November 2010

The Illinois State Historical Library was created in 1889 by the Illinois General Assembly, which charged the new library with collecting and preserving "books, pamphlets, manuscripts, monographs, writings, and other materials of historical interest and useful to the historian, bearing upon the political, religious, or social history of the State of Illinois from the earliest known period of time."

More than a century later the mission is continued at the new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. The Library is a public, non-circulating research facility that contains material on all aspects of Illinois' history. Particularly noteworthy are the Library's holdings in published resources, manuscripts, newspapers, audiovisual, and Lincolniana. The Library is also the premier repository for materials relating to the history of the Prairie State.

Located on the beautiful campus of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee, the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum houses one of the most diverse Lincoln and Civil War collections in the country. Exhibited include many rare items -- the cane Lincoln carried that fateful night at Ford's Theatre, two life masks, the tea set he and Mary Todd used in their home in Springfield, and numerous other artifacts. Approximately 30,000 books, manuscripts, pamphlets, photographs, paintings and sculptures tell the story of President Lincoln and the Civil War period in America's history.

Built between 1832 and 1834, the Merchants' Exchange Building, also known as the Philadelphia Exchange, is located on the triangular site bounded by Dock Street, Third Street, and Walnut Street. This monumental office building was designed by William Strickland and is an exquisite expression of the Greek Revival style, the first national American architectural style. The ideals of Greek democracy were attractive to citizens of the American Republic and provided the best model for American architects to emulate as a national style.

The building is also significant to nineteenth century Philadelphia because it served as a commercial and financial center as well as the site of a post office. Previously, meetings between merchants took place in small coffee houses or taverns located near the Delaware riverfront. By 1831, it was believed that a central location was required to carry out business transactions and negotiations. Located on the Dock Street side of the building, the United States Post Office occupied a large room and was the first in the country to sell stamps

The store's family motto is, "If you can't find it at A. Schwab's, you're better off without it!" As the oldest surviving establishment on Beale St., the store offers the visitor both local history and bizarre paraphernalia. Voodoo potions, elvis collectibles, and .99 ties are among the establishment's eclectic wares. The Beale Street Museum is located on the second floor.

When the call went out for able-bodied men to bear arms in the colonial militia, an unusual group of Quakers answered. These were "fighting" Quakers who could not reconcile themselves to the Quaker principle of pacifism when it came to defending their country. To join the war effort was a painful decision, for they knew they would be disowned or "read out" of their meetings. Thirty to Fifty men and women, including Betsy Ross, regularly attended this meeting. After the war, differences among the Quakers diminished, and by 1834 services stopped and the building no longer served as a place of worship.

Started in 1997, the museum was originally housed in Lenoir City's early city hall building on Broadway in downtown Lenoir City. The Lenoir City Museum documents Lenoir City's past from its earliest settlement by Major William B. Lenoir in the early 1800's, to the arrival of the railroad at Lenoir's Station (as it was known until the 1900's), through the Civil War, and into Lenoir City's emergence as a city in 1907.

The museum also highlights Lenoir City's commercial and industrial growth, particularly its premier industry, the Lenoir Car Works. The City's social, religious and educational development is traced, as well as its role in U.S. military history in the twentieth century.

Historic Yellow Springs is a collection of 13 structures, 142 acres, and a collection of art, artifacts, and archives. Yellow Springs was the site of the nation's first military hospital, commissioned by George Washington.

Nestled along the Pickering Creek in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, the Mill at Anselma is an extraordinary artifact of 250 years of Chester County’s industrial heritage. The Mill retains its original Colonial-Era power train, as well as multiple layers of industrial equipment ranging from the late 1700s to the mid 1900s. Visitors today can view milling demonstrations as well as take part in the process.

The mission of the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, a property of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is to promote the understanding and appreciation of the history and culture of the Cherokee Indians in Eastern Tennessee, particularly the life and contributions of Sequoyah. The Museum will collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit objects and data that support this mission.

It includes scientific specimens and instruments, patent models, portraits, maps, art works, rare books, and more than ten million manuscripts. The APS Museum combines sophisticated exhibitions of its treasures with provocative works by contemporary artists.