November 2010

Bleak House, an antebellum mansion of fifteen spacious rooms and wide halls, stands well back on an eminence among lovely trees and elaborately landscaped grounds. The property fronts 250 feet on Kinston Pike and extends over 900 feet in terraced gardens down to Fort Loudon Lake (Tennessee River). The house was built for Robert Houston Armstrong and Louisa Franklin as a wedding gift. Louisa’s father, Major L. D. Franklin, built the house; Robert’s father, Drury Armstrong of Crescent Bend, donated the land. The young couple named their stately home, “Bleak House,” for Charles Dickens' then currently popular novel of that name.

During the siege of Knoxville by the Confederates under General James Longstreet, November 17 to December 4, 1863, Bleak House was the headquarters of General Longstreet and his staff. A first-hand account of the occupation and the fighting around her home was told in a letter written by Mrs. Louisa Armstrong and published in the Knoxville Journal and Tribune on September 27, 1898. Much has been done toward maintaining the house and grounds and restoring them to their original grandeur and elegance.

H.N. Farley bought the Calder lands and buildings from the estate of Joseph Calder in 1879. The next sale was to the Lords in 1915. They sold it to Martin Perrone in 1949, when it was converted into a barbershop and beauty parlor. In 1969 Scott and Donna Eldred bought the house, to be followed by Christine and Ross Hessberger in 1971. The Equinunk Historical Society bought the house in 1983.

The original part of the house exhibits the Greek Classic Revival style of architecture, although the old clapboard siding is hidden under asbestos shingles put on by Martin Perrone. (They were removed and the wood siding was newly painted in July 2003.) There is much more information on the house contained in books and papers available at the Museum. Plan a trip to see the museum soon and watch the papers for programs during the summer and fall.

The cultural history of the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands region is chronicled in this Unalaska museum.

The Museum of the Aleutians seeks to preserve and share the history of the Unalaska and Aleutian Island regions. It focuses on the rich cultural legacy of the indigenous people of the area, as well as their interaction with people of other regions. The museum collects archaeological, ethnological, and archival materials from the Aleutian region and preserves them for public viewing. It is also open for research on Aleutian culture and history.

The society manages the Theodore Sprecher Museum as well as an extensive library and resource center that enables visitors to track geneological records and view exhibits detailing local history. The research library of the Society contains a wealth of information, in various forms, on local history and genealogy. In addition to books and periodicals the library houses print information in a variety of other formats, manuscripts, photographs, and microfilm materials.

The Historic District Merchants Association was founded in 1996 by the many independent retailers and restaraunteurs who enjoy the privileges of owning businesses in this beautiful historic setting. Thirty-five members strong, the districts merchants encourage all members to enjoy the friendly faces and inviting atmosphere of all our unique retail and dining establishments. Peruse the finest in apparel, antiques and interior design. Boasting over 30 shops, there is something for everyone here. Enjoy the wide variety of delectable dishes. Food ranges from home-cooking and gourmet to ice cream and sandwiches, Thai food and Italian.

Imagine the transformation - town becomes city - 13 colonies become a nation – Swedish Lutheran church becomes Episcopalian. Re-discover Patriots and ordinary citizens buried in the cemetery. Enter Pennsylvania’s oldest church and feel 300 years of history welcoming you.

The Noah Webster House, probably built c. 1748, is the restored birthplace and childhood home of the great lexicographer, Noah Webster. The house, once part of a 120-acre farm, was continuously occupied until it was given to the town of West Hartford in 1962. Through the promotion of education, laws, human rights, and language, Noah Webster helped to create a national identity for a fledgling nation. Though he accomplished much more during his life, Webster is best remembered for authoring two of America’s most influential books, the Blue Back Speller and the American Dictionary.

One of America's earliest religious communities, the Ephrata Cloister was founded in 1732 by German settlers seeking spiritual goals rather than earthly rewards. Gathered in unique European style buildings, the community consisted of celibate Brothers and Sisters, and a married congregation of families.

At the zenith of the community in the 1740s and 1750s, about 300 members worked and worshiped at the Cloister. Today, the National Historic Landmark is open for tours, special programs, and on-going research opportunities.

Located on the loess bluffs about 10 km south of downtown Memphis ,Tennessee, Chucalissa is a small Late Mississippian town that encompasses a 3 m tall substructural mound, the remains of a second possible substructural mound, a well-defined plaza flanked by a ridge of house mounds, and various residential loci within an area of approximately 6 ha.

Radiocarbon determinations and stratigraphy indicate that the site was occupied for at least 100 years, beginning around A.D. 1400 and continuing into the early 1500s. Since the early 1960's, Chucalissa has been managed as an archeological park by the University of Memphis. The museum offers life-size exhibits, various programs and a partially reconstructed village which present the details of the everyday lives of the Indians who inhabited the area from about A.D. 1000 to 1500.

Through its detailed and faithful picture of watershed use, the Interpretive Center shows that our needs have scarcely changed in 200 years.

"Water in Our World" is the theme that unites all the exhibits at the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center. The mission of the Center is to have its visitors reflect upon the interaction of people and the environment. To do that, the Center focuses on the Schuylkill River, vividly illustrating the results of human actions, good and bad.

Each exhibit invites the visitor to participate in learning about aspects of that theme with bold graphics and compelling images, such as old photographs, watershed diagrams and illustrations of the many uses of water.