November 2010

Ann Ridgely and Thomas Snowden, members of two prominent Maryland families, began construction on this house in 1781. The couple's reputation led to the visits of many notable individuals, such as George Washington and Abigail Adams. The Snowden family maintained the house until 1890, and in the 1980s the house was restored to its 1831 appearance, the time when it was owned by Thomas Snowden's son, Nicholas. In addition to the tours that are available year-round, there are concerts, lectures, festivals and other events that occur at various points throughout the year.

The museum showcases the history of the Civil Rights Movement and the role Memphis played during the tumultuous period.

The National Civil Rights Museum, located at the Lorraine Motel, the assassination site of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., chronicles key episodes of the American civil rights movement and the legacy of this movement. The museum’s exhibits comprise the entire account of the movement, beginning with the early slave revolts of colonial America and culminating in the death of Dr. King and the mysteries surrounding it. The Museum hopes that, through its exhibits and collections, visitors will be inspired to participate in civil and human rights efforts globally.

This house was was home to Judge Duvall during the early part of the 19th century and stayed in his family until 1902. Justice Duvall's law office and root cellar still remain today. Marietta is situated on 25 acres of lawn and wooded areas and the grounds boast two County Champion trees and lovely old boxwood.

Marietta operates as an historic house museum and is furnished and interpreted to reflect the three generations of Duvall's that occupied the house. The Society of Mareen Duvall Descendants has relocated the family graveyard from its original location to the serene surroundings at Marietta. The site is also the headquarters of the Prince George's County Historical Society.

Louisiana State Museum, a complex of national landmarks housing thousands of artifacts and works of art reflecting Louisiana's legacy of historic events and cultural diversity. The Museum operates five properties in the famous French Quarter: the Cabildo, Presbytere, 1850 House, Old U.S. Mint and Madame John's Legacy. Also the Louisiana State Museum - Patterson in Patterson, Louisiana State Museum - Baton Rouge, the Old Courthouse in Natchitoches, and the E.D. White Historic Site in Thibodaux.

The museum has two of the four signed paintings by the free man of color, Julian Hudson, including his well-known self portrait. The Louisiana State Museum is the largest repository of paintings by the premier French portraitists working in Louisiana during the 1830s and 1840s, Jean Joseph Vaudechamp and Jacques Amans.

Built before 1856, this functioning gristmill is one of the last of its kind.

The earliest documentation establishing the Spencer's Mill appears just before the Civil War in 1856. The mill was operated Samuel Spencer as a water turbine driven corn & flour mill. In order to grind corn and wheat for local farmers in this area, French burr stones were bought & shipped for $14.14 from overseas and used as ballasts for weight during the passage across the Atlantic. The mill became the center of the community where everything from rifles to coffins was manufactured. Even the first thresher in the county was constructed here. Spencer's Mill boasted a wood & blacksmith shop, two stores, a saw mill and a post office. Mail was received semi-weekly in the community from Jan 18, 1878-April 14, 1906. William A. Lampley was its first postmaster.

Although Major John Billingsley never lived on the property he acquired from Lord Baltimore on the Patuxent River and the Western Branch in 1662, his name has been associated for centuries with the area. The house that today sits on the land was built in 1740 by James Weems, a prominent doctor, businessman, and office holder. It replaced an older house that Prince George's County's first Chief Justice, Colonel Thomas Hollyday, constructed in 1695.

Visitors will marvel at this extraordinary example of Tidewater Colonial plantation architecture. Though slight renovations to the site occurred periodically through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the brick house's period decor vibrantly evokes mid-Atlantic life before the American Revolution. Tours are available between noon and 4 p.m. on Sundays; the last tour begins at 3 p.m.

The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum, a not-for-profit educational corporation, is committed, to interpret to an international public, some of the world’s most significant automobiles, with an emphasis on Auburn, Cord, and Duesenberg Motorcars of the classic era, interpret the lasting impact and influence of the achievements of the Auburn Automobile Company in a historical context, and become the finest automobile museum in the world by first achieving the highest existing museum standards, and then striving to exceed them.

Seventy archaelogical sites have discovered 9,000 years of human habitation of this area. In modern times, it has served as the home to the first Attorney General of Maryland, Richard Smith, as well as the home to Margaret Mackall Smith, wife of the 12th U.S. President, Zachary Taylor, and was also the site of a War of 1812 naval battle. Today there are various activities available to visitors. The Visitor Center contains museum exhibits and a Discovery Room for children. The Farm Exhibit Building houses a regional collection of Southern Maryland farming materials, and there are trails available for walking, and which take the visitor by an archaelogical representation of 17th century life on the site. There are also many special events held throughout the year.

Old Gray Cemetery, 13 acres of beauty and history, is over 150 years old. Although the land was purchased in 1850 the cemetery was not dedicated until 1852 when the first 40 lots were sold at public auction. Today Old Gray clearly depicts Knoxville's history as well as the Victorian era and provides an important example of cemetery planning and design during the rural-cemetery or garden movement. Old Gray Cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Exhibits cover prehistory, agriculture, home and family, business and professions, music, food and a Hall of Fame. One room is dedicated to the Civil War, and two other rooms house the Geraldine Smith Welch Doll Collection of over 400 dolls. The museum is also home to the Louisiana Video Collection Library and the Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival Archives.