Bourne Historical Society and Center, Aptucxet Trading Post, and Briggs-McDermott House [MA]

Description

The Society is housed in the Jonathan Bourne Historical Center, built in 1897 by Emily Howland Bourne as a town library and as a memorial to her father, Jonathan Bourne, for whom the town was named. The Society also manages the Aptucxet Trading Post and the Briggs-McDermott House. The Trading Post recreates the first trade house built in 1627, by Plymouth Colony, located on the south bank of the Manomet (Monument) River, which is now part of the Cape Cod Canal. The Pilgrims traded with the Indians and the Dutch from New Amsterdam (New York City), thus having a source of income by which their debt to the London backers of their expedition to the New World could be repaid. The Trading Post site also houses Gray Gables Railroad Station, built for the personal use of President Grover Cleveland during the years of his presidency (1893–1896). The Greek Revival-style Briggs-McDermott House has been restored and furnished to reflect the period from 1840 to 1910, an important time for the Briggs family and Bourne.

The society offers lectures and occasional recreational and educational events; the center offers tours, exhibits, and research library access; the Trading Post offers tours; the Briggs-McDermott House offers exhibits and tours.

Woodrow Wilson House [DC]

Description

The Woodrow Wilson House is a national historic landmark and house museum that focuses on President Woodrow Wilson's "Washington Years" (1912–1924). The museum promotes a greater awareness of Wilson's public life and ideals for future generations through guided tours, exhibitions, and educational programs. The museum also serves as a community preservation model and resource, dedicated to the stewardship and presentation of an authentic collection and property.

The site offers a short film, tours, exhibits, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Mount Vernon - George Washington's Estate and Gardens [VA]

Description

Mount Vernon was the beloved home of George and Martha Washington from the time of their marriage in 1759 until General Washington's death in 1799. He worked tirelessly to expand his plantation from 2,000 acres to 8,000 and the mansion house from six rooms to 21. Visitors are invited to tour the Mansion house and more than a dozen outbuildings including the slave quarters, kitchen, stables, and greenhouse. They can stroll four different gardens, hike the Forest Trail, and explore the "George Washington: Pioneer Farmer" site, a four-acre working farm that includes a recreation of Washington's 16-sided treading barn. George and Martha Washington rest in peace in the tomb where wreathlaying ceremonies are held daily, and the Slave Memorial and Burial Ground is nearby.

The site offers multimedia presentations, exhibits, tours, demonstrations, educational programs, river cruises, research library access, and recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Ash Lawn-Highland, Home of James Monroe [VA]

Description

Ash Lawn-Highland is an historic house museum, 535-acre working farm, and performing arts site. President James Monroe and his wife, Elizabeth Kortright Monroe of New York, owned Ash Lawn-Highland from 1793 to 1826 and made it their official residence from 1799 to 1823. After the Monroes' death, the name of their farm was changed from "Highland" to "Ash Lawn"; today both names are used.

The site offers tours, workshops, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site

Description

Lincoln Log Cabin preserves the site of the last home and farm of Abraham Lincoln's father and stepmother, Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln. The Lincolns moved to the farm in 1837. Featured at the site are two living history farms that portray recreated agricultural practices as they existed in 1840s Illinois—the Thomas Lincoln Farm and the Stephen Sargent Farm. About 10 acres of period crops are cultivated, along with a hay field. Animals include teams of working oxen and horses, several sheep, and hogs similar to the razorbacks with which 1840s Illinois farmers were familiar.

The site offers exhibits, living history demonstrations, a short film, and educational and recreational programs and events.

William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum [OH]

Description

The Stark County Historical Society is dedicated to collecting and preserving the significant materials and records related to the history of Stark County and the presidential history of William McKinley. Through the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum, the Society serves as an educational center of history and science and offers interpretive exhibitions and educational programs for the local community and its expanding global audience.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, educational programs, lectures, planetarium shows, and occasional recreational and educational events.

First Territorial Capitol State Historic Site

Description

This building was the capitol for only four days in 1855, but many believe that the actions of the legislature that met here led directly to the Civil War. Governor Andrew Reeder picked this location, away from the proslavery influence of Missouri, where the legislature would choose a permanent seat of government, create a constitution, and decide if Kansas would be a free or slave state. Instead the legislature kicked out the antislavery members and passed a bill to move the government to Shawnee Mission near the Missouri border. Inside this native stone building visitors will learn the stories of the antislavery and proslavery people of territorial Kansas, set alongside the beauty of the Kaw River Nature Trail.

The site offers exhibits, tours, and educational and recreational events.

Alamance Battleground State Historic Site and Allen House [NC]

Description

On this site in 1771, an armed rebellion of backcountry farmers—called Regulators—battled against royal governor William Tryon's militia. Visitors can tour the 18th-century Allen House and battlefield monuments. These features, together with the visitor center's new DVD orientation program, offer a vivid account of this colonial battle, as well as the oppressive British colonial policies that sparked the revolt.

The site offers a short film, exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Historic Annapolis Foundation, HistoryQuest, and Paca House [MD]

Description

The Foundation operates several historic sites, including HistoryQuest and the Paca House. HistoryQuest features a comprehensive welcome center, offering tickets and reservations for tours, excursions, venues, and other events. Exhibits tell the stories of those who have lived and worked in Annapolis through the decades. The Paca House, restored home of William Paca, signer of the Declaration of Independence and Revolutionary-era Governor of Maryland, stands today as one of the most elegant landmarks in Annapolis.

The foundation offers tours and recreational and educational events; HistoryQuest offers tours and exhibits; the Paca House offers tours and occasional recreational and educational events.

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park [CA]

Description

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park presents the opportunity to experience the history of early San Diego by providing a connection to the past. Visitors can learn about life in the Mexican and early American periods of 1821 to 1872, as converging cultures transformed San Diego from a Mexican pueblo to an American settlement. The core of restored original historic buildings from the interpretive period are complemented by reconstructed sites, along with early 20th-century buildings designed in the same mode. The Historic Plaza remains a gathering place for community events and historic activity. Five original adobe buildings are part of the historic park, which includes museums, unique retail shops, and several restaurants. La Casa de Estudillo is a mansion built around a garden courtyard. La Casa de Machado y Stewart is full of artifacts that reflect ordinary life of the period. Some of the other historic buildings include the Mason Street School (California's first public schoolhouse), La Casa de Machado y Silvas, the San Diego Union Printing Office (site of the city's oldest surviving newspaper office), and the first brick courthouse. The Seeley Stables Museum, with newly rehabilitated exhibits on overland transportation, houses one of the finest wagon and carriage collections. Visitors can experience a working blacksmith shop, enjoy music, see or touch the park's burros, and engage in activities that represent early San Diego.

The park offers exhibits, tours, living history events and programs, and other recreational and educational events.