Historians credit Woodburn's historical importance as much to the home's architecture as to its previous notable residents. Gentlemen farmers, landowners, an abolitionist, two U.S. Senators, two doctors, a dentist, a judge and eight recent Delaware Governors have all left their imprints on this fine home.
This home, built c. 1798 by Charles Hillyard III, is one of the finest Middle Period Georgian houses in Delaware.
Justin S. Morrill (1810-1898) was the chief sponsor of the 1862 and 1890 Land-Grant Acts. These were the most important pieces of legislation for American higher education in the 19th century. For the first time, America's working class and minority citizens had the opportunity to pursue higher education.
Senator Morrill's Homestead in Strafford, Vermont, a prime example of Gothic Revival architecture, is a Vermont State Historic Site and open to the public Memorial Day through Columbus Day.
Display areas interpret and honor Native Americans, trail drivers, homesteaders, ranchers and rodeo stars. The museum features an interpretive center with permanent and traveling western culture exhibits, a 45-seat theater and a multipurpose meeting area for use by visiting groups. The building also has a gift shop, an archives section and library, as well as a children’s activity area and an outside patio with an awesome view of the Little Missouri River and the North Dakota Badlands.
The Lightship "Overfalls" was the last lightship built by the United States Lighthouse Service. It was commissioned as the LV (light vessel) 118 in 1938 and was considered at that time to be "state of the art" in lightship design.
The Overfalls had a distinguished career before the Coast Guard donated it to the Lewes Historical Society in 1973, when it was moved to the canal in downtown Lewes, DE. Between 1938 and 1972 it was stationed at three different lightship stations: first, at Cornfield Point off the coast of Connecticut, then at the Cross Rip Station off the coast of Massachusetts, and finally the Boston Station just off Cape Cod. After suffering major structural damage in a December, 1970 storm, the Overfalls was taken out of service in 1971, and decommissioned in 1972.
The displays include Native American artifacts, a buffalo robe visitors will be able to try on, as well as a "cradle-board" much like the one Sacagawea may have used to carry her baby. An authentic wood canoe carved from the trunk of a large cottonwood tree demonstrates the winter preparations the Expedition made while at Fort Mandan. The latest addition to the Interpretive Center - the Fort Clark Exhibit in the Sheldon Gallery - presents the history of the mighty steamboats, frontier trade and Native American culture that saturated this region.
The Zwaanendael Museum was built in 1931 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the state's first European settlement, Swanendael, established by the Dutch along Hoorn Kill (present-day Lewes-Rehoboth Canal) in 1631. Designed by E. William Martin (architect of Legislative Hall and the Hall of Records in Dover), the museum is modeled after the old stadthuis (City Hall) in Hoorn, the Netherlands, and features typical 17th century Dutch design elements including a stepped facade gable, terra-cotta (baked clay) roof tiles, carved stonework, and decorated shutters. The very top of the building's front features a sandstone statue of David Petersen DeVries, leader of the expedition that founded Swanendael. The face of the building is decorated with intricate sandstone carvings, including the coat of arms of the city of Hoorn.
The museum's exhibits and presentations illustrate the rich history of Sussex County by highlighting its maritime connections and by telling the stories of the people who lived and worked along Delaware's southeastern coast.
This one-and-a half story structure was built by Jedediah Hyde, Jr. circa 1783. Made of 14- to 18-inch diameter cedar logs, the cabin consists of one 20' x 25' room, with a massive fireplace at one end and an overhead loft.
In 1945, the Vermont Historical Society acquired the cabin, moved it about two miles to its present location, and stabilized it for further restoration. In 1952, the cabin was turned over to the Vermont Historic Sites Commission and the stabilization was completed by the Department of Forests and Parks. An agreement with the newly formed Grand Isle County Historical Society allowed that organization to furnish the cabin and use it as a meeting place, museum, and local information center. In 1985 further restoration of the cabin was undertaken by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, the successor to the Historic Sites Commission. This work included the reconstruction of the original roof proportions which returned the cabin to its original, documented appearance. The cabin is owned and maintained by the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.
At this post, the Assiniboine, Crow, Cree, Ojibway, Blackfeet, Hidatsa, and other tribes traded buffalo robes and other furs for trade goods such as beads, guns, blankets, knives, cookware, and cloth. It represents a short period in American history when two cultures found mutual benefit and common ground through trade and understanding.
The museum stores many of the artifacts that give a glimpse into the history of the Nanticoke Indians. Many visitors tour the museum to view the jewelry, pottery, spears, and arrow points used by our ancestors in the past. One can observe the intricate beading on the jewelry for those who are interested in Native American jewelry. Others come to hear the history of "The People of the Tide Water" led by a tour guide.
The Main House contains an audiovisual room and gift shop. The Summer Kitchen showcases domestic tools and kitchen instruments of old. The Peterson Building interprets life on the southern end of the Grand Prairie and the Delta through exhibits and artifacts on display. Two buildings on the museum grounds are original to the Grand Prairie. The 1877 Refeld-Hinman Loghouse is an example of how houses were built on the prairie and throughout the Delta. The 1933 Carnes-Bonner Playhouse, a miniature built-to-scale version of the Carnes' family home, displays children's furnishings, accessories, and toys.