St. Mary's County Historical Society [MD]

Description

The St. Mary's County Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of St. Mary's County, Maryland, known as the "Mother County of Maryland." Historic Tudor Hall, once visited by George Washington, houses the society's museum collection and research center; while the Old Jail, built in 1858, is another museum exhibit venue. The research center includes access to maps, surveys, business records, water district and government records, club and organization minutes, school records, diaries, marriage licenses, music, ships' lists, newspaper clippings, family genealogies, letters, almanacs, telephone directories, postcards, family movies, friendship cards, military records, church records, paintings, Bibles, and other books.

The society offers exhibits and historical outreach presentations. Please confirm dates of visitation.

Wilderness Road State Park [VA]

Description

The 310-acre Wilderness Road State Park commemorates the route which Daniel Boone (1734-1820) carved along a buffalo trace through the Cumberland Gap and into Kentucky in 1775, effectively opening the western frontier. Items of note within the park are a visitor center and Martin's Station, a replica of a 1775 colonial frontier fort which is located in the position of the original.

The park offers an introductory film; exhibits; costumed interpreters; educational programs; living history discussions; a raid re-enactment; and The Indian Ridge Trail, a self-guided interpretive walk.

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum [MD]

Description

The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum presents the history of maritime activity in Chesapeake Bay, one of the major maritime regions of the United States. The museum consists of nine buildings located on 18-acres of land. Topics covered include trans-Atlantic trade in the 18th and 19th centuries, naval history, boat building, Native American ways of life, and the various maritime uses of the Chesapeake Bay. Maritime professionals staff the museum to share their experiences with visitors.

The museum offers a variety of self-guided and guided tours for students, educational hands-on programs, lectures, sailing programs, summer camps, historic vessel preservation apprenticeships, interactive and traditional exhibits, a working boat yard, group overnight programs in the Hooper Strait Lighthouse, and a research library. The website offers a lesson plan on oystering.

Vulcan Park and Museum [AL]

Description

Vulcan Park and Museum is an educational park which presents the industrial history of Alabama. It is named after the world's largest cast iron statue, located within the park and created by Italian artist Giuseppe Moretti (1857-1935). The statue was originally created for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. The site also includes an interactive history museum which presents the histories of Vulcan and Birmingham, Alabama.

The site offers interactive and traditional exhibits, a scavenger hunt, guided tours, a 30-minute living history performance, an interactive and educational children's dance program, and a teacher's guide. Teacher's guides are shipped on request. The website offers post-visit activities.

The White House Historical Association [DC]

Description

The White House Historical Association interprets the history of the White House, home to the Presidents of the United States since the term of John Adams (1797-1801).

The visitors' center offers exhibits. The website offers lesson plans; educational activities; historic photographs; timelines; virtual tours; educational interactive animations; audio and video clips; and podcasts.

Richmond Hill Historical Society & Museum [GA]

Description

The Richmond Hill Historical Society & Museum seeks to preserve and share the history of Richmond Hill and Bryan County, Georgia. To this end, the society operates a museum with displays covering the Colonial era, Revolutionary War, Civil War, and time of Henry Ford. The museum is located in a structure which previously served as the Henry Ford Kindergarten. This school was run by Ford (1863-1947), father of mass production, and his wife, who wintered in the area.

The museum offers exhibits.

Pope House Museum Foundation [NC]

Description

The Pope House Museum Foundation operates the Pope House Museum, which depicts the life of a well-to-do African American family circa 1900. The house, built in 1901, was the residence of Dr. Manassa Thomas Pope (1858-1934) and his family. Dr. Pope was a 1919 mayoral candidate, an officer in the Spanish American War, and one of the earliest graduates of Shaw University's Leonard school of Medicine. The collections consist of artifacts and documents—with the earliest dating to 1851.

The museum is currently closed for restoration.

Sam Houston Schoolhouse [TN]

Description

The Sam Houston Schoolhouse is named for the soldier, statesman, and pioneer from East Tennessee. Built of hewn poplar logs, it is representative of field schools of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Desks are cleverly converted from the window apertures, and a seven-foot ceiling hovers over hewn log seats.

The schoolhouse offers exhibits.

Mary Todd Lincoln House [KY]

Description

The Mary Todd Lincoln House is the first site to have been restored in the memory of a First Lady. The 14-room Georgian home was originally built as an inn, completed in 1806, but entered the Todd family in 1832. Mary Todd (1818-1882) lived on this site for seven years (1832-1839). The current furnishings of the home are based on the inventory list of the property's auction following Robert S. Todd's death. Pieces displayed include those previously owned by the Todd and Lincoln families.

The house offers period rooms and tours for students.

National Council for the Traditional Arts [MD]

Description

The NCTA is is focused on the preservation of folk and traditional arts in the United States, and maintains archives of folk music, dance, crafts, and stories. While national in scope, the National Council for the Tradition Arts (NCTA) is very cognizant of its local corporate responsibility, and so provides a variety of services for the local Maryland and Washington DC area.

The NCTA puts on folk festivals throughout the country, presents traditional art touring programs, and works with local schools to present traditional arts to schoolchildren. The website offers information about all of the programs offered by the NCTA and an events calendar.