November 2010

The Museum features artifacts dating from eighteenth century Russian America (now Alaska) until the present day. Among the objects on display are recently restored processional banners (possibly dating to 1794); rare icons believed to have been painted in the Sitka school of iconography (19th century); personal objects of St. Innocent (Veniaminov); a kayak frame used by missionaries traveling along the Nushagak River and beaded priest's vestments designed and sewn by the Tlingit artist, Emma Marks.

Orthodox missionaries arrived in Russian America in 1794 baptizing the Native people throughout the territory. Alaska is considered "the Cradle of Orthodoxy in North America" and the Orthodox Church recognizes five saints who labored here during the Church’s early presence. The Russian Orthodox Church is the longest surviving institution in Alaska’s history. Scattered across the state, there are currently 97 Orthodox parishes, many established during the Russian American era. A large number of the artifacts in the Museum’s collection were retrieved from old churches, which have been restored or rebuilt.

The Delaware Academy of Science operates this museum of local history housed in a former one-room schoolhouse constructed for African-American students by the philanthropy of Pierre S. duPont. Interpretive programs include museum exhibits and a nature walk to visit the colonial iron mines and Native American jasper quarry.

The station was built in 1876 for use by the United States Lifesaving Service, a government organization created to respond to the alarming number of shipwrecks along the coastlines of the United States. This building was originally located 400 feet closer to the shore, but a sand dune began to form around it almost as soon as it was finished. It was moved to its present location in 1877. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The station has been converted into a museum, and is now operated by Delaware Seashore State Park. The park offers guided tours of the museum and runs nature programs out of the station site.

A 1930s community hall now houses the town of Wasilla's first history museum.

The building that is now the Dorothy Page Museum was built in 1931 as a community hall. It became the center for social functions, including dances, political meetings and basketball games. It served this important function for over 30 years before the structure began to deteriorate in the 1960’s.

The building was repaired and founded as Wasilla’s first museum in 1967. It became the first museum in the City of Wasilla. Since then, it has preserved and shared a growing collection of treasures with the people of Wasilla and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. Today, the Museum continues to educate and inspire through exhibitions, programs and lectures, while preserving an expansive collection representing the most comprehensive assemblage of Wasilla artifacts in the region.

A major pioneer in the city’s preservation movement, the museum also owns Wasilla’s first school, located in the Historic Town Site. The school and museum buildings are National Historic Landmarks, reflecting the architectural and social histories of early Wasilla pioneers.

Once the site of a war council that included Washington and Lafayette, this house played a key role in the American Revolution.

This historic house, built in 1750, was used in 1777 as a meeting place for Gen. George Washington and his staff, including Gen. Lafayette, between the Battle of Cooch's Bridge in Delaware and the Battle of Brandywine in Pennsylvania. Hale-Byrnes House is a property of the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, administered by the Delaware Society for the Preservation of Antiquities.

On December 17, 1787, Delaware ratified the Constitution at the Golden Fleece Tavern, thus becoming the First State. There is a physical marker commemorating the spot.

September 21, 1847, was the historic day that the City of Baton Rouge donated to the state of Louisiana a $20,000 parcel of land for a state capitol building, taking the seat of the capitol away from the City of New Orleans. The land donated by the city for the capitol building stands high atop a Baton Rouge bluff facing the Mississippi River, a site that some believe was once marked by the red pole, or "le baton rouge," which French explorers claimed designated a Native American council meeting site. The state house itself is one of the most distinguished examples of Gothic Revival architecture in the United States. Designed by architect James Harrison Dakin, its floor plan, towers, exterior stained glass windows and gables give it the appearance of a 15th-century Gothic Cathedral. Dakin referred to his design as "Castellated Gothic" due to its decoration with cast-iron, which was both cheaper and more durable than other building materials used at the time. The building design was so unusual and distinctive that its romantic, medieval appearance earned the Old Statehouse ridicule from the timelessly famous author, Mark Twain.

The Dutch House is a small 17th century, in which visitors will find a pewter set, an unusual cupboard, a spoon rack, a 1714 Bible, and other Dutch colonial artifacts. The Amstel House is a Georgian mansion built by the wealthy Dr. John Finney in 1730, and has operated as a historical home since 1929. Visited at one point by George Washington, today there are many decorative arts from the 18th century to be seen there. The Old Library Museum, built in 1892, offers a prime architectural attraction, and is original to the design of architect Frank Furness.

During the four years held at Bosque Redondo, Navajos were introduced to many new things. After they returned home, traders like Hubbell supplied those new items for the Navajo. Hubbell family members operated this trading post until it was sold to the National Park Service in 1965. The trading post store is still active. Now operated by Western National Parks Association, a non-profit co-operating Association they carry-on the trading business the Hubbell family established.

Built in 1915, the Southern Pacific Railway Depot was used extensively to ferry passengers and freight to the small sulfur mining community of Sulphur, Louisiana. The depot fell into disuse in the 1970's, and a group of local residents began efforts to preserve the building as a piece of history. In 1975, the Southern Pacific Transportation Company finally agreed to sell the building to the Sulphur Association of Commerce for one dollar, on the requirement that the building be moved away from the railroad tracks, due to safety issues. After funds were raised to move the building, arrangements were made with a local house-moving company to relocate the building near Frasch Park, just off of Picard Road. The two-mile move took 10 hours, and required the efforts of many in the community.