Minute Man National Historical Park [MA]

Description

Minute Man National Historical Park is the site of the Revolutionary War's opening battles, which took place on April 19, 1775. The site commemorates these battles and the ideals of freedom and liberty for which they stood. Topics covered include Paul Revere's Ride and the battles of Lexington Green, North Bridge, and Battle Road. Key sites include the Hartwelll Tavern, a period home; The Wayside: Home of Authors, eventual home to muster master of the Concord Minutemen Samuel Whitney, Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), and Harriet Lothrop (1844-1924); and the North Bridge, site of the "shot heard 'round the world."

The park offers two visitor's center, a multimedia presentation, a film, exhibits, an interpretive 5-mile trail, educational programs led by rangers in period and modern dress, musket firing demonstrations, guided tours of The Wayside, guided walks of the trail, cell phone audio tours, bicycle tours in cooperation with an outside company, professional development workshops for educators, ranger-guided education programs for students, and Junior Ranger activities. The website offers pre-visit materials, a lesson plan, a library catalog, structure reports, and national register documentation.

General Grant National Memorial [NY]

Description

General Grant National Memorial, or Grant's Tomb, is not only the final resting place of Union General Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885), but a memorial to his life and accomplishments. It is also the largest tomb in North America. Grant served in both the Mexican and Civil Wars, and was the first full General of the Armies. His leadership confirmed victories in the Battles of Vicksburg and Chattanooga, as well as Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox. A grateful nation twice elected Grant to serve as President of the United States, from 1869 to 1877. Grant's accomplishments include signing the act establishing the first national park, Yellowstone, on March 1, 1872.

The memorial offers daily interpretive programs, guided tours, an introductory talk, curriculum materials, and a variety of standards-based educational programs for specific grade levels.

Dry Tortugas National Park [FL]

Description

The Dry Tortugas National Park consists of seven islands and the surrounding shoals and waters. First discovered in 1531 by Ponce de Leon, the Dry Tortugas are named after the then common sea turtles, or tortugas and the islands' lack of fresh water. The site includes Fort Jefferson. With its construction beginning in 1846, the invention of the rifled cannon rendered the fort ineffective; and construction ceased. The islands are notoriously difficult to navigate, and have been the site of centuries of shipwrecks.

The site offers guided tours, an orientation program, self-guided tours of Fort Jefferson, Junior Ranger activities, and a variety of outdoor activities. Note that the site is only accessible by boat or plane.

Fort Moultrie National Monument [SC]

Description

Fort Moultrie was one of the four major forts lining the entrance to Charleston Harbor. The fort was abandoned at the start of the Civil War by Union Troops in favor of Fort Sumter, which led to the first major action of the Civil War. Today, the fort has been restored to portray the major periods in its history, and visitors to the fort move steadily backwards from Fort Moultrie during World Wary II to the Palmetto-log fort of 1776.

The fort offers guided tours, interpretive activities, and field trip programs. The website offers basic visitor information, online historical documents, and a history of the fort. In order to contact the fort via email, use the "contact us" link located on the left side of the webpage.

Fort Sumter National Monument [SC]

Description

The Fort Sumter National Monument commemorates the official initiation of fire of the Civil War. April 12, 1861, the Confederates directed the first shot at the Union's Fort Sumter, located in the Charleston Harbor. Exhibits discuss the growing tensions between the North and the South and their eventual turn to civil war, as well as the physical and social history of the fort itself. Also on location is the site of the first U.S. victory over the British Navy, which occurred at Fort Moultrie in 1776.

The monument offerings differ at each fort. Fort Moultrie offers a 22–minute introductory video at the visitor center, exhibits, self–guided tours, limited ranger–led programming, and Junior Ranger activities. Fort Sumter offers 10–minute talks by park rangers aboard the ferry, exhibits, self–guided tours, and Junior Ranger activities. Reservations are required for school groups at both sites. The website offers lists of relevant state education standards, lesson plans, activities, a teacher's guide, photo galleries, and a webcam.

Monocacy National Battlefield [MD]

Description

The Monocacy National Battlefield commemorates a Civil War battle fought 9 July, 1864, between the troops of Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Early and Union General Lew Wallace. The Battle of Monocacy, or "The Battle that Saved D.C.," prevented Early from completing his campaign to relieve pressure from General Robert E. Lee and to capture Washington, D.C. Although the Confederates won the battle, the time lost permitted the Union to send reinforcements to the capital. The battle aside, Native Americans have been present in the area since the earliest human occupation of North America, nearly 10,000 years ago; and European explorers and traders arrived in the region in the early 1700s.

