Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park [FL]

Description

Natural Bridge is the site of the second largest Civil War battle in Florida and where the St. Marks River drops into a sinkhole and flows underground for one-quarter of a mile before reemerging. During the final weeks of the Civil War, a Union flotilla landed at Apalachee Bay, planning to capture Fort Ward (San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park) and march north to the state capital. With a timely warning, volunteers from the Tallahassee area—Confederate soldiers, old men, and young boys—met the Union forces at Natural Bridge and successfully repelled three major attacks. The Union troops were forced to retreat to the coast and Tallahassee was the only Confederate capital east of the Mississippi not captured by the Union. A reenactment of the battle is held at the park every March.

The park offers occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

Sullivan-Johnson House [OH]

Description

The Sullivan-Johnson House presents the local history of Hardin County, Ohio. Collections include late 1800s Kenton toys and the Civil War medals of Jacob Parrot (1843-1908), the first recipient of the Medal of Honor. The home includes an 1890s parlor and paintings by Fred Machetanz (1908-2002).

The house offers exhibits, period room, and group tours.

USS Constellation [MD]

Description

The U.S.S. Constellation serves as a museum of its own history. The vessel is the final sail-powered warship built by the Navy, and the last floating Civil War era vessel. Education program topics include African Americans in the Navy, life at sea as a powder monkey, the Constellation's efforts against the slave trade, and the construction of the sloop-of-war.

The vessel offers gun drills, exhibits, an audio tour, an overnight program, educational programs, and educational outreach presentations. The website offers downloadable curriculum.

Centenary State Historic Site [LA]

Description

Centenary State Historic Site commemorates Centenary College, an all-male college (circa 1839-1908) which was previously located on today's historic site. With the college closed during the Civil War, both the Union and Confederate forces made use of the school structures for hospitals and/or area headquarters. The structures which remain on-site were the West Wing and the residence of a professor.

The site offers period rooms, tours, educational programs, and picnic facilities.

Gamble Plantation Historic State Park [FL]

Description

This antebellum mansion was home to Major Robert Gamble and headquarters of an extensive sugar plantation. It is the only surviving plantation house in South Florida. It is believed that Confederate Secretary of State, Judah P. Benjamin, took refuge here after the fall of the Confederacy, until his safe passage to England could be secured. Today, the mansion is furnished in the style of a successful mid-19th-century plantation.

The park offers tours.

Cannonball House [GA]

Description

The Cannonball House, named for damage sustained in the Civil War, is a Greek Revival Structure dating to approximately 1853. The house contains period furnishings, contents of the founder's parlors of the ΑΔΙΙ and ΦΜ societies, and a collection of Civil War era artifacts. A two-story kitchen house in the back, once the quarters of the family servants, is one of few such surviving structures. Collection highlights include Civil War uniforms, early 1800s face shields, and a circa 1850 Bohemian crystal punch bowl.

The house offers period rooms; exhibits; tours, which can be customized to educational needs and focal topics; educational programming designed to meet state educational criteria; demonstrations at special events; and a December children's Victorian tea party.

Yellow Bluff Fort Historic State Park [FL]

Description

Located near the mouth of the St. Johns River, this site was an important military position during the Civil War, allowing access to the inland areas of Florida's east coast. There was never an actual fort on Yellow Bluff, but an encampment that was fortified and equipped with large guns for protection. Constructed in 1862, the site was occupied by both Confederate and Union troops during the Civil War and—at its peak—housed over 250 soldiers. The site has a T-shaped earthworks and covers about 1.3 acres.

The park offers occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).

The Mariners' Museum [VA]

Description

The Mariner's Museum presents information and artifacts relevant to the field of maritime history. Highlights include more than 150 small vessels from over 36 countries; August F. Crabtree's miniature ships; displays on shipbuilding, cartographic, and navigational advancements between 1400 and 1700; the largest international maritime library in the western hemisphere; and the USS Monitor Center. The center includes a full-scale replica of the Monitor, the first U.S. Navy ironclad warship, used in the Civil War. The museum also owns and maintains a 550-acre park.

The museum offers exhibits, maritime science and history educational programs which complement state educational standards, scavenger hunts, distance learning programs, outreach speakers, lectures, research library access, research assistance, paddle boat rental, and fishing boat rental. Payment is required for research assistance. The website offers virtual exhibits, artifact of the month, and images for educational use.