Catoctin Furnace [MD]

Description

The Catoctin Iron Furnace operated from 1776 until 1903, and is located in Cunningham Falls State Park. The furnace site was once a booming industrial complex and community, and utilized the surrounding woodlands for fuel provision. Today, the state park encompasses both the old furnace and the surrounding landscape, and offers visitors an impressive variety of outdoor activities, from hiking to fishing. In addition, visitors can explore much of the Catoctin Furnace historic site.

The site offers visitor information and maps for the state park, along with a fairly detailed history of the furnace.

Arlington Historical Society, Knapp History Park, and Museum [TX]

Description

The Arlington Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Arlington, TX, and its people. To this end, the society operates the Knapp Historical Park and a local history museum within the 1914 Fielder House. Exhibits include barbershop and general store settings and a reconstruction of a steam engine. The Knapp Park contains two mid-19th-century cabins and a circa 1910 one-room schoolhouse.

The society offers tours of the museum and of the Knapp Historical Park. The park welcomes school tours.

Georgetown Loop Historic Mining and Railroad Park [CO]

Description

An engineering marvel originally built in 1884, the Georgetown Loop railroad fulfilled the hopes of Georgetown citizens to become a prosperous settlement connected to Denver and points east. In connecting Silver Plume and Georgetown, towns over 2 miles apart, the tracks scaled an elevation of 640 feet over mountainous terrain, requiring trestles, cuts, fills, loops, and curves totaling 4.5 miles. Today the Loop is once again a popular tourist attraction and an uncommon way to see the Clear Creek Valley. Along the route visitors may stop for guided tours of a historic silver mine. The park is located on 978 acres and includes an 1884 depot, the Morrison Interpretive Center, two 1860s mines, an 1871 mill building, four reconstructed mine buildings, a locomotive maintenance building, the 1874 Pohle House, and a new rolling stock shelter.

A second, individual website for the park can be found here.

The park offers a short film, train rides, tours, and exhibits.

Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial [CA]

Description

The Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial is the site of the greatest World War II era domestic disaster. On July 17, 1944, munitions ships being loaded for the Pacific theatre combusted, killing 320 men. The 202 African American men killed account for a full 15 percent of African American World War II deaths. The disaster brought attention to Navy munitions handling and the segregation of military units.

The memorial offers guided tours. Access to the site requires at least two weeks notice, providing time for Army clearance to be achieved.

George Washington Carver National Monument [MO]

Description

The George Washington Carver National Monument presents the early life and impact of George Washington Carver (1864-1943). Carver conducted experiments with peanut farming which would eventually bolster the economy of the South, suffering from the downturn of the cotton industry. The site includes Carver's boyhood home, built in 1881; family cemetery; and birth site. Visitors to the site also learn about Carver's interests in rocks, wood carving, and art, among other hobbies.

The monument offers hands-on programs which focus on 19th-century life, nature programs, guided tours, Junior Ranger activities, a 3/4-mile nature trail, a fourth-grade art and essay contest, curriculum-based field trip programs, outreach programs for students, traveling trunks, and rental videos. The website offers an education packet, curricula, and suggested reading for students.

Planes of Fame Air Museum [CA]

Description

The Planes of Fame Air Museum was the first air museum located west of the Rocky Mountains. Founded in 1957, the museum now contains over 150 vintage aircraft. The museum is open year round, and also operates an annual air-show.

The museum offers exhibits, self-guided tours, monthly presentations, and an annual airshow. The website offers visitor information, an events calendar, and a brief history of the museum. In order to contact the museum via email, use the "contact the museum" link located at the top of the webpage under the "air museum info" tab.

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Description

At its two locations—the National Mall building and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia—the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum stewards "the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world," according to its website. Through a combination of state-of-the-art exhibits, programs, and media presentations, the Museum interprets aeronautical history for the public.

The museum offers exhibits, self-guided and guided tours for school groups, on-site presentations for school groups, IMAX and planetarium shows, occasional electronic field trips and videoconferences, and on-demand professional development workshops for educators.

Alice Austen House Museum [NY]

Description

The Museum focuses on the life and times of the photographer Alice Austen. The house features views of New York Harbor, and displays a collection of negatives that depict turn-of-the-century American life.

The museum offers tours, educational programs, and recreational and educational events, and is open to the public throughout the year, with the exception of January and February. The website offers a brief history of the location along with basic visitor information.

Detroit Historical Society and Museums [MI]

Description

Established in 1921, the Detroit Historical Society’s mission is to educate and inspire the Detroit community and museum visitors by preserving and portraying the region’s shared history through dynamic exhibits and experiences. The Society is responsible for the overall management and operations of the Detroit Historical Museum, Dossin Great Lakes Museum, and a collection of more than 200,000 artifacts. The Detroit Historical Museum is focused purely on the history of Detroit, while the Dossin Great Lakes Museum is America's finest inland lakes maritime museum.

The museums offer guided tours, a variety of exhibits, and a variety of events throughout the year. The site offers visitor information, information regarding the society's historical collections, an online store, and information on upcoming events and programs.