Wylie House Museum [IN]

Description

The 1835 Federal and Georgian Wylie House was home to Andrew Wylie, the first president of Indiana University. The site has been restored to its appearance prior to 1860. Topics addressed include Bloomington, IN; Indiana University; and domestic life.

The museum offers exhibits, period rooms, guided tours, and educational programs for students. The museum is open March through November. The website offers virtual exhibits.

Earle-Harrison House and Pape Gardens [TX]

Description

The 1858 Greek Revival Earle-Harrison House is furnished in the style of the Victorian era (1837-1901). Several of the furnishings belonged to the Earle and Harrison families, who once resided in the home. The home is surrounded by nearly 6 acres of gardens, which suggest the possible grandiosity of the original gardens.

The house offers period rooms and tours. Appointments are required for visitation.

Garfield Farm and Inn Museum [IL]

Description

The 281-acre Garfield Farm and Inn Museum consists of a farmstead and teamster inn, both of which date to the 1840s. The museum presents information on historic farming practices, the prairie environment, daily life, innkeeping, and transportation.

The museum offers tours, 90-minute student building tours, 90-minute student prairie tours, seminars, monthly prairie walks, outreach slide lectures, high school internships, and a summer camp. Appointments are required October through May.

Vicksburg Historical Society and Historic Village[MI]

Description

The Vicksburg Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of the greater Vicksburg area, MI. To this end, the society operates a historic village museum, consisting of a caboose, print shop, 1904 depot, express office, farmhouse, barn, gazebo, schoolhouse, and township hall.

The society offers exhibits, period rooms, and demonstrations. The village is closed January through April. Visitation is by appointment only.

Alex Haley House and Museum [TN]

Description

Originally known as the Palmer House, this 10-room, turn-of-the-century bungalow home was built in 1919 by Will E. Palmer, the maternal grandfather of Alex Haley (1921–1992). From 1921 to 1929, and during some subsequent summers, Haley lived here with his grandparents. The front porch was often the place where young Haley heard the oral accounts of family history, including stories of Kunta Kinte, the young Mandingo man captured near his West African home. These stories inspired Haley to write about his ancestry in a book called Roots. This 1976 Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel has been translated into over 30 languages and has had great influence in stimulating the study of genealogy. Roots was adapted for an eight-part television series, which became one of the most popular programs in television history. On December 14, 1978, the Alex Haley House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It has attracted scholars and other visitors from around the world. Haley is buried on the grounds.

The house offers exhibits and tours.

Greene County Historical Society and Bronck Museum [NY]

Description

The Green County Historical Society operates the Bronck Museum and Vedder Research Library. The Bronck Museum consists of a complex of historic structures which previously functioned as a working farm. The complex holds a 1663 stone house, the oldest remaining residence in Upstate New York; a 1738 Hudson Valley Dutch and Federal brick house; a detached kitchen; a Victorian horse barn with exhibits of historical daily life in Green County, NY; a Dutch barn; and a thirteen-sided barn. The homes and kitchen are furnished with period pieces; china; glass; silver; and artworks by Ezra Ames, John Frederick Kensett, Ammi Philips, Richard Hubbard, Benjamin Stone, and Nehemiah Partridge. The museum also presents regional textiles, and information on both spinning and weaving. The Vedder Research Library offers primary and secondary sources for researching the history of Green County.

The museum offers exhibits, period rooms, guided tours, guided student tours, and research library access. School tours are available May 30 through October 31st by appointment only. Memorial Day weekend through mid-October tours are available to the general public. The website offers a suggested reading list.

Macculloch Hall Historical Museum [NJ]

Description

The Macculloch Hall Historical Museum preserves the circa 1810 residence of George Macculloch, known as the father of the Morris Canal, his immediate family, and his descendants. Collections include 18th- and early 19th-century fine and decorative art pieces from England and the U.S., as well as works by major 19th-century political cartoonist Thomas Nast (1840-1902). Nast is responsible for the Republican elephant, Democratic donkey, and the prevailing U.S. visualization of Santa Claus. The grounds hold gardens, which have been restored to their 19th-century appearance.

The museum offers house tours, garden tours, and educational programs for students. School and group tours are by appointment only.

Mark Twain House and Museum [CT]

Description

The Mark Twain House and Museum consists of the Hartford, CT property in which famed author Mark Twain (1835-1910) once lived. Changing exhibits provide social context for Mark Twain's literary works and the interpretation of his home. Twain is most widely recognized for his literary creations Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn and his strong use of satire.

The house offers an introductory film, house tours, kitchen and servant wing tours, group tours, student tours, exhibits, curriculum-based student programs, concerts, and a cafe. Group and student tours must include 10 or more visitors, and be scheduled at least two weeks in advance. Reservations are required for all groups planning to use the cafe, and box lunches can be ordered in advance by groups of 15 or more. The upper floors of the home are not wheelchair accessible. The website offers a family tree, word search, and crossword puzzle.

Brownville Historical Society, Captain Bailey House, and Carson House [NE]

Description

The Brownville Historical Society seeks to preserve and share the history of Brownville, NE and its people. To this end, the society operates the Captain Bailey House and Carson House. The Captain Bailey House, erected prior to 1877, was once home to a Civil War Captain. It now houses a museum of local history. The Carson House was built by the founder of Brownville prior to 1864, and contains many furnishings original to the site.

The society offers exhibits and period rooms. Both museums are open mid-May through October.