November 2010

Germantown's story is the story of founding and settlement, religious freedom and tolerance, patriotism, abolitionism, architectural excellence, industry, and community service. Come to GHS and learn about the first German settlement in the New World, the nation's earliest "urban village," the site of the first written protest against slavery, the setting for the Battle of Germantown, the nation's first commuter suburb served by one of the nation's first railroads, and then the "town within a city" served by the longest streetcar line in the nation. Visit other sites to learn about the Victorian Age, the Underground Railroad, and, yes, a place where George Washington really did sleep. Discover why thousands of Irish, Italians and African Americans made German Township their home.

Two sites operated by Carroll Museums, located in historic Jonestown, which was founded in 1732 and consolidated with Baltimore in 1745. Carroll Mansion was the 19th century home of Charles Carroll, who was one of the richest men in the country, and the Shot Tower dates back to Baltimore's industrial heritage.

Henry David Thoreau lived at Walden Pond from July 1845 to September 1847 and his experience there provided the material for the book Walden, which is credited with helping to inspire awareness and respect for the natural environment.

Henry David Thoreau’s sojourn at Walden started a long tradition of people coming to the pond and its surrounding woods for recreation and inspiration. Henry David Thoreau was a 27-year-old former schoolteacher when he went to live at Walden Pond in the summer of 1845. His friend and fellow Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson, who had recently purchased 14 acres of woodlot on the northwestern shore of Walden Pond, agreed to let the young writer conduct his "experiment in simplicity" there. Near the end of March 1845, Thoreau borrowed an axe and began cutting and hewing the timber for a small, one-room house. With help from friends, he raised and roofed the simple building and, on July 4, 1845, he moved in.

This museum showcases significant artifacts and literature throughout the history of the field of electronics. It emphasizes those electronics developed for national defense and traces such electronics to commercial products developed from them.

It continues to grow with the addition of new permanent outdoors exhibits and improved landscaping. Indoor gallery spaces are being redesigned and updated. Educational programming such as the Young Engineers and Scientists Seminars (YESS) and the Robot Festival are offered on a yearly basis with more to come. And the museum has established the Robert L. Dwight Science Scholarship awarded to outstanding engineering for the University of Maryland and University of Maryland - Baltimore County. Finally the Museum benefits greatly for the support of grants and donations from various agencies and engineering societies.

The fort was used as the staging point for a number of successful raids during the war. After victory, it was used until the American Revolution as a frontier outpost and refuge from Indian attacks during a period of increased western migration. Today, the museum houses hundreds of artifacts that give visitors a perception of what life was like on the western Pennsylvania frontier.

During her productive years as a writer, noted female writer Flannery O'Connor spent most of her time at Andalusia. There, she routinely wrote every morning until noon and spent her afternoons and evenings tending to her domestic birds or entertaining visitors. The setting of Andalusia, including the ever-present peafowl, figures prominently in her fiction.

The farm complex at Andalusia consists of the Main House, Jack & Louise Hill's House, the Main Barn, an equipment shed, the milk-processing shed, an additional smaller barn, a parking garage (also called the Nail House), a water tower, a small storage house (formerly a well house), a horse stable, a pump house, and three tenant houses.

The Marianas were captured by Japan in 1914 and became a bloody battle ground in World War II between American and Japanese troops. There are still many reminders and war relics all over Saipan including a number of tanks and cannons.

Banadero, a natural limestone cave fortress, was the last holdout for the Japanese during the war. Some caves still have the remains of Japanese troops and some soldiers remained in hiding until as late as 1952 unaware that the war had ended.

Banadero Cave can be explored and views from Laderan Banadero (also known as Suicide Cliff) and Puntan Sabaneta (Banzai Cliff).

Founded in 1977 and located now in the historic Platt Oyster Cannery building, this museum works to preserve Baltimore's industrial heritage. It's collection of industrial artifacts tells the history of the working class in Baltimore. Highlights from the museum's collections include: an 1850's shipyard bell, an 1820's Acorn printing press, and a collection from the Mount Vernon Museum of Incandescent Lighting.

Founded in 1967 in Beaver, PA, 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, the Beaver Area Heritage Foundation has achieved local, statewide and national recognition for its dedication to the preservation and documentation of Beaver’s rich history. This year, it celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Since its humble beginnings, the Heritage Foundation and its award-winning museum have grown to an organization of more than 450 members, and have become an important force in the community. We are an enthusiastic supporter of "Pittsburgh 250," the celebration of the Western Pennsylvania region's 250th anniversary in 2008.

The last all sail ship built by the U.S. Navy, and the last Civil War-era vessel still afloat, the USS Constellation is now open as a museum in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Launched in 1854 out of the Chesapeake Bay, the vessel served her country for 100 years before finally being decommissioned in 1955.

Prior to the Civil War, the Constellation's main purpose was intercepting slave ships. With the onset of the war, it was charged with chasing Confederate raiders. At the end of the 19th century, it served as a training ship for midshipmen at the Naval Academy.

Today there are a wide range of activities and demonstrations to illustrate what life was like aboard the vessel as a part of Historic Ships in Baltimore.