The park offers a self-guided six mile auto tour, a number of self-guided interpretive walking trails, exhibits, an introductory audio-visual presentation, guided tours, in-classroom speakers, and traveling trunks.

San Juan Island National Historical Park [WA]

Description

San Juan Island National Historical Park preserves and protects nearly 1,800 acres on San Juan Island, including prairies, lagoons, forests, and mountains, and more than six miles of saltwater shoreline. Under the park's protective watch are seven historic structures dating to the 1860s and a rich archaeological resource of prehistorical and historical objects, as well as habitats rich with plants and animals. In addition, from 1859 through 1872, Great Britain and the United States jointly occupied San Juan Island while the water boundary between the two nations was settled. During this time, the "pig war," a dispute which nearly escalated to war, occurred. In 1872, Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany, given the right to choose ownership of the island, determined that it would become a U.S. possession, officially creating the boundary between the U.S. and Canada. San Juan Island National Historical Park tells the story of the island through the British and American camp sites, during the joint occupation and the years prior, inclusive of island prehistory.

The park offers exhibits, pig war traveling trunks and curriculum, self-guided walks, ranger-led talks and tours, reenactments, and demonstrations.

Fort Scott National Historic Site [KS]

Description

Fort Scott National Historic Site presents resources related to the opening of the West, the Permanent Indian Frontier, the Mexican American War, Bleeding Kansas, the Civil War, and the expansion of railroads. The site consists of 20 historic structures (11 open to the public), three separate exhibit areas, 31 rooms furnished as they might have been in the 1840s, a parade ground, and five acres of restored tallgrass prairie. The fort was established in 1842 to protect the Permanent Indian Frontier and housed soldiers until 1853, after which point it became the nucleus of a growing town. The site focuses on the years between 1842 and 1873.

The site offers a 12-minute audiovisual orientation; exhibits; guided and self-guided tours for school groups; exhibits; in-classroom speakers; and on-site educational programs for school groups, including self-guided scavenger and history hunts (available online), interpreters in period dress, interactive activities, pre- and post-visit materials (available online), student roleplaying, and plays.

Tupelo National Battlefield [MS]

Description

The Tupelo National Battlefield marks the location of the Battle of Tupelo, the second battle in northeast Mississippi designed exclusively to keep Gen. Nathan Forrest in Mississippi and away from Gen. Sherman's forces in northern Georgia. While the battle itself was indecisive, Gen. Forrest himself was injured, and thus the battle represented a great strategic victory for the Union.

The battlefield offers exhibits at the Natchez Trace Parkway visitor center, as well as ranger-led tours of the battlefield. The website offers historical information regarding the battle as well as basic visitor information.

Timucuan Historical and Ecological Preserve and Fort Caroline National Memorial [FL]

Description

The Timucuan Historical and Ecological Preserve and Fort Caroline National Memorial is a 46,000-acre National Park Site consisting of several historical sites. The 1564 Fort Caroline Memorial recalls a brief period of French occupation during the 16th-century; and includes the Timucuan Preserve Visitor Center, which recounts area environmental history and human interaction with the environment. Visitors to the memorial can compare French fort and traditional Timucuan life. Other sites include the Theodore Roosevelt Area shell middens and nature trails; the 1814 through 1837 Kingsley Plantation; the 1935 American Beach, founded to provide African Americans access to the beach despite segregation; the Cedar Point nature area; and the 1928 Ribauldt Club, once a wintertime resort.

The memorial offers exhibits, activities to complete while viewing the exhibits, Junior Ranger activities, interpretive programs, and ranger-led student programs. Other sites offers opportunities for hiking, nature watching, water activities, and camping; other Junior Ranger activities; interpretive programs; exhibits; and ranger-led student programs at the Kingsley Plantations. The website offers site specific activity pages, mp3 tours, videos on kayaking and making tabby, slide shows, and curriculum materials for the Kingsley Plantation and Fort Caroline.

The Ceder Point boat ramp and Kingsley Plantation residence are currently closed for renovation. Other park and plantation structures remain accessible to the public.