USS Midway Museum [CA]

Description

The USS Midway is the longest serving 20th-century U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. Collections include 25 restored aircraft, dating from World War II through Operation Desert Storm. The majority of exhibits display the various functions of the rooms and sections aboard the Midway.

The museum offers traditional and interactive exhibits; films; three flight simulators; music videos; hands-on aircraft; two audio tours—one of which is designed for students; guided tours; a one-hour narrated video tour; docents available to answer questions; youth overnight programs; and educational programs which meet state educational standards. Reservations are required for guided tours. The site is approximately 60 percent wheelchair accessible, and wheelchairs are available upon request. Student audio tours are available in English and Spanish.

Belair Mansion and Stables [MD]

Description

Belair Mansion, built in 1745 as a plantation home, was originally owned by Samuel Ogle, provincial Governor of Maryland. The plantation specialized in tobacco, and the residence itself was created in the Georgian style. The museum collections consist of objects similar to those owned by the Ogle and Woodward families, resident in the mansion between the 18th and 20th centuries. The stables were used to house thoroughbreds as early as 1747, and the stable contains artifacts related to transportation and horse racing.

The museum offers period rooms and stables. Appointments are required for all groups of 10 or more. The website offers a video tour and audio podcast tour of the mansion.

Maine Aviation Historical Society and Air Museum

Description

The Maine Aviation Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of aviation in the state of Maine—recreational, military, civil, and commercial. To this end, the society operates the Maine Air Museum, located within a Cold War-era missile assembly and maintenance structure at the Bangor International Airport. The airport location provides for viewings of working aircraft in addition to the offered exhibits. The museum covers flight by balloon, airplane, and space shuttle.

The museum offers exhibits. Advance notice is appreciated for group visits.

Thomas Edison House [KY]

Description

The Thomas Edison House served as Thomas Edison's (1847-1931) residence between 1866 and 1868. Built circa 1850, the home now contains collections including cylinder and disc phonographs, Edison Business Phonographs, an Edison Kinetoscope, and early light bulbs. Thomas Edison is best known for his invention of the electric light bulb. However, while living at this site, his main interest was improving telegraph technology.

The house offers exhibits, period rooms, guided tours, 10 through 35-minute films, a learning module which encourages creation of student inventions, and hands-on telegraph demonstrations.

Minnesota Historical Society

Description

The Minnesota Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Minnesota. To this end, the society operates a history center and 26 historical sites located throughout the state. The Minnesota History Center collections include more than 230,000 artifacts, including a collection of Ojibwa pieces; 6,000 works of art; and 53,000 cubic feet of government records, among other items.

The Minnesota History Center offers a 30-minute introductory film, exhibits, interactive field trip programs, library access, and two lunch sites—one indoor and one outdoor. Reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance for field trip programs and/or use of the indoor dining area. Lunches can be ordered ahead from the museum restaurant. The center can arrange for sign language interpreters and wheelchair availability. The society also offers outreach presentations given by costumed interpreters and continuing education workshops for teachers.

The website offers blogs on selected artifacts, local historical organizations, and the archives; a forum for historical researchers; video podcasts; historical images; lesson plans on Minnesota and the Holocaust; and a Minnesota history curriculum available for purchase.

Assay Office [ID]

Description

When gold was found in Idaho in 1860, an Assay Office was set up to test the purity of the mined gold before it could be shipped. By 1870, the office was complete. Today it is a museum for Idaho's mining history.

The office currently cannot accommodate visitors. The Idaho Historic Society does however offer in-class educational programs on mining and other topics. Travelling trunks for grades 3-12 are available for lending. Outreach opportunities on variety of subjects are also available for grades 4-12.Videos, slide shows, and lesson plans are obtainable for educators.