Description

University Museums is a collection of five organizations; three museums, one educational program, and a sculpture garden, which are affiliated with the Iowa State educational system. The museums are the Brunnier Art Museum, Farm House Museum, Art on Campus Program, Christian Petersen Art Museum, and Elizabeth and Byron Anderson Sculpture Garden.

The museums offer exhibits, tours, and a variety of special events and presentations. Group tours and field trip programs are offered year round, and consist of tours of all five organizations within the University Museums umbrella. The website offers visitor information, information on current museum exhibits and collections, a calendar of events, and research information.

Constitution Hall State Historic Site

Description

James Henry Lane had a significant impact on Kansas history and is one of Constitution Hall's more colorful characters. He was part of a large antislavery delegation that marched into Lecompton to protest the convening of the proslavery Lecompton Constitutional Convention in the fall of 1857. The nation's eyes were fixed on this site, waiting to see what kind of constitution would be drafted and whether Kansas would join the Union as a free or slave state. Visitors to the site can learn more about Jim Lane, the proslavery and free-state forces in the area, and other stories of territorial Kansas at Constitution Hall.

This site offers exhibits, tours, and educational and recreational programs.

Milwaukee County Historical Society, Center, and Historic Sites [WI]

Description

The Society operates the Historical Center, in the 1913 Second Ward Savings Bank building, as well as several historical sites, including Trimborn Farm, Jeremiah Curtin House, Lowell Damon House, and Kilbourntown House. Trimborn farm lets visitors take a giant step back into pioneer times. They can delve into Victorian-era industry, reminisce about 19th-century farm life, and witness Wisconsin culture come to life as embodied by the immigrant entrepreneur Werner Trimborn, his family, and his employees. With help from a stone mason, Irish immigrant David Curtin built the first-of-its-kind stone Jeremiah Curtin House in the Old Town of Greenfield in 1846. Started in 1844 by Oliver Damon and completed in 1847 by his son Lowell, the Lowell Damon House is Wauwatosa's oldest residence and stands as a classic example of a colonial home. Built in 1844 by Benjamin Church, Kilbourntown House was originally located in the area of Milwaukee known as Kilbourntown. This building was moved to Estabrook Park in 1938 and serves as a fine example of Greek Revival architecture.

The society offers research library access, lectures, and occasional recreational and educational events; the Center offers exhibits and tours; the Farm offers tours and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events); the Jeremiah Curtin House offers tours; the Lowell Damon House offers tours; Kilbourntown House offers tours.

Old Stagecoach Stop [MO]

Description

The Old Stagecoach Stop, also known as the Waynesville House, was built in 1854. The home also served as a hotel and was on the old stage route from Saint Louis to Springfield. The Old Stagecoach Stop Foundation restored the building to its 1890 condition, and today the old hotel serves as a historic house museum.

The structure offers guided tours and interpretive events, and is furnished with 18th-century furniture. The structure is open from April until September. The website offers a history of the structure, visitor information, online newsletters, and an events calendar.

Goodnow House State Historic Site

Description

Visitors to the Goodnow House gain a glimpse into domestic life in the 1800s and learn the story of free-staters who wanted organized and equal education for the boys and girls of Kansas. Isaac Goodnow, one of Manhattan's founders, and his wife, Ellen, built this stone farmhouse, which still holds many original furnishings and documents, in the 1860s. Isaac started the Kansas State Teachers Association and established the college that became Kansas State University.

The site offers exhibits and tours.

Oakland Township Historical Society [MI]

Description

The Oakland Township Historical Society preserves and showcases the history of Oakland, Michigan, and the northern Detroit suburbs. Currently, the society is restoring the Cranberry Lake Farm to serve as a community historical center.

The society puts on a variety of events and limited exhibits. The website offers visitor information, a calendar of events, information regarding upcoming events, and a brief history of Oakland Township.

Stearns History Museum [MN]

Description

The Stearns History Museum is a local history museum focusing on the history and culture of central Minnesota.

The museum offers a variety of exhibits, including exhibits on pioneer and rural life. The museum also offers a theater, which shows short historical films, genealogical research resources, a storyteller, and special events throughout the year. The museum is open year-round, and offers self-guided and group tours. The website offers visitor information, library access, and an events calendar.