Museum and White House of the Confederacy [VA]

Description

The Museum of the Confederacy is located in Richmond, Virginia, and is housed in the Civil War residence of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy. The home serves as both a historic house museum and general museum of the Confederacy.

The museum offers a variety of exhibits that showcase the history of the Confederacy, living history programs during the summer months, and tours for adults and children. The website offers teacher resources, including lesson plans and field trip information; visitor information; and a calendar of events.

Virginia Historical Society, Battle Abbey, and Virginia House [VA]

Description

The Society works to collect, preserve, and interpret the Commonwealth of Virginia's history for the education and enjoyment of present and future generations. The society runs two museums: the Battle Abbey, which also serves as the headquarters of the society, and the 1929 Virginia House, an historic house museum.

The society offers a variety of educational services, including presentations for elementary and middle school students, exhibitions designed to meet the requirements of grade-specific SOLs, boxes for loan with reproductions of primary materials [travelling trunk programs are almost always for loan, not pay], and a summer teacher's program. The society also offers exhibitions and tours of their museums. The website offers digital collections and exhibits, visitor information, information regarding current exhibitions, an online selection of society publications, and an events calendar.

Historic Prince William [VA]

Description

Historic Prince William is a non-profit organization dedicated to "disseminating historical information through programs and publications, promoting historical preservation and protection of County resources through public education, and broadening the base of public interest in local history by sponsoring tours, speaking in schools, supporting research, and printing material of historical interest." The organization works tirelessly to preserve historic structures in Prince William County as well as help support national treasures like Manassas Battlefield.

The site offers photographs of historical structures in Prince William County, a history section with articles and features on Prince William County History, and publications on Prince William County history for sale.

Booker T. Washington National Monument [VA]

Description

The Booker T. Washington National Monument is located just outside of Roanoke, VA, and consists of the cabin and surrounding grounds where Booker T. Washington was born. Washington's achievements, including founding the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial School and his various literary works belie his inauspicious birth as a slave in southwestern Virginia. Visitors to the monument can enjoy a variety of exhibits documenting the life and times of Washington, as well as view first-hand the life of a slave.

The site offers detailed historical and visitor information regarding the monument, as well as a calendar of events and a listing of all educational programs offered. In order to contact the monument via email, use the "contact us" link on the left side of the webpage.

Carlyle House Historic Park [VA]

Description

"The historic Carlyle House," according to its website, "was completed in 1753 by Scottish merchant John Carlyle for his bride, Sarah Fairfax of Belvoir, member of one of the most prestigious families in colonial Virginia. Their home quickly became a center of social and political life in Alexandria and gained a foothold in history when British General Braddock made the mansion his headquarters in 1755." Today, the house has been restored to its pre-Revolutionary War state, and offers visitors a glimpse into the life of the colonial upper classes.

Events include guided tours and programs for school groups (grades K-8) and occasional recreational and educational events. The website offers historical information, visitor information, an events calendar, and a detailed history of the house.

Friends of Wilderness Battlefield [VA]

Description

The Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park is one of the largest battlefields in the United States. There were four major battles fought across the area during the civil war. The Friends of Wilderness Battlefield organization is dedicated to preserving the battlefields and to helping the National Park Service with educational tasks. To this end, the organization has led tours of the battlefield, coordinated bus tours for large groups, and put on a variety of educational events for visitors and children.

The site offers historic information about the battlefields, an events calendar, and a media section which contains all past newsletters released by the organization.

Ratcliffe-Allison House & Kitty Pozer Garden [VA]

Description

Built in 1812, the Ratcliffe-Allison House is one of the oldest residences in the historic city of Fairfax, Virginia. The house has been converted to a historic house museum, and features objects and exhibits that illustrate the daily activities of the homes 12 owners. This enables the home to show visitors how the City of Fairfax changed throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The home was donated to the City of Fairfax by its owners in 1973.

The site offers brief historical information regarding the home.

Belle Grove Plantation [VA]

Description

Belle Grove is an 18th-century grain and livestock farm, which, in its prime (circa 1815), encompassed about 7,500 acres of land. The unique limestone house was completed in 1797 for Major Isaac Hite and his wife Nelly, sister of future President James Madison. The house has remained virtually unchanged through the years, offering visitors an experience of the life and times of the people who lived there in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. During the Civil War, Belle Grove was at the center of the decisive Battle of Belle Grove or Cedar Creek. Today, the plantation includes the main house and gardens, original outbuildings, a classic 1918 barn, an overseer's house, the slave cemetery, a heritage apple orchard, fields and meadows, and scenic mountain views.

The site offers tours, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Mount Vernon - George Washington's Estate and Gardens [VA]

Description

Mount Vernon was the beloved home of George and Martha Washington from the time of their marriage in 1759 until General Washington's death in 1799. He worked tirelessly to expand his plantation from 2,000 acres to 8,000 and the mansion house from six rooms to 21. Visitors are invited to tour the Mansion house and more than a dozen outbuildings including the slave quarters, kitchen, stables, and greenhouse. They can stroll four different gardens, hike the Forest Trail, and explore the "George Washington: Pioneer Farmer" site, a four-acre working farm that includes a recreation of Washington's 16-sided treading barn. George and Martha Washington rest in peace in the tomb where wreathlaying ceremonies are held daily, and the Slave Memorial and Burial Ground is nearby.

The site offers multimedia presentations, exhibits, tours, demonstrations, educational programs, river cruises, research library access, and recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Ash Lawn-Highland, Home of James Monroe [VA]

Description

Ash Lawn-Highland is an historic house museum, 535-acre working farm, and performing arts site. President James Monroe and his wife, Elizabeth Kortright Monroe of New York, owned Ash Lawn-Highland from 1793 to 1826 and made it their official residence from 1799 to 1823. After the Monroes' death, the name of their farm was changed from "Highland" to "Ash Lawn"; today both names are used.

The site offers tours, workshops, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).