San Francisco Fire Department Historical Society and Museum [CA]

Description

The primary mission of the Society is to preserve the heritage and to record the history of the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) for the benefit of the citizens of San Francisco. This mission will include the conservation and preservation of the collection, display of documents, graphic items, fire memorabilia, apparatus, appliances, and other items at the Society's Museum. The award-winning Society muster team, by preserving the physical techniques of firefighting used in the past, makes the Museum a museum of living history.

The museum offers exhibits and occasional recreational and educational events.

Newseum

Description

The Newseum—a 250,000-square-foot museum of news—offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. The Newseum features seven levels of galleries, theaters, retail spaces, and visitor services. It offers a unique environment that takes museum-goers behind the scenes to experience how and why news is made.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, film and multimedia screenings, classes, lectures, and other educational and recreational events and programs. DC Metro area schools can schedule field trips with free admission for students; both box lunches and lunch vouchers are available with payment. Students may attend one 50-min., standards-aligned, educator-led class for free during their field trip (see the list of available classes, for grade levels 3-12); and educator-led tours are available for an additional charge.

To prepare for a field trip, teachers may attend an orientation session. Groups may also schedule professional development sessions for educators—subjects relevant to U.S. history include "The Battle for the Bill of Rights: The Free Press and the Founding of Our Nation," "The Photographic Revolution: The Ethics and Impact of Seeing the Story, From the Civil War to the Slums of New York to Today," "A Global Nation: The Free Flow of Information and Media Ethics," and "Making a Change: Civil Rights and the First Amendment."

Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History [GA]

Description

With three permanent collections and a membership in the Smithsonian Affiliations Program, the Museum offers a wide range of exhibits, including a glimpse into the daily lives of soldiers during the Civil War; a reproduction of a turn-of-the-century locomotive factory; and an exciting depiction of the Civil War's Great Locomotive Chase.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, lectures, workshops, and other educational and recreational programs.

Titan Missile Museum

Description

The Titan Missile Museum is the only publicly accessible Titan II missile site in the nation. Visitors can tour the underground missile site and see the 3-ton blast doors, the 8-foot-thick silo walls, and an actual Titan II missile in the launch duct. They can also visit the launch control center and experience a simulated launch.

The museum offers tours and educational and recreational programs.

Los Alamos Historical Society and Museum [New Mexico]

Description

The Society maintains the Los Alamos Historic Museum and Bookshop as well as the Los Alamos Historical Archives. The Los Alamos Historical Museum is dedicated to preserving, protecting, and interpreting the history of Los Alamos. Housed in the Guest Cottage of the Los Alamos Ranch School—a favorite place of Gen. Leslie Groves during the Manhattan Project—the museum features exhibits on local geology, anthropology, the 1917 elite Ranch School, and the Manhattan Project, as well as changing exhibits.

The society offers lectures and educational programs; the museum offers exhibits, tours, and educational programs.

National Naval Aviation Museum

Description

At the Museum, visitors can experience hands-on history displays on naval aviation and see more than 150 restored aircraft representing Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard aviation. They can feel the sensations of flight in a flight simulator or visit the Naval Aviation Memorial Theater and view an IMAX film.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, film screenings, and educational and recreational programs.

New Bern Firemen's Museum [NC]

Description

Established in 1955, the New Bern Firemen's Museum seeks to preserve the history of firefighting in New Bern. The exhibits are original pieces of equipment from the city's past. New Bern was the first city in North Carolina to charter a fire company, and one of the first in the nation; and the city's firefighters hold many world records.

The museum offers exhibits.

Houston Railroad Museum, Gulf Coast Chapter

Description

The Museum seeks to preserve and share with the public the history of railroading, particularly Texas railroading, as it has been and as it is now. The museum, open every weekend from April to November, features a collection of railroad locomotives, cars, and other artifacts, as well as a model railroad and a research library.

The museum offers exhibits and research library access.

Engine House No. 5

Description

Built in 1880 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on the bank of the Grand River, Engine House No. 5 served the community with a horse-drawn steam pumper and a hose cart. The Engine House has since been moved and restored; and today, it houses firefighting equipment and memorabilia.

The museum offers exhibits and tours.