November 2010

Originally designed in 1835 as a home for Samuel Polk Walker, President James K. Polk's nephew, in 1837 it became the residence of the Reverend Mr. Franklin Gillette Smith. Rev. Mr. Smith had come to Tennessee to serve as president of The Columbia Female Institute. In 1851, he left his post and founded The Columbia Athenaeum School.

The Rectory boasts the original seven-metal chandelier and "flashed glass" front door side panels, containing gold made in Europe. At its height, the library contained more than 16,000 volumes, with the natural science department holding more than 6,000 specimens, a few of which still remain. The school offered courses in art, music, history, science, tennis, gymnastics, bowling, croquet, as well as instructions in the Bible and etiquette.

The 22-acre estate passes through the family until 1973 when it became part of the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities. Today, costumed docents are available for the 30-45 minute guided tours, as well as planned fashion shows which include instructions on parlor games.

Dakota Discovery Museum is attracting kids and their parents with exhibits and new ways to make learning fun. At Dakota Discovery we design activities for parents to do alongside their children, so that kids aren't the only ones having fun. Families have less and less time together and museums are the rare place where they can learn and have fun together. The engaging environment invites you to explore the traditions of Native American culture and early American settlers through artifacts dating from the 1600's through 1940.

Twin Lights is situated 200 feet above sea level in Highlands, New Jersey. It overlooks the Shrewsbury River, Sandy Hook, Raritan Bay, New York skyline and the Atlantic Ocean. Twin Lights has been used as an aid to navigation over the coastal waters of NJ since 1828. It was used as the primary lighthouse for New York Harbor and was known as the best and the brightest light in North America. The current lighthouse was built in 1862 and replaced the earlier lights which were beginning to deteriorate. Today, visitors can tour the lighthouse, climb the North Tower for a breathtaking view of the Atlantic Ocean, visit the exhibit gallery, and see the 9 foot bivalve lens on display in the generator building.

The idea for a community museum in Aberdeen dates back almost 70 years. In 1938, John Murphy, a Northern State College professor, and Marc Cleworth, a salesman, created the Northern South Dakota History Museum which was housed in the Central building on Northern's campus. The collection of this first museum grew rapidly through loans and donations until by 1941, it had amassed a collection of over 500 items. The museum closed in 1941 when space was needed on campus to train pilots. The collection pieces were either returned to donors or placed in storage where they remained until 1970 when they were added to the collection of the new Dacotah Prairie Museum.

Constructed between 1740-1750 by Dirck Dey, a Dutch-born planter, the mansion is an amalgam of Dutch and English influences, a rich and dramatic composition of country and urban elements that had few mid-18th century counterparts west of the Hudson River. Dey, in all probability, left the completion of the mansion to his son, Theunis. During the Revolution, Theunis commanded the Bergen County Militia. Colonel Dey offered the easterly side of the house to General Washington when the commander-in-chief used it for his headquarters in July, October and November of 1780.

It is one of a few colonial homesteads built before 1700 on the east coast, which was never sold out of original ownership for eight generations. Each generation produced military, medical, legal and governmental representatives, leaving behind records and artifacts. Visitors are invited to schedule an interactive, interpretive tour of the home.

The farmstead includes an historical herb garden, Archeology Laboratory, and Albert Payson Terhune Collection. Five lower rooms contain furniture representing different periods. Several artifacts make it easy to imagine succeeding generations living in the house until it was acquired by Wayne Township. Located on its original site, the museum represents the agricultural society that dominated Wayne for over 200 years. This historic house is on the state and national register.

It's been nearly 35 years since the construction of the first wing of the Indian Museum of North America. When Korczak accepted the invitation of some Native Americans to carve a mountain memorial to their culture, he determined that it would be a humanitarian project. He wanted Crazy Horse to be much more than "just" a colossal mountain carving. He directed that the Memorial also would tell present and future generations the story of Native Americans by displaying outstanding examples of Indian culture and heritage – both of yesterday and today. The museum has grown with the project. Each year, tribal members and others contribute Native American art and artifacts to enhance the collection and make it more comprehensive and representative of all North American tribes. The museum, designed to complement the story being told in stone on the mountain, speaks eloquently to present and future generations about American Indian life. The museum collection started out with single display donated in 1965 by Charles Eder, Assiniboine-Sioux, from Montana. Mr.

The Museum complex includes 4 sites: the Matheson Museum, housing the exhibit hall and research library, the Matheson House, the Tison Tool Museum, and Sweetwater Park. Inside the Matheson Museum building, Gainesville's old American Legion Hall, permanent and temporary exhibitions tell the story of Alachua County. Permanent exhibits offer a brief look at area history from the Timucuan Indians to the Spanish occupation of the area to William Bartram's travels and more.

Since its founding in 1985, the Society has hosted house tours in Middletown, as well as lectures on the history of Middletown. The Middletown Historical Society is responsible for hosting the annual Olde-Tyme Peach festival, a tradition started in 1993.  The goal of the festival is to increase awareness of the important role peaches played in the formation of present day Middletown while providing an inexpensive, enjoyable family outing in Middletown.

The Society hopes to be able to provide educational lectures and displays to increase public awareness of Middletown’s rich heritage and the important role the area has played in Delaware history. Currently the Society is renovating the Old Academy Building as a local museum to house items that it has already collected with hopes to begin collecting Middletown artifacts in earnest.