Skip to main content

November 2010

The Visitor Center includes numerous interactive and multimedia exhibits, including electronic maps, vignettes about important locations during the battle, historical artifacts, and interpretive displays. There are also trails available for self-guided tours, both by car and by foot. The auto tour is approximately 6 miles round trip and there are several walking trails. The 1647 acres of park not only include the battlefield but also farms of historical significance.

 


The Susquehanna Museum is housed in the 1840's Lock Tender's house at the outlet lock of the Susquehanna & Tidewater Canal. The museum preserves the history of Havre de Grace and surrounding area. In addtion, the museum's 7 acres of waterfront lawn and the 1.5 mile North Park Trail that runs through the 43 acres North Park provides visitors with a fun outdoor environment.

 

 

The Japanese House, as it is informally known to Philadelphians, is in a style which would have been appropriate for an educated member of the upper class, such as a government official, high-ranking priest, or wealthy scholar. The extensive use of natural materials creates a serene harmony between the house and surrounding garden. The perfectly proportioned architecture of the main structure and adjoining tea house is enhanced by an ornamental garden and picturesque pond.

The ground on which the Japanese House now stands has had a Japanese structure and landscaping almost continuously since the 1876 Centennial Exposition, when the Japanese Bazaar and garden were in the area.

 

In 1863, Union and Confederate forces fought for control of Chattanooga, the gateway to the deep south. The Confederate’s were victorious at nearby Chickamauga in September, but renewed fighting in Chattanooga in November gave Union troops final control.

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park was created in 1890 to preserve and commemorate these battlefields. The visitor center offers many videos and exhibits about the Civil War, and a self-guided tour helps visitors navigate one of the nation's oldest and largest military parks.

The Havre de Grace Maryland Maritime Musuem offers adult boat building classes, teen boat building classes and archeology camps for kids

The community outreach program, also known as the Road Show has been very active during festival season. The Maritime Museum participated in several summer shows, demonstrating boatbuilding skills and increasing community awareness of the Maritime Museum. During summer, staff members are often invited to provide museum outreach educational programs for summer camp groups. Visitors are encouraged to explore the provided hands-on programs on Archaeology, Native Americans, Fishing, and Boat Building.

On September 11, 1777, the Patriot army under George Washington came face to face with the British forces under William Howe, resulting in the largest single engagement of the war. The resulting American defeat left Philadelphia undefended, which the British soon conquered. Today, visitors can watch reenactments of the battle on certain dates or follow a guided tour of the battlefield.

This museum includes 2 sites as well as guided tours of the town. The sites are a historic home open for drop in tours and the Community Center Exhibit Room. Guided tours can be specially arranged and self-guided tours are available via free pamphlets at the Community Center.

When Benjamin Chew built Cliveden as a summer home in the 1760s to escape Philadelphia's summer heat and disease, he was one of the first English-speaking residents in the small community of Germantown. Chew and his family were among the wealthiest Philadelphians of the colonial period, but Chew's wealth came from his British connections. As an attorney he represented the interests of the governing Penn family, and King George appointed him Chief Justice of the Colony of Pennsylvania. When the Revolutionary War began, Chew's loyalties were immediately suspect.

Visitors can still see scars from the 1777 the Battle of Germantown at Cliveden, where 75 Americans lost their lives trying unsuccessfully to capture the house.

Benjamin Chew sold his battle-damaged house after the war, but bought it back again near the end of his life. Chews continued to live at Cliveden until 1972, when they donated the property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Today, Cliveden is a historic house museum, one of a group of nationally significant sites owned by the National Trust.

Three 18th-century structures remain in Chadds Ford - the John Chadds House, the John Chadds Springhouse, and the Barns-Brinton House. The society hosts tours and multiple events a year to celebrate the heritage of Chadds Ford.

Built in 1852 as a middle-class plantation home, historic Surratt House also served as a tavern and hostelry, a post office, and polling place during the crucial decade before the Civil War. During the war, it was a safehouse for the Confederate underground which flourished in Southern Maryland. It was the country home of Mary Surratt, first woman to be executed by the United States government after being found guilty of conspiring with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Abraham Lincoln.
Restored in 1976 by The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, today the museum presents a variety of programs and events, recapturing the history of mid-19th century life and focusing on the fascinating web of the Lincoln conspiracy.

Enjoy our work? Help us keep going.

Now in its 75th year, American Heritage relies on contributions from readers like you to survive. You can support this magazine of trusted historical writing and the volunteers that sustain it by donating today.

Donate