Paul Revere House [MA]

Description

The Paul Revere House is located in north Boston and is notable for being the house that Paul Revere left for his famous night ride. The house still stands and is now a national historic landmark.

The house offers guided tours, a variety of field trip programs catered to different grades, two annual exhibits, and special events. The website offers information regarding upcoming events, visitor information, and information for teachers about field trip programs. In order to contact the house via email, use the "contact us" located at the upper right corner of the webpage.

Royal Mausoleum State Monument [HI]

Description

The Royal Mausoleum State Monument is the burial place of royalty of Hawaii's Kamehameha and Kalakaua Dynasties (1810-1872 and 1874-1893 respectively) and their retainers. The Kamehameha Dynasty is known for unifying the islands, creating a constitutional form of government, and granting all Hawaiians religious freedom. The Kalakaua Dynasty saw the end of the Hawaiian monarchy.

The site offers guided tours. Reservations are required for said tours.

Bryant Cottage State Historic Site

Description

Bryant Cottage was built in 1856 by Francis E. Bryant (1818–1889), a friend and political ally of Senator Stephen A. Douglas. According to Bryant family tradition, on the evening of July 29, 1858, Douglas and Abraham Lincoln conferred in the parlor of this house to plan the famous Lincoln-Douglas Debates. The one-story, four-room wood frame cottage has been restored and is interpreted as an example of middle-class life in mid-19th-century Illinois. The furniture on display is of the Renaissance Revival style, appropriate for a small-town family of the mid-19th century.

The site offers tours and occasional recreational and educational events.

Casa Navarro State Historic Site [TX]

Description

The half-acre Casa Navarro State Historic Site preserves the restored home of Tejano patriot José Antonio Navarro (1795–1871). Today, visitors can tour Navarro's adobe home furnished with period antiques, read copies of his writing, and discuss questions of history with informed interpreters. Casa Navarro is the only historic site in San Antonio dedicated to the interpretation of the Mexican history and heritage of Texas, as seen through the life of Navarro, a prominent San Antonio merchant, rancher, and statesman. According to the site, "Navarro served as a member of the Texas legislatures under Mexico, the Republic of Texas, and the State of Texas. Representing San Antonio Tejanos, he signed the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836. Navarro was the first Tejano to write about the history of Texas. He was an influential political figure during the momentous 55 years when the destiny of Texas was forged, from 1810 to 1865. Navarro is best known as 'the strongest defender of the rights of his people.'"

The site offers period rooms, tours, copies of Navarro's writings, and on-site docents.

Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site [TX]

Description

Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site features the modest two-story frame house in the railroad town of Denison where Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in 1890. Eisenhower's father worked for the railroad and the birthplace contains family possessions and period antiques demonstrating the lifestyle of a late 19th-century working family. The site includes six acres of scenic woods and creek bottomland intersected by an abandoned rail track turned into a hiking path. The visitor center is a historic structure filled with hundreds of items relating to Eisenhower and his role in U.S. and world history.

The site offers exhibits and tours.

Garibaldi Museum [OR]

Description

The Garibaldi Museum presents information concerning Captain Robert Gray; his historical vessels, the Lady Washington and the Columbia Rediviva; trade with the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest; and the maritime world of the 1700's. Gray discovered the Columbia River on May 11, 1792. During James Madison's second term as President (1813–1817), the U.S. used this discovery to lay claim to the Oregon Country. Among the museum displays are models of the Columbia Rediviva and Lady Washington; an 8–foot–tall reproduction of the Columbia Rediviva's figurehead; a half model of the same vessel, showing how the ship was provisioned for the long voyage; reproduction seafarers' garb; and musical instruments. One wing of the museum is devoted to the history of the City of Garibaldi, displaying pictures and artifacts from the turn of the century.

The museum offers exhibits, several of which are interactive; scholarships for local high school seniors and Tillamook Bay Community College students; and a 4th grade education program.

Vandalia State House

Description

The Vandalia State House, the fourth Illinois statehouse, served as the capitol from 1836 until 1839 and is the oldest surviving capitol building in the state. The first floor contains a large entry hall and rooms representing the offices of the Auditor, Treasurer, and Secretary of State, as well as the Supreme Court chamber. The second floor is composed of a central hall and recreated House and Senate chambers, each of which contains a visitor gallery reached by staircases.

The site offers an exhibit, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events.

James A. Garfield National Historic Site [OH]

Description

The James A. Garfield National Historic Site consists of Lawnfield, a historic home which James A. Garfield (1831-1881), 20th President of the United States, purchased in 1876, and an 1893 carriage house. The site presents Garfield's boyhood, education, military career, political career, and assassination. Garfield's presidential term (1881) lasted only six months, and was largely marred with political feuding over federal appointments.

The site offers an 18-minute video, exhibits, period rooms, 35-minute guided house tours, weekly children's tours, and monthly tours which cover generally inaccessible portions of the grounds. Reservations are required for the "behind the scenes" tours and for group tours. Picnics are permitted on the grounds.

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum [MA]

Description

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum presents the presidency and impact of John F. Kennedy (1917-1963), 35th President of the United States. Museum exhibits make extensive use of video and sound recordings of Kennedy himself. Still other exhibits focus on Jacqueline Kennedy, the Oval Office, White House restoration, Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and the 1960s Civil Rights movement. Events during Kennedy's administration, cut short by his 1963 assassination, include the Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs Invasion, and the Space Race.

The museum offers an introductory film, three theaters, period settings, 25 multimedia exhibits, guided tours and programs for school groups, research library access for students and scholars, and professional development conferences and workshops for educators. Wheelchairs are available for visitors; a sign language interpreter can be provided with advance notice; and all films are captioned. The website offers a digital archive, a virtual tour, and a suggested reading list.