Boone's Lick State Historic Site [MO]

Description

In 1804, Lewis and Clark reported the presence of many saltwater springs in the area that now comprises Howard, Cooper, and Saline counties. The largest of these salt springs was the Boone's Lick. The area around this spring was ideal for settlement and for many years "Boone's Lick Country" was a primary destination for pioneers moving west. Nathan and Daniel Morgan Boone, sons of famous frontiersman Daniel Boone, formed a partnership with James and Jesse Morrison in 1805 to produce salt. Brine water was poured into iron kettles and heated to boiling on a stone furnace. As the water evaporated, salt crystallized in the bottom of the kettle. The salt was shipped by keelboat on the Missouri River to St. Louis. Salt, which was indispensable at the time for preserving meat and tanning hides, was produced at the site until approximately 1833. Today, the 52-acre site features picnic facilities and a short trail that winds its way to the spring site, where wood remnants of the salt works and an iron kettle are still visible. Outdoor exhibits interpret this unique saltwater environment and center of frontier industry. Artifacts from the salt manufacturing industry were excavated at the site, and some are on display at the Arrow Rock State Historic Site visitor center in Arrow Rock.

The site offers exhibits and occasional recreational and educational events.

Deutschheim State Historic Site [MO]

Description

The Pommer-Gentner house, built in 1840, is a sterling example of high-style German neoclassicism and is furnished to reflect the earlier settlement period of the 1830s and 1840s. Behind the house, visitors will tour a period garden and a small half-timbered barn containing an exhibit of 19th-century tools. The Strehly house, built in stages from 1842 to 1869, has a traditional German vernacular front. It once contained a full-service printing company that produced a German-language newspaper. About 1857, Carl Strehly built a winery next to the house that today displays one of a few remaining carved wine casks in the Midwest. Grapevines, planted by the Strehlys in the 1850s, can still be seen running the length of the backyard. Deutschheim's varied collections of German Americana are represented by galleries of changing artifacts and photographs.

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

Tremont Row: Artists' Daguerreotype Rooms Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 01/04/2008 - 14:03
Description

Curator and conservator Grant Romer talks about the formation and work of the Boston photography partners Albert Sands Southworth and Josiah Johnson Hawes and their studio on Tremont Row. Romer looks at the architecture of Tremont Row and how it impacted the work of the partners. His presentation includes slides.

Audio and video options are available.

Gunsmith

Description

George Suiter, gunsmith at Colonial Williamsburg, talks about the gun trade and gunsmithing in the colonial era.

To listen to this podcast, select "All 2006 podcasts," and scroll to the January 16th program.

Making Barrels

Description

Ramona Vogel, an apprentice cooper at Colonial Williamsburg, talks about the coopering trade as practiced in the colonial era and modern misperceptions about women and work at the time.

To listen to this podcast, select "All 2006 podcasts," and scroll to the March 27th program.

The Art of Weaving Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 01/22/2009 - 17:56
Description

Max Hamrick, a Colonial Williamsburg weaver, talks about the process and place of weaving in colonial-era society.

To listen to this podcast, select "All 2006 Podcasts," and scroll to the May first program.

Old Sacramento State Historic Park [CA] Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/08/2008 - 13:37
Description

Old Sacramento State Historic Park is a cluster of noteworthy, early Gold Rush commercial structures. Historic buildings include the 1849 Eagle Theater; the 1853 B. F. Hastings Building, once home to the California Supreme Court; and the 1855 Big Four Building. Old Sacramento's historical significance comes from it being the western terminus of the Pony Express postal system, the first transcontinental railroad, and the transcontinental telegraph. With over 50 historic buildings, Old Sacramento has more buildings of historic value in its 28 acres than any area of similar size in the West.

A second website for the park can be found here.

The park offers exhibits, tours, educational programs, living history programs and events, and other educational and recreational events.

State Capital Publishing Museum [OK]

Description

The Museum is located in the historic State Capital Publishing Company building constructed in 1902. This building was the fourth home of the State Capital Company which was organized in 1889 just prior to the first Oklahoma Land Run. Inside the museum is a large collection of original furnishings and printing equipment. Museum exhibits include the history of the State Capital Company, printing technology and other aspects of life from the territorial and early statehood era.

The museum offers exhibits, tours, demonstrations, workshops, and educational and recreational programs.

Milliner and Mantua Maker Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/20/2009 - 16:40
Description

Janea Whitacre, Colonial Williamsburg's mistress of the millinery and mantua-making trades, examines the business of female fashion in the colonial era.