November 2010

Hacienda Buena Vista, considered one of Puerto Rico's best remaining examples of a coffee plantation, consists of an 87 acre agricultural complex constructed in the mid-19th century. The hacienda's principle buildings, grouped together within a three acre area, include the hacienda manor house, a carriage house, horse and mule stables, a caretaker's house and office, two warehouses, a hurricane shelter, a corn mill and slave quarters. A canal, beginning at the top of "Vives Waterfall," goes through an aqueduct and on to the coffee mill, which is a two-story wooden building located to the northwest of the Hacienda Manor House. At its height Hacienda Buena Vista produced and processed more than 10,000 pounds of coffee per year for shipment to Europe. The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico purchased the land and buildings from the Vives family in 1984.

The society sponsors and conducts historical research, provides speakers and educational materials for students, and sponsors and provides publications, portraits and memorials, special events, and projects consistent with its mission.

Just past noon on January 15, 1929, a son was born to the Reverend and Mrs. Martin Luther King, Sr., in an upstairs bedroom of 501 Auburn Avenue, in Atlanta, Georgia. It was in these surroundings of home, church (Ebenezer Baptist Church), and neighborhood (Sweet Auburn) that "M.L." experienced family and Christian love, segregation in the days of "Jim Crow" laws, diligence and tolerance. The Martin Luther King, Jr. visitor center was constructed in 1995 and welcomed a number of visitors during the 1996 Summer Olympics.

The Battle for Fort Pulaski in April 1862 marked a turning point in military history. It featured the first significant use of rifled cannons in combat.

These accurate, long-range weapons shattered Fort Pulaski's walls from over a mile away. After thirty-hours of bombardment, the fort surrendered.

The battle surprised military strategists worldwide and signaled the end of masonry fortifications.

Fort Pulaski National Monument offers visitors the chance to experience many interesting and exciting activities year-round.

Fort Pulaski itself is a large-scale outdoor exhibit. The main structure, together with outlying works including demilune, drawbridges, ditches, and dikes, is a fine example of historic military architecture.

Indoor exhibits highlight the history of Fort Pulaski from the fort's construction, to its eventual fall due to advancing military technology.

The area now comprising Shawnee, Kansas is rich with history and examples of characteristic American Midwestern life. Its heritage reaches back into the prehistoric era of the Osage native people and before. Its immediate origin springs from its location as the political and religious center of the Shawnee Indians.

Old Shawnee Town is an outdoor museum recreating a Kansas prairie town dating from the 1840s to the early 1920s. The site features seven original and twelve replica buildings, two gardens, and three structures providing support services for operation of the site. Each building is furnished with artifacts dating roughly from that period. Owned and operated by the City of Shawnee, Kansas, as a division of the Parks & Recreation Department. The Town is the cornerstone of Herman E. Laird Park, two blocks from the original Town Square and downtown Shawnee.

In the early 18th century, the land lying between British South Carolina and Spanish Florida was known as the debatable land. This land (today's Georgia) was the epicenter of a centuries-old imperial conflict between Spain and Britain. Fort Frederica was established in 1736 by James Oglethorpe to protect the southern boundary of his new colony of Georgia from the Spanish in Florida. Colonists from England, Scotland, and the Germanic states came to Georgia to support this endeavor.

Today, visitors can partake in some of the activities at Fort Frederica including, a 23 minute park film "History Uncovered," explorations through the archeological site, and a museum area with artifacts found at Frederica.

When the first Spaniards arrived on the island more than 500 years ago, they encountered thousands of Taíno Indians-the most recent of a series of inhabitants that had populated the Caribbean region for thousands of years. All the Indian cultures shared a ceremonial ballgame-sometimes described as similar to lacrosse or soccer-with their Meso-American cousins.

More than 30 of the courts where these games were played can be found in the mysterious Caguana Indian Ceremonial Park near Utuado, in the center of the island. These courts, called bateyes, are believed to be part of the most sacred Taíno area in the West Indies.

Excavation began in 1915 and, over the years, the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture has restored many of the bateyes. Monoliths and petroglyphs carved by anonymous hands can be seen among the rocks and stones. Knowledgeable visitors seek out La Mujer de Caguana, a rare petroglyph of a woman with the legs of a frog, wearing an elaborate headdress!

This fort stands guard at where once was the eastern gate to the walled city of Old San Juan. Construction on the fort was begun in 1634 and finished in 1790, although modifications were made well into the 18th Century. Its better-known sister fort, El Morro, was designed to protect the city from attacks by sea; San Cristóbal guarded from approaches by land. If you are interested in history, enjoy a walk on the ramparts, where half a millennium ago Spanish soldiers held their watch. If you love to photograph spectacular views, this fort is a goldmine for you, with its panoramic view of the coast from Old San Juan to Condado and beyond. Wear comfortable shoes! Covering 27 acres, this is the largest fort built by the Spanish in the New World. Guided tours will show you where the first shots of the Spanish-American War were fired and will reveal part of its intricate defense system, designed by two Irishmen in the employ of the Spanish crown. Don't miss the "Garita del Diablo", a sentry box that, according to one legend, devoured soldiers sent there on guard.

The museum of the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center was started by the President's second son, Colonel Webb Cook Hayes and his siblings, shortly after the turn of the 20th century. In several transactions, Colonel Hayes and his brothers and sister deeded over to the state of Ohio, Spiegel Grove, the President's estate and all its holdings. Ground was broken in 1912 for the museum building and the first presidential library/museum in the United States opened in 1916 funded by the state of Ohio and Webb C. Hayes.

Major additions in 1922 and 1968 brought the building to its present configuration of exhibit galleries (two floors), research library (one floor), and storage areas (four floors) comprising 52,640 square feet.

In keeping with our mission, the museum uses its resources, including 13,000 artifacts, 1,785 of them on permanent display, to illustrate the life and times of Rutherford B. Hayes, his family, and Ohio history.

The people of the Woodland Indian cultures (from 800 B.C.E.) were the first people in South East Ohio to make pottery for storing and cooking food. Known to archeologists as the Adena, Hopewell and Late Woodland cultures, each group developed its own distinct pot shapes and decorations. European settlers later colonized the area and established small backyard potteries, known as Bluebird