November 2010

Chippokes Plantation State Park is one of the oldest working farms in the United States. Chippokes is a living historical exhibit located in a rural agricultural area along the James River in Surry County. In addition, the park has a wide variety of traditional park offerings, including a swimming complex, visitor center, picnic facilities, and hiking and biking trails. The plantation has kept its original boundaries since the 1600s and has a variety of cultivated gardens and native woodland. The formal gardens surrounding the Chippokes Mansion are accented by azaleas, crepe myrtle, boxwood and seasonal flowers. The plantation grounds are also home to the Chippokes Farm and Forestry Museum.

It's not really a castle, nor was it the home of rebellion leader Nathaniel Bacon, but it is one of the oldest houses in America, built in 1665. Some of Bacon's men may have stayed at the home during the 1676 rebellion against Gov. Berkeley. This home is a rare example of such a unique architecture in American building.

Today, each of the historical structures, furnished with authentic artifacts, provides a vivid look at life in the nineteenth century North Texas frontier. Each log house displays different aspects of pioneer life. The exhibits include a water-powered gristmill, a one-room schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, an herb garden, and several log home settings. Historical interpreters, who are City of Fort Worth staff and volunteers, depict the lifestyle of the pioneers who settled in the area in the mid to late 1800s. Throughout the Village, interpreters bring the 19th century to life. The Village collections consist of authentic artifacts and reproductions from the Texas time period.

Stratford Hall is one of the great houses of American history. Its magnificent setting on a high bluff above the Potomac River and its bold architectural style set it apart from any other colonial house, but its highest distinction is the family of patriots who lived there. The plantation is still managed as a farm today on 1670 of its original acres. It was also the boyhood home of Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee, the only brothers to sign the Declaration of Independence. Special programs through the site provide visitors with many opportunities to learn about the land, the lives of the Lee family, and their legacy.

The story of Reedville, Virginia is linked to the commercial fishing industry that developed here in the late 19th century. In 1874, Elijah Reed transferred his menhaden fishing operation from Brooklin, Maine to the Chesapeake Bay. He purchased the land on Cockrell's Creek that is now Reedville. The industry flourished, especially in the early part of the 20th century. Today Reedville is one of the major ports for the landing of commercial fish in the United States, second only to Kodiak, Alaska.

The town's Main Street, a National Historic District, is a mile long and flanked by water. The larger homes along Main Street reflect the prosperity of the early menhaden captains and plant owners. Most of the houses in the Historic District have been carefully restored. Today, operating from Reedville, is a large, modem menhaden fishing fleet with 13 ocean-going vessels. There are three smaller menhaden boats and numerous boats and people engaged in pound-net fishing, crab potting and dredging, soft crab processing, clamming and oystering.

Visitors can step aboard the floating lightship that served from 1915 until 1961 and see how these sailors lived. The museum explores the history of the oldest shipyard in America, which includes ship odels, artillery, uniforms, and much more.

Walk past wood and fabric aircraft from the World War I era. Pass by significant aircraft of the 1930s and World War II periods. Stop and study the early jet planes of the 1950s. Walk on and look with amazement as newer, faster, more efficient aircraft technologies continue to be developed. In the process, visitors will see how much aviation affects American life. Exhibits include a variety of aircraft from different time periods, a number of different aviation artifacts, and even an aviation art gallery.

Opened just two years ago in the historic Willoughby-Baylor House, exhibits here reveal the richness of the history of Norfolk and Hampton Roads. The region's role as an international port and maritime center is a central theme, as is the area's military heritage and its decorative arts tradition, especially impressive in furniture and silver. The current exhibition showcases various aspects of Norfolk’s architectural, commercial, maritime and military history through objects from the Chrysler Museum’s collection and other institutions and private citizens.

Containing a remarkable number of furnishings original to the family, the Moses Myers House was one of the first brick homes built in Norfolk after the Revolutionary War, during which time the town was leveled by British bombardment and subsequent fire. The family's paintings include Gilbert Stuart's companion portraits of Moses Myers and his wife, Eliza, as well as works by Thomas Sully.

The Grace History Museum features an authentic recreation of a 1940s boot shop, and an array of restored period rooms, representative of life in Abilene from 1910-1948. Also in the History Museum, are historical documents, artifacts, photographs and an exhibit of a hotel room replicating those in the Hotel Grace when it was built. The exhibits also demonstrate how 20th century urbanization, modernization and world events shaped the lives of individuals as well as the community as a whole.