North Lake Tahoe Historical Society and Museums [CA]

Description

The North Lake Tahoe Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of the Lake Tahoe area, California. To this end, the society operates the Gatekeeper's Museum, Marion Steinbach Indian Basket Museum, and 1909 Watson Cabin. The Gatekeeper's Museums functions as a museum of local history. Highlights include historic court ledgers and oral histories. The Marion Steinbach Indian Basket Museum presents baskets, costumes, dolls, pottery and other artifacts from 85 Native American tribes. The Watson Cabin is a living history museum of local pioneer life.

The society offers exhibits, period rooms, and living history demonstrations. Please call ahead if severe weather is forecasted, as the museums may not be open.

Horne Creek Farm [NC]

Description

Once the Hauser family farm, Horne Creek enables visitors to experience farm life in North Carolina's northwestern Piedmont circa 1900. The site features the family's original farm house, a tobacco curing barn, a corn crib, adjacent fields under cultivation, and even a heritage apple orchard. Through programs ranging from old-fashioned ice cream socials to an annual corn shucking frolic, Horne Creek Living Historical Farm provides a unique opportunity to learn about the rural past.

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

Freetown Village [IN]

Description

Freetown Village presents the history and culture of the approximately 3,000 free African Americans known to have been living in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1870. The content focus is on the Fourth Ward, which is Indianapolis' oldest African American settlement.

The village offers a summer camp for five through 14 year old children, interactive plays, spiritual music performances, and hands-on children's workshops. With the exception of the summer camp, all programs are available as outreach programming in Indiana and nearby states.

Tobacco Farm Life Museum [NC]

Description

The Tobacco Farm Life Museum provides an authentic and interesting view into the lives of turn of the century tobacco farmers in eastern North Carolina. The site focuses on daily life and farming techniques of the early 20th century.

Several types of educational tours appropriate for all grade levels are offered, including a candle-making tour, a butter-churning tour, etc. Teacher resources for pre- and post-visit are also offered to accompany your visit.

Billings Farm and Museum [VT]

Description

The Billings Farm and Museum presents the history, culture, science, and environmental implications of Vermont farm life. Sights include a working dairy farm, an 1890s period-furnished farm house, and exhibits on family farming responsibilities in 1890. The 270-acre farm was established in 1873, and has maintained a herd of Jersey cows since that time. Other animals on site include oxen, Percheron horses, sheep, and chickens. Nearly 200 acres of the farm contain corn silage, alfalfa, and grass hay fields.

The museum offers films on the history of Billings farm, forestry, and environmental awareness; exhibits; hands-on butter making; milking demonstrations; heirloom garden tours; 19th-century children's games; sheep, pumpkin, apple, feed, chicken, calf, and cow programs; hands-on craft activities; research library access; and a snack counter. Appointments are required for library access. Wheelchairs are available for use on site. The 1890s Farm House is partially wheelchair accessible. Visitors are asked to refrain from feeding or petting the animals.

Rocky Mount Living History Museum [TN]

Description

Rocky Mount is a large log house built by William Cobb around 1772. Cobb was one of the first permanent settlers of the western frontier that became the State of Tennessee in 1796. His home became the temporary capitol of the Southwest Territory during Governor William Blount's residence with the Cobb family between 1790 and 1792. Today, visitors step back into the year 1791 and gain an appreciation for the daily lifestyle of a frontier family. First-person costumed interpreters invite guests into the restored house and dependencies as guests of the Cobb family. Visitors discover members of the Cobb family, who perform daily chores in the kitchen, barn, weaving cabin, and gardens. As the seasons change, visitors encounter work in the field crops area and can view farm animals.

A second website for the museum can be found here.

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

Old Alabama Town [AL]

Description

Old Alabama Town stretches across six blocks in downtown Montgomery, Alabama, and consists of an impressive collection of fully restored 19th and early 20th century structures.

The town offers workshops, interpretive events, costumed interpreters, a variety of tours and educational events, and special events. The website offers an events calendar, visitor information, a history of the town, and a virtual tour. In order to contact the website via email, use the "contact" link located at the top of the webpage.

Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation

Description

The Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation is located within Pennsylvania's 2,606-acre Ridley Creek State Park. The 112-acre Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation itself is a living history farm, depicting life in the region circa 1760 through 1790. Demonstrations include food preservation, open hearth cooking, fiber processing, and farming.

The park offers 12 miles of trails, gardens, and 14 picnic areas. The plantation offers costumed living history interpreters; demonstrations; educational programs which meet state history, geography, environment, and ecology standards; workshops; lecture, demonstration, and/or hands-on outreach programs; summer camps; Scout programs; and group tours. Reservations are required for group tours, and on site educational programs are available between April and mid-November only.

Pioneer Farms [TX]

Description

Pioneer Farms is a living history farm museum, located on the site of an 1844 homestead, in what is now Austin, Texas. The site includes several 19th-century structures furnished in the style of different time periods—between 1860 and 1899.

The museum offers living history demonstrations, period rooms, historic skill classes, exhibits, and Scout programs. The website offers a trivia quiz, a scavenger hunt for use on site, a blank family tree, and paper dolls.

Mackinac State Historic Parks [MI]

Description

Mackinac State Historic Parks is the coalition of parks located on Mackinac Island. The Island is home to the Mackinac State Park, which covers roughly 70 percent of the island, Historic Downtown, which consists of five historic buildings and features costumed interpreters, Colonial Michlimackinac, a colonial fur trading outpost, the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, and Fort Mackinac, which was occupied by British soldiers in the 18th century and American soldiers in the 19th century.

The organization offers guided tours, field trip programs, outdoor activities in the state park, interpretive events, and occasional special events such as re-enactments. The website offers visitor information, histories of the five parks, event calendars, and several photo galleries.