November 2010

It was French explorers who named the region. Vacationers discovered the islands in the 1870s, when wealthy people began to build summer homes while other travelers came to stay in large hotels. For more than a century the area has been a mecca for summer visitors. In the more distant past the islands were stepping stones between New York State and the Province of Ontario - in times of trouble between Canada and the United States, a place of refuge and a setting for disreputable deeds. Many islands are privately owned but ample public access can be found at island parks and villages throughout the region.

The Maritime Museum of San Diego's collection includes educational displays about maritime history and a large collection of historical boats and ships.

The Maritime Museum of San Diego's permanent collection is presented in five galleries representing major themes of maritime history and their relation to San Diego, its harbor and strategic position on the Pacific: “Age of Sail”, “Age of Steam”, “Charting the Sea”, “Harvesting the Ocean”, “San Diego's Navy”.The Maritime Museum of San Diego features one of the finest collections of historic ships in the world, including: the world’s oldest active ship Star of India; the 1898 steam ferry Berkeley; the 1904 steam yacht Medea; the 1914 harbor Pilot boat; the HMS Surprise a magnificent replica of an 18th century Royal Navy frigate and Californian a replica of a mid 19th century revenue cutter. (from website)

The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum traces Florida's complex 19th-century development through the life of the railroad tycoon who transformed it from a backwater province to a high-class travel destination. During the early 19th century, Florida lay beyond the reach of U.S. settlement. Although Europeans landed in Florida prior to anywhere else in what would later be the continental United States, thick forests and a malarial climate prevented long-term colonies from arising.

Even after the founding of the United States, the peninsula was left largely to the Native American tribes that had inhabited the area for centuries, such as the Seminoles. While wars between U.S. Americans and the Seminoles in the 1830s brought a degree of white influence into the region, it was not until Henry Morrison Flagler extended the long fingers of his transportation empire down the peninsula's east coast that Florida came to resemble the state we know today.

The DeLand House Museum was built in 1886 for DeLand's first attorney, Arthur George Hamlin, who also developed the Hamlin Orange. Originally a one-and-a-half story structure, the house was built upon land purchased from Henry A. DeLand, the founding father of the City. At the time, the site extended all the way to Woodland Boulevard and had an orange grove from the house to the street.

The museum's exhibits range from the microcosmic (the 1948 election) to the macrocosmic (the state of the world at the time of Truman's election), and it broadens its scope to include the 13 other presidents who spent vacation time in the Florida Keys and Key West.

As the founding collection at the Riverside Metropolitan Museum, the Anthropology Collection provides a diverse look at early collectors in Southern California, and in particular, at local Native American culture in the Riverside region. The collections holdings are diverse and vast, spanning many periods of time and types of collections. The collection houses everything from African Hausa hats to Northwest Coast totem poles, from local Native American basketry to Japanese textiles, from Artic people and the Southwest. This diversity creates an interesting look into the collecting practices of our ancestors and the legacy of a community.

The house was designed by prominent Hollywood architect Bayard Lukens in 1935 for Vera and Clarence Hammerstein. This is a fine example of the style Lukens called “Tropical Modern,” with variegated tile roof and a smooth curving wall at the front entrance. White stucco walls were set off by horizontal trim in another color. His interiors are beautifully detailed, with moldings, trim over and around doors, fireplaces with heatolators (vents with decorative metal screens along the sides of the fireplace), and use of decorative Cuban and Spanish tiles.

Union Pacific ended service here in 1971, and the building fell into a state of disrepair. Morrison-Knudsen Corporation purchased the depot in 1990, and using old plans and photographs, restored much of the depot to its original state. In January of 1996, the City of Boise took possession of the building and it is now used for special events in the evenings.

The Sewell family’s house was one of Miami’s most prominent homes. Halissee Hall was acquired by the University of Miami in 1932 and, over the years, the University of Miami School of Medicine and Jackson Memorial Hospital grew up around the former estate. In 1997, the Medical Faculty Association took the initiative to undertake a complete restoration of this National Historic Register structure. When completed, Halissee will be home to the School of Medicine’s Faculty Club and will host receptions, conferences and lectures – once again, entertaining men and women vital to the growth of Miami and South Florida.

Started by a group of 17 individuals in 1977, the Valiant Air Command is dedicated to finding and preserving these historic aircraft which are so much a part of national aviation heritage. The Valiant Air Command has grown to an organization known throughout the world for its excellence in the promotion of arial demonstrations, using historic military aircraft. The V.A.C. has attracted thousands of people to join in its efforts, to help restore and preserve these aircraft, that played such a significant role in the history of the United States.