The USS Constitution, or "Old Ironsides," is the oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat in the world. Built in 1797, the wooden ship saw active service until 1881, taking part in the War of 1812 and, as a training ship, in the Civil War.
Today, visitors may tour the Constitution.
The Fort Delaware Society operates the Fort Delaware Museum, Sutler Shop, and W. Emerson Wilson Research Library. Fort Delaware protected the Delaware River area between the War of 1812 and World War II. It is best known for its stint as a Civil War prison.
The society offers exhibits and archive and reading library access. The archives and library are open to the public between October and April.
Cragfont was the home of General James Winchester, a protagonist of the American Revolution, a pioneer in the Middle Tennessee wilderness, a soldier against indigenous Americans, a brigadier general in the War of 1812, and co-founder of the City of Memphis. The construction of Cragfont was started in 1798 and finished in 1802. It was the finest mansion on the Tennessee frontier and typified the grandeur and style of the best architecture of the late Georgian period. Named Cragfont because it stood on a rocky bluff with a spring at its base, the house is furnished with Federal antiques, some of which are original to the Winchester family. The basement holds an authentic weaving room.
A second website for the site can be found here.
The house offers tours and occasional recreational and educational events.
The Ashland estate consists of an 18-room mansion, outbuildings, exhibit space, formal gardens, and walking trails. Henry Clay (1777-1852) temporarily quelled the regionalism which eventually led to attempted secession, helped negotiate the Treaty of Ghent, served as Speaker of the House, supported South American governments, and introduced the Amicus Brief. Clay was also a Senator, Secretary of State, lawyer, farmer, and horseman. The structure itself was completed circa 1812, in the Federal style. Rebuilt in 1857 by later family members, the home is still similar to its original appearance but now includes Italianate, Victorian, and Greek Revival elements.
The estate offers one-hour guided mansion tours, period rooms, thematic and general guided tours for students, exhibits, self-guided outbuilding tours, gardens, trails, and a cafe. It is advisable to schedule as far in advance as possible for school visits. The website offers pre-visit handouts, a trivia game, and suggested reading lists for students.
The General Butler State Resort Park includes the 1859 Greek Revival Butler-Turpin State Historic House. The house commemorates the Butler family, one of the most prominent military families of Kentucky. The Butlers served in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War, and Civil War. Today, their home serves as a museum of local life and the family's military history. The site includes the family home, summer kitchen, log house archaeological site, and cemetery.
The house offers tours, as well as educational programming led by costumed interpreters and in compliance with state educational standards.
The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum presents the story of African American soldiers in the United States. An 1866 Congressional act created six African American Army units, two cavalry and four infantry. The high skill level of the 10th cavalry unit led to its members being known as Buffalo Warriors as early as 1867. Over time, the nickname spread; and came to refer to all African American soldiers.
The museum offers exhibits.
The Lake Erie Islands Historical Society Museum presents information on the history of the Lake Erie Islands area in Ohio. The museum includes a boat building and information on Oliver H. Perry (17851819), victor of the War of 1812's Battle of Lake Erie; Jordan Freeman, one of Perry's crewmen; the Native Americans of the area; and everyday life circa 1900. Collections include an extensive variety of model ships and one of two remaining Francis Metallic Lifeboats in the United States.
The museum offers a 15minute introductory film, exhibits, children's programs, tours, lectures, seasonal events, a research library, and archives. Reservations are required for school groups.
At the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House, visitors take part in an interactive experience in which they become part in the story of the sewing of the flag that inspired the National Anthem. They step into living history as they meet Mary Pickersgill, the spirited woman who made the flag. They learn firsthand from Mary, her family, and friends what life was like in the 19th century and take part in activities that let them experience it for themselves.
The house offers exhibits, tours, demonstrations, educational programs, and occasional recreational and educational events (including living history events).
From the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website:
"High school and undergraduate survey courses on U.S. history before 1865 rightly treat the War of Independence and the Civil War as decisive events. Three other significant conflicts of the period, the French and Indian War, the War of 1812, and the Mexican-American War, rate mentions in the textbooks, but their events are usually treated cursorily, and their impacts are rarely considered, if they are mentioned at all. This seminar will demonstrate the powerfully ironic significance of these less well-known imperial wars by exploring the linkages between them and the far more familiar revolutionary civil wars that define this period in American history. For in fact the decisive victory of Britain and its colonists in the French and Indian War brought on the collapse of the British empire, just twelve years after the triumphal Peace of Paris (1763); the similarly decisive victory of the United States over Mexico, confirmed by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848), precipitated the crises that led, in thirteen years' time, to the disintegration of the Union. The War of 1812, usually seen as having ended indecisively with the Treaty of Utrecht (1815), not only decided the fate of native peoples east of the Mississippi and lent a powerful impetus to the democratization of American electoral politics, but also created an ideological justification for warfare that endures in American political culture to the present day. Our exploration of these striking effects will, we hope, encourage the participants both to reconsider the dynamics of early American history and to re-think the contexts in which they discuss with their students the impact of warfare on the formation of the American Republic."
This iCue Mini-Documentary describes the virtual chaos of the banking system of early 19th-century America, with thousands of different banknotes in circulation across the country.
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