Long Pond Ironworks State Park [NJ]

Description

Long Pond Ironworks was founded in 1766 by German ironmaster Peter Hasenclever. Hasenclever brought 500 ironworkers and their families from Germany to build an ironworks "plantation," including a furnace, forge, houses, shops, and farms. A dam at "Long Pond" (Greenwood Lake) on the upper Wanaque River provided the hydropower to operate a blast for the furnace and a large forge. Two more furnaces were constructed in the 1860s. Operations at the site ceased in 1882 due to the industry-wide conversion to anthracite furnaces using Pennsylvania coal. The remnants of the ironmaking industrial structures at this site date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Furnaces, casting house ruins, charging areas, ice houses, waterwheels, and other structures are a part of the remains. The area is currently undergoing restoration: one waterwheel has been reconstructed and several houses stabilized. The "Old Country Store" has been renovated and now houses the Long Pond Ironworks Museum. The original Village of Hewitt grew up around the 19th-century iron enterprise. This settlement included a church, a store/post office, schoolhouses, and dwellings and outbuildings for workers and managers. Many of these cultural resources remain intact or as ruins.

The website of the Friends of Long Pond Ironworks can be found here.

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

Preserve Rhode Island and Governor Henry Lippitt House

Description

Preserve Rhode Island operates several historical sites, including the Governor Henry Lippitt House. Built for textile merchant Henry Lippitt, his wife Mary Ann Balch Lippitt, and their six children, the house was completed in 1865 and occupied by several generations of the Lippitt family for 114 years. Over the years, the Governor Henry Lippitt family made only a few changes respecting the historic integrity of their ancestor's legacy. The majority of the family's furnishings still exist in the house.

The organization offers occasional recreational and educational events; the House offers tours.

Vachel Lindsay Home

Description

This antebellum site is the birthplace and longtime home of poet (Nicholas) Vachel Lindsay. Lindsay was internationally known in the early 20th century for his poetry, the artwork he created to illustrate the poetry, and his animated performances of his work.

The site offers tours.

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.

Haywood Hall [NC]

Description

Haywood Hall is located in Raleigh, North Carolina, and was built by John Haywood. Haywood served as North Carolina's state treasurer for 40 years, from 1786 until his death in 1827. Haywood was required to live in the state capital, and so built Haywood Hall in 1799. Today, the home is open as a historic house museum.

Haywood Hall offers guided tours and is available for rental for special events. The website offers a biography of John Haywood, a history of the home, and visitor information.

Oconto County Historical Society [WI]

Description

The Oconto County Historical Society is dedicated to preserving the historical heritage of Oconto County and the surrounding area. The society maintains three historic buildings, the Beyer Home Museum, a mansion on the National Register of Historic Places, the George E. Hall Annex which serves as a local history museum, and an urban barn which is open for tours during the summer months. The society has also recently assumed control of the First Church of Christ, which is also open for tours during the summer months.

The society offers exhibits, guided tours, and special events including lectures and community events. The website offers visitor information, a timeline of Oconto County history, and a calendar of events.

Marston House Museum [CA]

Description

The Marston House Museum is one of San Diego's finest examples of the Arts and Crafts architectural movement. Completed in 1905 for prominent merchant and civic leader, George W. Marston, and his family, this 8,500 square-foot home is surrounded by four acres of rolling lawns, manicured formal gardens, and canyon pathways. It is furnished with Mission-style pieces like those designed by brothers Gustav, Leopold, and John George Stickley, and a variety of decorative pottery, paintings, and textiles created by world-renown Craftsman artisans.

The house offers tours.

Chelmsford Historical Society [MA]

Description

The Chelmsford Historical Society is dedicated to preserving the historical heritage of Chelmsford and the greater Merrimack Valley. The society is headquartered in Barret-Bryan Homestead, which also serves as a local history museum and a historic house museum. The society also owns and operates the Old Mill Stream, the location of the first saw mill in the town.

The society offers guided tours, exhibit, and special events including walking tours and open houses. The website offers visitor information, a photo album of historic Chelmsford, and an events calendar.

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.

Huntingdon County Historical Society [PA]

Description

The Huntingdon County Historical Society is dedicated to preserving the historical heritage of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. The society seeks to achieve this aim through special presentations and through the society's three properties, the Mc Murtrie House Museum, the 1823 Shaver's Creek Presbyterian Church, and the J.C. Blair Company Museum.

The society offers guided tours of all of their properties, periodic lectures on local history, historical exhibits, and a research library. The website offers visitor information, genealogical research resources, and general information regarding the society.