The Capitol Complex Extension Branch of the Southeastern Regional Black Archives at Union Bank[FL]

Description

Completed in 1841 when Florida was still a territory, the Union Bank is the state's oldest surviving bank building. Chartered to help finance local cotton plantations, it ultimately closed because of crop failures, the Second Seminole War, and poor management. After the Civil War, it reopened as the Freedman's Savings and Trust Company for emancipated slaves and later served several other functions. In 1971, the Bank was moved from its original site, and, after restoration, it was opened as a museum in 1984. The Union Bank now serves as an extension of the Florida A&M University Black Archives, Research Center, and Museum and is open to the public and school groups only on weekdays. Artifacts and documents reflecting black history and culture are on display, and public programs are provided by Black Archives staff.

The bank offers exhibits.

Harriet Tubman Home [NY]

Description

The Harriet Tubman Home preserves the legacy of "the Moses of Her People" in the place where she lived and died in freedom. The site is located on 26 acres of land in Auburn, New York, and is owned and operated by the AME Zion Church. It includes four buildings, two of which were used by Harriet Tubman. Some articles of furniture, and a portrait that belonged to Harriet Tubman are now on display in the Home.

The site offers tours and occasional recreational and educational events.

Chattanooga African American Museum [TN]

Description

The Museum operates as a source of curricula, historical references, creative works, and media about the African-American experience. The Museum maintains a collection of multimedia presentations, rare artifacts, African art, original sculptures, paintings, musical recordings, and local Black newspapers. Visitors can explore the history of Africans in Chattanooga, a region where most Africans were bought to be personal servants or laborers, rather than field hands.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, and occasional recreational and educational events.

Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum [WA]

Description

The Center presents interpretative exhibits covering the entire history of the Columbia Gorge, from prehistory to the present day, including First Peoples, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, forts and settlements in the area, timber and fishing industries, transportation up and down the river, and other historical topics.

The center offers a short film, exhibits, and educational programs.

Fort Foster State Historic Park [FL]

Description

Fort Foster was one of the original Seminole War forts constructed in Florida during the early 1800s. Today a replica wood-picket-style fort has been constructed on the original site. Park rangers provide tours, and explain the Fort operations and living conditions, as well as telling the history of the Seminole Wars in Florida. The interpretive center contains exhibits about the fort, the Seminoles, and the Second Seminole War.

The park offers exhibits, tours, and occasional living history events.

Fort Hays State Historic Site [KS]

Description

Generals George A. Custer, Nelson Miles and Philip Sheridan, Major Reno, William "Buffalo Bill" Cody and James B. "Wild Bill" Hickok are part of the history of this outpost on a military trail. Established in 1865 in the land of the Cheyenne and Arapaho, Fort Hays protected railroad workers and travelers on the Smoky Hill Trail. Visitors can see the military items and photographs at the visitor center, as well as the original 1867 blockhouse, furnished officers' quarters, the original 1872 guardhouse, and Native American artifacts.

The site offers exhibits, tours, and educational and recreational programs.

Chief Vann House Historic Site [GA]

Description

During the 1790s, James Vann became a Cherokee Indian leader and wealthy businessman. He established the largest and most prosperous plantation in the Cherokee Nation, covering 1,000 acres of what is now Murray County. In 1804 he completed construction of a 2-and-a-half-story brick home that was the most elegant in the Cherokee Nation. After Vann was murdered in 1809, his son Joseph inherited the mansion and plantation. Joseph was also a Cherokee leader and became even more wealthy than his father. In the 1830s almost the entire Cherokee Nation was forced west by state and federal troops on the infamous Trail of Tears. The Vann family lost their elegant home, rebuilding in the Cherokee Territory of Oklahoma. Today the Vann House survives as Georgia's best-preserved historic Cherokee Indian home. A guided tour allows visitors to see the house which features hand carvings, a "floating" staircase, a 12-foot mantle, and fine antiques.

The site offers tours, exhibits, a film, demonstrations, and recreational and educational events.

Kaw Mission State Historic Site

Description

The Kaw Mission houses a museum that tells the story of the building that was home and school to thirty Kaw boys from 1851–1854. The Kaw lived in the Neosho Valley for less than thirty years when, despite an impassioned plea by Chief Allegawaho, the U.S. government removed the Kaw to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). At the museum, visitors can learn more about Chief Allegawaho, the Kaw Indians, and others who lived in the area.

The site offers exhibits, a short film, and tours.

Prudence Crandall Museum

Description

The Museum is housed in the U.S.'s first academy for African-American women, which operated from 1833–1834. The school was run by Prudence Crandall (1803–1890), today designated as Connecticut's state heroine. The museum includes period rooms, changing exhibits, and a small research library.

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

Washington County Historical Society, LeMoyne House, and LeMoyne Crematory [Pennsylvania]

Description

Located in the LeMoyne House in Washington, Pennsylvania, the WCHS provides many programs, activities, and services to individuals and groups in the tri-state area. The LeMoyne House is Pennsylvania's first National Historic Landmark of the Underground Railroad. Built in 1812 by John Julius LeMoyne, the house became part of the Underground Railroad under his son, Francis Julius LeMoyne. The society also oversees the LeMoyne Crematory, the first crematory in the United States.

The house offers tours, exhibits, and access to a research library; the crematory offers tours; and the society offers lectures, workshops, conferences, and other educational programs.