Aerospace Museum of California

Description

The Aerospace Museum of California contains exhibits that contain military and civilian aircraft, aircraft and rocket engines original aviation art, interactive displays, and a motion-ride simulator.

The museum offers student tours, summer camps, teacher resources, and an Aerospace Learning Center designed to provide hands-on educational experiences for students of all levels, especially middle and high school students. The programs focus on science and technology curriculum.

Belle of Louisville [KY]

Description

The Belle of Louisville site operates two vessels—the 1914 steamboat Belle of Louisville and the 1963 riverboat Spirit of Jefferson. Over the course of her history, the Belle of Louisville has served as a passenger ferry, excursion vessel, and World War II oil barge mover and troop nightclub. She is the oldest operating river steamboat. The Spirit of Jefferson has always been an excursion vessel.

The site offers cruises, curriculum-based sight-seeing excursions for students, and outreach programs for students. Field trips are available during the month of May, and are designed for kindergarten through eighth grade.

Nishna Heritage Museum [IA]

Description

The Nishna Heritage Museum primarily presents the history of the Oakland, Iowa area. Additional displays are global in scope. Exhibits include quilts and quilting, historical tools, music playing devices, and dairy equipment. Highlights include an early 20th-century tire changer, Edison phonographs, a butter press, and a switch board.

The museum offers period rooms and exhibits.

Pine Grove Furnace State Park [PA]

Description

The 696-acre Pine Grove Furnace State Park presents the history of the area charcoal iron furnace community, in use for more than 130 years.

The park offers exhibits, educational programs for students, four miles of trails, outdoor activities, two historic overnight structures, and picnic sites. During the summer, the site also offers hikes, educational programs, activities, and demonstrations. Please note that the area is open to hunters during season. The site also asks that firewood not be brought in from outside the park to prevent the spread of invasive species.

Washington County Historical Society and Museum [MD]

Description

The Washington County Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Washington County, MD. To this end, the society operates a museum within the Miller House, a late Federal townhouse dating to between 1818 and 1823, and the 1904 two-room Beaver Creek School. Exhibits in the Miller House include period rooms set to 1850s through 1870s appearances, clocks, dolls, Shenandoah Valley pottery, the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, and the C and O Canal. The house grounds also include a library and gardens. The Beaver Creek School contains period school, workshop, parlor, and cobbler shop settings; vintage toys; costumes and uniforms; an 1840s hand crank organ; and other artifacts.

The society offers exhibits, period rooms, a garden, and research library access.

Los Angeles State Historic Park [CA]

Description

The Los Angeles State Historic Park, although under development, opened a 13-acre preview of the completed park to the public. In addition to land suitable to a wide variety of outdoor activities, the park encompasses the waterwheel, round house, freight house, station yard, and depot of the 1875 Southern Pacific Railroad’s River Station and a glass footprint of the 1879 Pacific Hotel.

The park offers bike trails, urban wildlife viewing, guided interpretive programs, and picnic areas.

Chicago Architecture Foundation [IL]

Description

The Chicago Architecture Foundation seeks to increase public interest in architecture and design. Particular emphasis is given to examples within Chicago, Illinois.

The foundation offers a wide variety of walking downtown, neighborhood, suburban, and Frank Lloyd Wright; river; and bus tours. Tours are offered in English, French, German, and Italian. Audio tours are available in French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. The foundation also offers exhibits, sustainable architecture lunchtime lectures, monthly DIY green workshops, weekly lunchtime lectures, field trip options, an architecture competition for students, family programs, high school workshops, teacher workshops, and adult education courses. The website offers a teaching resource book and a high school textbook for purchase.

Antique Powerland Museum [OR]

Description

The Antique Powerland Museum presents historical power equipment. The Pacific NW Truck Museum and Willow Creek Railroad are located on site. The Willow Creek Railroad is a hands-on operating miniature railroad. Visitors may sit on the cars. The Pacific NW Truck Museum presents the history of trucking, with particular emphasis on the Pacific Northwest. 60 historic trucks are on display.

The museum offers exhibits, street car rides, and miniature railroad rides. The museum is closed November through February. Group tours are available on request.

Ashland Historical Society Museum [WI]

Description

The Ashland Historical Society Museum presents a glimpse into the past of Ashland, WI. Exhibits on display address the Ashland Hotel, Boy and Girl Scouts, souvenir dishes, gas stations, historical and modern images of Downtown, Oredocks, and local schools.

The museum offers exhibits, archive access, and research services. A fee is charged for research conducted upon request. Individuals conducting private research must match their personal research time with research for the society. The website offers short articles on a variety of local history aspects and historical photographs.