November 2010

The Marion County Historical Society was founded in 1969 to maintain the existing interest in the history of Marion County, Ohio; create an interest where it does not now exist; and to do those things appropriate to such a society which from time to time may appear necessary and proper.

With over 20 buildings, including a blacksmith shop, postoffice, and even a jail, this living history village emulates life in the early 20th century.

Dakota City Heritage Village offers visitors the chance to experience rural life in 1900-era Dakota County. A recreated historic village and museum, the five-acre site includes 22 buildings that help to tell the story of life in a 1900 rural town. Dakota City offers special events throughout the year where visitors will experience living history firsthand with costumed interpreters and demonstrations.

Dakota City focuses on how rural communities functioned 100 years ago and how residents met their need for food, shelter, clothing and social interaction.
In Ahlberg Heritage Center, visitors can view permanent and temporary displays on Dakota County and Minnesota social and rural history, with an emphasis on agriculture.

The mission of the Jewish Historical Society of MetroWest, founded in 1990 by Saul Schwarz and Ruth and Jerome Fien, is to serve as the archival repository of the greater Jewish community of MetroWest, encompassing Essex, Morris, Sussex and portions of northern Union counties New Jersey, by collecting, preserving, maintaining and making available to the public the records of administrative, legal, fiscal or historical value, historical artifacts, books, oral history and manuscript collections.

In the first years of the twentieth century, Olive F. A. Arms planned the home she and her husband Wilford P. Arms would build. A house of warmth and comfort, lit up with lamplight, firelight, and friendship. A house, she wrote, where the windows would be the "finest landscape paintings." And the gardens were "an actual part of this house."

Greystone, their magnificent Arts & Crafts style residence is preserved a century later as The Arms Family Museum of Local History. On the first floor, in original period rooms, experience the Arms' love of handicraft, medieval architecture and design, and the natural environment.

The lower level and second floor feature dynamic exhibits that explore the history of all the people who have lived in the Mahoning Valley. Artifacts displayed and interpreted in changing galleries help the visitor understand the way of life in the Mahoning Valley for different people at different times, whether Native American, pioneer settler, Welsh coal miner, African-American freeman, or Eastern European immigrant.

The Lorain County Historical Society was organized on January 26, 1889, at the home of Mrs. W. E. Miller by members of the Lorain County Centennial Loan Association. The latter was formed in 1888 to develop an exhibit of objects representative of Lorain County for display at the Ohio Centennial Celebration in Columbus in 1888. The efforts of this group of women sparked an interest in the preservation and exhibition of objects and materials from the county's pioneer period, and in 1889 they formed the Lorain County Historical Society.

Thousands of hours of volunteer work have made it into an extensive museum with approximately 10,000 square feet of exhibit space to display artifacts, documents and other historic items from all over Logan County. The Society also has a satellite exhibit at the Logan County Fairgrounds, where a restored railroad caboose is on permanent display.

The Orr Mansion, currently undergoing a careful restoration, is now part of the Logan County Museum. The Orr Mansion took two years to build and cost $40,000. The Greek design of the colonnades that support the porch and portico was followed throughout the home.

The Logan County Historical Society recently has overseen extensive architectural restoration of the Orr Mansion, concentrating special attention to the third-floor ballroom, a stained-glass window in the second floor and the tile roof. Restoration of the mansion will continue in the years to come.

The Lakewood Historical Society has been in existence since 1952. The impetus for its formation was the fact that the old stone house at St. Charles and Detroit had to be moved or razed for the expansion of Babin Furs. This house was built in 1838, and the last of its type in Lakewood. Mr. Stephen Babin agreed to donate the stone house to be used as a museum if it could be moved by October 15, 1952. Margaret Manor Butler, a Lakewood resident, was very interested in the history of the community and historic preservation. She wrote The Lakewood Story, The Pictorial History of the Western Reserve, and Romance in Lakewood Streets. She also maintained a small history museum in a room at Lincoln School. It is through her efforts that the money was raised to move the stone house and arrange for a permanent site in Lakewood Park. The Oldest Stone House then became the headquarters for the newly formed historical society. Mrs. Butler continued her efforts to raise membership in the Society and support the Oldest Stone House restoration project. From an initial membership of 18 at the organizational meeting in July of 1952, the Lakewood Historical Society now has over 500 members.

Actors in period dress recreate the fervor and excitement of Revolutionary America amongst houses and buildings that evoke the country's colonial past. Included in the many topics that the American Village teaches to the republic's young citizens are the history of the American flag and that of the war that won the country its independence. The American Village focuses on activities that instruct students by involving them in the history about which they are learning.

Completed in 1851, this National Historic Landmark is a museum of state history and politics. Additions to the building were made several times. The Capitol was restored in 1992. The Confederacy began in the original Senate chamber and the Selma to Montgomery 1965 Voting Rights March ended on the street in front of the building. Today, the governor and other executive branch officers still occupy offices in the Capitol.

1846, following Cahawba and Tuscaloosa, Montgomery became Alabama's capital city. The first capitol building, a handsome Greek Revival structure designed by Philadelphia architect Stephen Button, was built in 1847. In 1849 the building burned. Between 1850-51, the present capitol building, also in the Greek Revival style, was constructed on the same site. A rear wing was added in 1885 and the two side wings between 1906 and 1912. A rear extension with a neoclassical portico similar to the original west front portico was completed in 1992.

The Alabama State Capitol was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1962.

Built by King Kamehameha V in 1874, the Judiciary History Center features exhibits and multimedia presentations on Hawai‘i’s legal history and landmark court cases.

Founded to help the public understand Hawaii's unique legal history and the development of Hawaii's judicial system, the Center primarily promotes law-related education activities for students, teachers, and the general public.

The Center has been located in the beautiful and historic Ali`iolani Hale home of Hawaii's Supreme Court since 1874. Part of the Hawaii State Judiciary, the Center conducts and encourages research, disseminates information, and collects, preserves and displays materials. Interpreting over 200 years of dynamic legal history through audio visual presentations, exhibitions, and public programs, the Center serves as a bridge between the Judiciary and the community.