Nichols House Museum [MA]

Description

The Nichols House Museum presents life in Boston's Historic Beacon Hill circa 1900 via the 1804 Federal style townhouse of Rose Standish Nichols. Collections include portraiture, 17th through 19th century wooden furniture, art from Europe and Asia, oriental rugs, Flemish tapestries, and works by renowned 19th-century sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907). Ms. Nichols herself, born in 1872, is also of note. As an unmarried and self-supporting landscape gardener and an accomplished woodworker, she was a life-long proponent of women's rights.

The museum offers period rooms.

Falmouth Historical Society [MA]

Description

The Falmouth Historical Society operates a selection of museums, which preserve and share the history of Falmouth, Massachusetts. Two 18th–century houses display fine art, furniture, and other decorative arts; while exhibits discuss pre–Civil War medical practice, the 1800's whaling industry, and the life of Katharine Lee Bates (1859–1929), author of "America, the Beautiful." The area surrounding the structures contains three gardens—one a Colonial–style flower garden—and a green which has been used for Colonial militia practice.

The society offers period rooms; exhibits; guided walking tours; trolley tours on maritime life and agricultural life; hands-on children's activities; and archives, including maritime log books.

Hose No. 5 Fire Museum [ME]

Description

The Hose No. 5 Fire Museum presents firefighting history via artifacts. Collection highlights include a 1930 McCann pumper, a 1946 Jeep Willys outfitted for fighting forest fires, and a 1917 Garford pumper—one of three Garford fire engines still in existence. The museum is housed in a 1897 fire station. The station remained in use for nearly a century.

The museum offers exhibits.

Prescott Farm [RI]

Description

Prescott Farm presents Revolutionary War era rural life in Aquidneck Island, Rhode Island. The site consists of public access areas, as well as several historic structures rented to tenant stewards. Historically, General Richard Prescott, commander of the 4,000-strong British occupying force on Aquidneck Island, took the house owned by Loyalist John Overing (the circa 1730 Nichols-Overing House) as his rural headquarters. On July 10, 1777, American Colonel William Barton, under cover of darkness, led a party of 30 or more men in longboats to the farm, where they absconded with Prescott and his aid. Structures on site include the 1812 Robert Sherman Windmill; the Hicks House, built circa 1715 and now called The Country Store; the mid–1700's guard house; and the Sweet-Anthony House, built circa 1730. Prescott Farm’s kitchen and herb gardens are living laboratories that showcase period horticulture as well as contemporary gardening practices. The plant varieties grown in the gardens represent what many Aquidneck Islanders may have used for food, medicine and other utilitarian purposes in the colonial era.

The farm offers exhibits, guided tours, and educational programming.

Hingham Historical Society and Old Ordinary [MA]

Description

The Hingham Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Hingham, Massachusetts, founded circa 1633. To this end, the society now operates a historic tavern museum, Old Ordinary. The 17th-century structure was originally erected as a residence, but later served as a tavern. The site also boasts a period garden.

The museum offers period rooms and a garden.

Sherman Historical Society and Museums [CT]

Description

The Sherman Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Sherman, Connecticut, founded in 1802. To this end, the society operates two museums. The 1829 Federal-style Northrop House presents exhibits of local historical interest, while the circa 1810 Old Store presents both local history and the contents of a general store circa 1867.

The Northrop House Museum and The Old Store offer exhibits. The Old Store also offers period rooms.

Gillette Castle State Park [CT]

Description

Atop the most southerly hill in a chain known as the Seven Sisters, William Hooker Gillette, noted actor, director, and playwright, built this 184-acre estate, the Seventh Sister. The focal point of his effort was a 24-room mansion reminiscent of a medieval castle.

A second website for the site, maintained by the Friends of Gillette Castle, can be found here.

The site offers tours and occasional recreational and educational events.

Thomas Lee House [CT]

Description

The Thomas Lee House, located in East Lyme, CT, is one of the oldest wood frame houses in Connecticut in its primitive state. The original structure dates to circa 1660, with additions having been made circa 1700 and circa 1765. The site is located by the Little Boston Schoolhouse (dating to circa 1805 and also open to the public).

The house offers period rooms, exhibits, colonial days for fourth graders, and the possibility of scheduling tours.

Amherst History Museum [MA]

Description

The Amherst History Museum, housed in the 1750s Strong House, presents Amherst's history from colonial times to modern day.

The museum offers exhibits; a guided architectural walking tour; a guided tour of the Strong House; educational tours for students; period rooms; and special events, including lectures.