Heritage Farmstead [TX]

Description

The Heritage Farmstead preserves a representative example of Blackland Prairie farm culture and history from about 1890 to 1920 on its four-acre farmstead site. The centerpiece 1891 Farrell-Wilson house represents the daily life of a prosperous farm family on the North Texas Blackland Prairie.

The farmstead offers exhibits; guided tours by costumed docents, which may be adapted for school groups; living history demonstrations; and recreational and educational events.

Littleton Historical Museum [CO]

Description

The Museum serves as the primary repository for the history, art, and culture of Littleton. It consists of two living history farms (one from the 1860s and one from the 1890s), a small lake, a collections center, and a main exhibition and administration building. Interpreters work the farm sites, run the blacksmith shop, and teach in the schoolhouse, offering a "living history" perspective to the museum visitor.

The museum offers exhibits, research library access, and recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Sanchez Adobe [CA]

Description

The Sanchez Adobe was constructed between 1842 and 1846 by Francisco Sanchez, owner of Rancho San Pedro and one-time alcalde of San Francisco. Sanchez was a leader of Mexican California who led volunteers against United States forces at the Battle of Santa Clara. Today, the site shows the different periods of local history. Visitors can take a walk on the grounds and see native plants—the Ohlone village of Pruristac was located on the site. They can view the location of the original Spanish farm buildings; explore the Sanchez family's adobe home; and discover what items were uncovered during archaeological digs, including items from the adobe's time as a hotel and speakeasy.

The site offers exhibits and educational programs.

Wilder Ranch State Park [CA]

Description

The park has 34 miles of hiking, biking, and equestrian rails winding through coastal terraces and valleys. Several restored buildings once belonging to the Wilder family are preserved. The park has tours and living history demonstrations to help visitors explore the history of early ranchers and farmers along the Central Coast. The site was originally the main rancho supplying Santa Cruz Mission. It later became a successful and innovative dairy ranch. Surrounding grounds include Victorian homes, gardens, and historic adobe.

The park offers tours; exhibits; demonstrations; and occasional recreational and educational events, including living history events.

Double Trouble State Park and Historic Village [NJ]

Description

Originally a cranberry farm and packing plant, the former company town called Double Trouble is a window into past and current industries in the Pinelands. The Double Trouble Company was formed to sell timber, millwork products, and cranberries. A succession of sawmills has been on site since the mid-1700s. The village consists of cranberry bogs and 14 original historic structures dating from the late 19th century through the early 20th century including a general store, a schoolhouse and cottages.

The site offers tours.

Wayne County Historical Society and Prairie Trails Museum [Iowa]

Description

The Society operates the Prairie Trails Museum. The large main brick building of the Museum houses 25,000 artifacts in five galleries covering over 21,000 square feet and the range of the area's history. The red Heritage Barn contains an extensive collection of early farm artifacts displayed in interpretive exhibits.

The museum offers exhibits, research library access, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village [MI]

Description

The Henry Ford Museum presents U.S. ideas and inventions. Exhibit topics include agriculture; clockwork; automobiles; Presidential limousines; furnishings; manufacturing; jewelry; home appliances; R. Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion House, a 1940s house of the future; aviation; human rights within the United States; silver; pewter; transportation; and 20th-century generations. Collection highlights include Abraham Lincoln's chair from Ford's Theatre, one of George Washington's camp beds, a replica of the Wright brothers' Flyer, the limousine in which John F. Kennedy was assassinated, a Gothic steam engine, and the Goldenrod. The Goldenrod broke world land speed records in 1965. The 80-acre Greenfield Village incorporates 83 historic structures. District themes include the railway, an 1880s working farm, Thomas Alva Edison, home life between the 17th and 20th centuries, historic skills, and the Model T Ford.

The museum offers exhibits, three curriculum-based guided activity programs, one curriculum-based dramatic presentation, and cafes. The village offers exhibits, interactive activities, the opportunity to ride historic vehicles, eight curriculum-based dramatic presentations, a self-guided activity for students, restaurants, and a food stall. The site also offers teacher workshops, a teacher fellow program, summer camps, Scout programs, and a youth mentorship program. Wheelchairs and electric scooters are available for use on site. The village is closed between January and mid-April. The website offers virtual exhibits, teacher's guides, student exploration guides, suggested pre- and post-visit activities, a club for teachers, and audio tour downloads.

Oak Creek Historical Society and Museum [WI]

Description

The Oak Creek Historical Society operates a museum complex. The complex includes the 1840s Hughes Log Cabin, which depicts Wisconsin pioneer life; an 1890 summer kitchen, displaying the history of textile cleaning techniques; the 1874 Oak Creek Town Hall; an 1886 blacksmith shop; a farm shed with farming implements from the 1830s through 1950s; and a print shop.

The society offers period rooms, exhibits, and guided tours.

Phelps Historical Society and Museum [NY]

Description

The Phelps Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Phelps, New York. To this end, the society operates a museum and the circa 1835 Country Lawyer's Office. The museum is located within the 1869 Second Empire-style Howe House, and presents exhibits on historical households and farming life.

The society offers exhibits, customizable group programs, and access to the Country Lawyer's Office. The law office is open by appointment only.