Harry S Truman National Historic Site [MO]

Description

The Harry S Truman National Historic Site preserves the 1885 Queen Anne residence in which Harry S Truman lived between the ages of 22 and 88 (beginning in 1919); the Truman Farm Home in Grandview, Missouri, where Truman lived between 1906 and 1917; and several family homes. Collections consist of more than 53,000 artifacts. Truman (1884-1972) served as the 33rd President of the United States between 1945 and 1953. During this time he desegregated the military, approved nuclear weapon use on Japan, adopted the Marshall Plan, and witnessed the founding of the United Nations.

The site offers a 12-minute introductory slide presentation, tours of the Queen Anne residence, school tours of the Queen Anne residence, cell phone tours of the farm and Queen Anne sites, and Junior Ranger activities. Reservations are required for all school visits. The website offers four lesson plans, photo tours, an artifact of the month feature, and a list of the more than 1,100 books owned by Truman.

William H. Seward House [NY]

Description

The William H. Seward House preserves four generations (1816-1951) of artifacts of daily life; and presents the life of William H. Seward (1801-1872), Governor of New York, U.S. Senator, Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson, abolitionist, and organizer of the Republican Party. Seward was involved in the writing process of, and signed, the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation. The 1816 structure itself is Federal and Tuscan in style.

The house offers period rooms, tours, and brown bag lectures. Advance notification is required for groups of 10 or more.

Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial [PA]

Description

The Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial consists of the home of the Polish head engineer of the United States' Continental Army, Thaddeus Kosciuszko (1746-1817). The majority of the house is dedicated to exhibits concerning Kosciuzko's life and career. However, one room has been furnished in period style. Visitors to the home during Kosciuzko's life included Benjamin Rush, Thomas Jefferson, and Chief Little Turtle; and in his will, Kosciuszko asked that his property in the United States be sold to purchase the freedom and education of slaves.

The memorial offers an eight-minute introductory audio-visual program, exhibits, a period room traveling trunks, and Junior Ranger activities.

Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site [TX]

Description

The 293-acre Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site is located on the site of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence. The park is home to a reconstructed Independence Hall; the Star of the Republic Museum, which covers the history of the Republic of Texas (1836-1846); and Barrington Living History Farm, home of Dr. Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas. Numerous walking trails and a picnic area are also available in the park.

The visitor center offers interactive exhibits, snack food for purchase, and a gift shop. Daily guided tours of Independence Hall are offered as are scheduled group tours. Barrington Living History Farm offers tours of the Anson Jones home focusing on the politics, economics, and daily life of 1850s Texas. The Star of the Republic Museum offers exhibits, audiovisual presentations, educational programs, and houses an extensive research library. Age appropriate school tours are available at all three sites and align with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). An educator's packet for Barrington Living History Farm is available online as is www.txindependence.org , a new website created for 4th & 7th grade Texas history students.

Charles Pinckney National Historic Site [SC]

Description

The 28-acre Charles Pinckney National Historic Site preserves a portion of Snee Farm, the plantation owned by Charles Pinckney (1757-1824), a man who was deeply involved in the writing of the U.S. Constitution, as well as a signer of the finished document. The site also addresses the life of African Americans in South Carolina's Lowcountry plantations. The visitor's center is housed in a circa 1838 residence. Note that it is not typical of architecture with which Pinckney would have been familiar.

The site offers a half-mile trail with wayside exhibits, a 20-minute orientation video, exhibits, educational programs, Junior Ranger activities, and a picnic site. Advance notice is required for educational programs. The website offers a teacher's guide, which includes content relevant to the Pinckney site, as well as Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie.

Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site [DC]

Description

Mary McLeod Bethune achieved her greatest national and international recognition at the Washington, D.C. townhouse that is now this Historic Site. It was the first headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) and was her last home in Washington, D.C. From here, Bethune and the Council spearheaded strategies and developed programs that advanced the interests of African American women and the Black community.

The site offers tours and educational programs.

Musicians Local No. 627 and the Mutual Musicians Foundation

Image
Photo, Singing Novelty Orchestra, c. 1920s, Musicians Local. . . site
Annotation

Kansas City's Local 627, one of several African American musicians' unions affiliated with the American Federation of Musicians, was founded in 1917. This website traces its history over the course of the 20th century. This history is divided into nine chronological sections, including introduction to the roots of Kansas City jazz style, early jazz bands, bigger bands and a new headquarters for the organization, jazz during World War II, the thriving music scene in the 1950s, the merger with Local 34, and the efforts of the Mutual Musicians Foundation to promote jazz in the 1960s and 1970s.

Upon entering each section, visitors are greeted by a video presentation of photographs of prominent Kansas City musicians and newspaper articles documenting their accomplishments, accompanied by a jazz soundtrack. In addition to explanatory text introducing musicians and prominent events in Kansas City history, each section also includes roughly 20 photographs, as well as a few songs of the era, which can be listened to using RealPlayer. Useful for those interested in Kansas City history or in U.S. music culture in the 20th century more generally.

Dismuke's Virtual Talking Machine

Image
Graphic, Dismuke's Virtual Talking Machine
Annotation

More than 225 music selections from a private collector's 78 rpm recordings produced between 1900 and the 1930s. Music is organized according to type of recording: acoustical (pre-1925) and electrical. Includes music in a variety of styles—ragtime, opera, jazz, classical, marching bands, and swing. Listings for selections provide information on vocalist, band, and soloist, and include annotations of a few sentences each. "Dismuke's Hit of the Week," updated weekly with one to three new audio selections, also offers explanatory material of 100 to 300 words in length. Also includes images of approximately 15 record labels. Of value to those studying American popular culture and music history.

Barrington Living History Farm [TX]

Description

Last president of the Republic of Texas Anson Jones farmed near Washington during and after his presidency. Jones named his farm "Barrington" after his Massachusetts home, Great Barrington. There he lived with wife Mary, their four children, his sister, sister-in-law, and five slaves. The family home, two slave cabins, a kitchen building, smokehouse, cotton house, and barn made up Barrington Farm. With Jones's daybook as their guide, the interpreters at Barrington Living History Farm conduct themselves much as did the earliest residents of the original farmstead. The Jones home is original; the outbuildings are replicas constructed by Texas Parks and Wildlife using Jones's own journal and drawings. Visitors to the farm can experience the sights, smells, and sounds of the 19th century. The scene is complete with heritage breeds of livestock. Interpreters, dressed in period style clothing, help visitors better understand what life was like 150 years ago. Visitors can participate in the work of the farm and become a part of the exhibit.

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

How Can Communities, Cities, and Regions Recover From Disaster?

Description

Professors Lawrence J. Vale, Thomas Kochan, and J. Phillip Thompson discuss issues related to the destruction of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina and the recovery of New Orleans. Vale looks at past urban disasters and how these cities have changed and recovered; Kochan contrasts Franklin D. Roosevelt's response to Pearl Harbor with Bush's to Katrina; and Thompson looks at racial tension in New Orleans, prior to and after the hurricane.