November 2010

The Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail begins at Long Island of the Holston in Kingsport, near the site of the Netherland Inn, the nation's only registered historical site which was both a stagecoach stop and a boatyard. Boone and his group of ax men met on Long Island on March 10, 1775, to blaze the trail through 200 miles of Virginia wilderness to the Cumberland Gap.

The society is still relatively new, founded in 1998, but plans special events and manages a variety of documents and archives preserving the 200 year-old town's rich history.

Located in the heart of historic downtown Clarksville, Tennessee, the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center is the State's second largest general museum. With over 35,000 square feet of the region's best hands-on activities and special events, the museum is sure to please any visitor.

Explore an entire city block featuring large gallery spaces filled with fine art, science and history. The Explorer's Floor is packed with fun, learning and fantasy in Aunt Alice's Attic, the kids' grocery store, Optical Illusions, and the Bubble Room. Finally, get "all aboard" to see fantastic model trains. Volunteer engineers "ride the rails" every Sunday afternoon from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Westmoreland County gets its nickname because for many years it was considered the gateway to the western frontiers of Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. Founded in 1773, it was also the the last county to be established in Pennsylvania while the colony was still under British rule. Today, the society upholds the history of the county with the historic "Hanna's Town" as well as special productions and a variety of resources for visitors.

At Cumberland Gap, the first great gateway to the west, follow the buffalo, the Native American, the longhunter, and the pioneer-- all traveled this route through the mountains into the wilderness of Kentucky. Modern day explorers and travelers stand in awe at this great gateway and the many miles of trails and scenic features found in the park.

The museum provides a home for the artifacts and history of the settlement of Greencastle by the Scottish immigrants and the subsequent development of the small borough.

Home to one of Anchorage's early settlers, this family house turned museum preserves a snapshot of the early period of one of Alaska's major cities.

Built in 1915, this house was the wood-frame house built in Anchorage by Oscar Anderson who proclaimed himself to be the "18th person" to arrive in the city. Anderson, successful in the meat, coal, and aviation businesses, built his home when most other Anchorage residents lived in tents. 45-minute tours of the house are available during the summer season.

Pueblo Grande Museum is located at a 1,500 year-old Hohokam village ruins in modern day Phoenix. For over 70 years the museum has been dedicated to the study and interpretation of the Hohokam culture. On the 102 acre park grounds, visitors explore the ruin of an 800 year-old platform mound possibly used by the Hohokam for ceremonies or as an administrative center. An excavated ballcourt, and to full-scale reproductions of prehistoric Hohokam homes can be viewed along the ruin trail. The site also includes some of the last remaining intact Hohokam irrigation canals.

In 1704, Nathaniel and Mary Newlin built a water-powered grist mill along the West Branch of Chester Creek. Despite several changes of ownership the mill ran continuously until 1941. In 1957, the Nicholas Newlin Foundation was created by E. Mortimer Newlin, a ninth generation descendant, to restore and maintain the mill as a museum. Today, the foundation 's purpose is to preserve the 150 acres, which are a refuge for plants, animals, and birds, as well as the park's historic buildings for pleasure and education of the public. A trip to the park offers visitors insights into the vanished life of the rural eighteenth century.

The mission of the Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange is to share the story of the cotton industry and its many influences on daily life, the arts, and the development of this region with students, residents, and visitors. They accomplish this through interpretive exhibits, educational programs, and research archives on the floor of the historic Memphis Cotton Exchange — in the city that remains the epicenter of worldwide cotton trading.