Historic buildings, trails, and other camp features form the character of a particular camp and provide an escape to the past. Rehabilitating and preserving old camp structures requires attention to details and maintenance considerations. The U.S. Department of the Interior publishes guidelines for identifying and preserving historical properties.…

This profusely illustrated booklet, written primarly for school children, includes drawings and descriptions of 43 of the National Historic Landmarks located in the United States. The accounts move chronologically from prehistoric cave paintings through the moon rocks collected by the Apollo astronauts in 1969. Most of the drawings represent the…

When friends and family visited the Douglas family at Brucemore in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, they had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty and grace of the mansion's public places. On its 33 acres, Brucemore had a duck pond, swimming pool, tennis courts, and large formal gardens, besides its 21 extravagant rooms and furnishings. Domestic servants were…

Historians, architectural historians, folklorists, archaeologists, geographers, and preservationists are engaged in documenting and interpreting the material record of human occupation through systematic study of the built environment. "Vernacular architecture" as an object-oriented approach to cultural and historic research is discussed…

This teacher's guide contains activities to use in conjunction with a site visit to the Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site (Elverson, Pennsylvania). The guide provides diagrams of the furnace, a cold-blast smelting operation, and the furnace operation. It presents a timeline of iron production from ancient times through contemporary times.…

This booklet contains activities designed to investigate local history. The booklet's three activities will help young people learn fascinating stories from the past about their own neighborhoods. One activity is "Oral History," where a student can interview an older person about his or her experiences. Another activity is called…

Fort Huachuca (Arizona) is a National Historic Landmark that, like few other places, evokes a feeling for the part. In the heart of Apacheria, Camp Huachuca was founded in March 1877 as one in a network of 70 U.S. Army outposts stretching across the U.S. southwest frontier. The museum is housed in one of the historical buildings built between 1880…

North Carolina's state capitol rises majestically on Union Square in downtown Raleigh, a city created in 1792 to serve as North Carolina's permanent capital. Built between 1833-40, the granite building is one of the finest and best preserved examples of civic Greek Revival architecture in the United States. This lesson is based on the National…

Under the light of dawn, Union Admiral David Farragut began his attack on Mobile Bay, Alabama. Aware of the danger near Fort Morgan (Alabama), Farragut ordered his captains to stay to the eastward of the easternmost buoy because it was understood there were obstructions between the buoys. The ironclad USS Tecumseh, unable to avoid the danger,…

This guide aims to help busy elementary teachers make the best use of a whole range of evidence for teaching history in schools today, covering areas of study at both Key Stages 1 and 2 (in the British school system). The guide includes: clear, richly illustrated explanatory text for the non-expert, with practical advice and project ideas; how to…

Design and technology are subjects that are about the real world, involving the application of scientific and related knowledge to a problem. The built environment is an excellent context for work in this area, as every building involves both design ideas and technological skills. This guide suggests practical activities and ideas for using the…

By the turn of the 20th century, many wealthy families, including the Vanderbilts, had palatial houses along the Hudson River, between New York City and Albany (New York). In 1895, Frederick Vanderbilt, grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, built his country estate overlooking the Hudson River in Hyde Park (New York). With more than 600…

"Save Our History" is The History Channel's national campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. As part of the campaign, The History Channel produces a videotape, "America's Most Endangered," based on a list developed annually by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The videotape focuses…

The original Little Kinnakeet Lifesaving Station (North Carolina) is a reminder of the stations constructed by the U.S. Lifesaving Service during its 44-year existence (1871-1915). The original station building was among the first seven constructed on North Carolina's treacherous Outer Banks in 1874. A larger building was added in 1904, and the…

Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) spent 64 years of his life in Independence, Missouri. The qualities instilled in him there as a child and young adult guided him personally and in his careers as farmer, judge, senator, and President of the United States (1945-53). After leaving public office in 1953, he returned to his hometown to live among the family…