Fort Abercrombie State Historic Site [ND]

Description

Known historically as "the Gateway to the Dakotas," Fort Abercrombie was the first permanent United States military fort established in what was to become North Dakota. It was also the only post in the area to be besieged by Dakota (Sioux) warriors for more than six weeks during the Dakota Conflict of 1862. During the Dakota Conflict, Minnesota Volunteer soldiers manned the fort when area settlers sought shelter there. The "regular" U.S. Army soldiers had been withdrawn during the Civil War and had been replaced by the Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. The fort was not protected by blockhouses or a palisade during the seige, but these defensive structures were constructed soon afterward. The fort guarded the oxcart trails of the later fur trade era, military supply wagon trains, stagecoach routes, and steamboat traffic on the Red River. It also was a supply base for two major gold-seeking expeditions across Dakota into Montana. Fort Abercrombie served as a hub for several major transportation routes through the northern plains.

The site offers exhibits.

Hollenberg Pony Express Station State Historic Site

Description

In 1857 Gerat H. and Sophia Hollenberg established a way station for travelers on the Oregon and California Trails, and from 1860 to 1861 they operated a Pony Express station. The building still stands and, along with the visitor center, tells the stories of the Hollenbergs, pioneer life, and the Pony Express.

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

Liberty State Park and Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal

Description

From 1892 through 1954, the CRRNJ Terminal stood with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island to unfold one of this nation's most dramatic stories: the immigration of northern, southern, and eastern Europeans, among others, into the United States. After being greeted by the Statue of Liberty and processed at Ellis Island, these immigrants purchased tickets and boarded trains at the Terminal to their new homes.

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

Fort Buford State Historic Site [ND]

Description

Fort Buford State Historic Site preserves remnants of a vital frontier plains military post. Fort Buford was built in 1866 near the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers, and became a major supply depot for military field operations. Original features still existing on the site include a stone powder magazine, the post cemetery site, and a large officers' quarters building which now houses a museum. Fort Buford, located near present-day Williston, was one of a number of military posts established to protect overland and river routes used by immigrants settling the West. While it served an essential role as the sentinel on the northern plains for 19 years, it is probably best remembered as the place where the famous Hunkpapa Sioux leader, Sitting Bull, surrendered in 1881.

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

Old Stagecoach Stop [MO]

Description

The Old Stagecoach Stop, also known as the Waynesville House, was built in 1854. The home also served as a hotel and was on the old stage route from Saint Louis to Springfield. The Old Stagecoach Stop Foundation restored the building to its 1890 condition, and today the old hotel serves as a historic house museum.

The structure offers guided tours and interpretive events, and is furnished with 18th-century furniture. The structure is open from April until September. The website offers a history of the structure, visitor information, online newsletters, and an events calendar.

Lehigh Valley Railroad Historical Society and Museum

Description

The Society operates a museum housed inside a wooden New York Central Railroad freight station located along the old "Auburn Road" line in Shortsville, New York. The freight station was built around 1900 and was used as a church and a machine shop before the Society purchased it in October 2001; today, it displays exhibits exploring the history of the Lehigh Valley Railroad.

The museum offers exhibits.

Rail Depot Museum [OR]

Description

The Rail Depot was built in 1882 per the wishes of Captain John Harlow, founder of Troutdale. Today, the depot serves as a rail museum, owned and operated by the Troutdale Historical Society. The Depot is in much the same condition as it was in 1907, when it was rebuilt following a fire.

The Depot offers self-guided tours and a display of railroad artifacts. The website offers a brief history of the Depot, as well as visitor information and a Depot photo gallery that contains 12 photographs of the Depot.

Camp Hancock State Historic Site and Museum [ND]

Description

This site preserves part of a military installation established as Camp Greeley in 1872 to provide protection for work gangs then building the Northern Pacific Railroad. The camp's name was changed to Camp Hancock in 1873. A log headquarters building still stands on the site; it has been enlarged and remodeled several times, and the logs have been concealed by clapboard siding. The building serves as an interpretive museum for artifacts and information about local history.

The site offers exhibits.

Historic Washington State Park [AR]

Description

Historic Washington is a restored 19th-century town with 45 historic structures. Classic examples of Southern Greek Revival, Federal, Gothic Revival, and Italianate architecture stand as a legacy to life in Washington from 1824 to 1889. From its establishment in 1824, Washington was an important stop on the rugged Southwest Trail to Mexico, and later, Texas. James Bowie, Sam Houston, and Davy Crockett each traveled through Washington at various times. Vistiors can stroll the plank boardwalks along streets that have never been paved, and explore this tree-shaded town many call "the Colonial Williamsburg of the Southwest."

The site offers exhibits, tours, demonstrations, research library access, workshops, and educational and recreational events (including living history events).