Few regions in the U.S. boast a more plentiful array of historically significant sites than the 175-mile-long route between Monticello, Virginia, and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. From the most venerated of Civil War battlefields to nine historic homes of U.S. presidents and thousands of sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the…

Provides a lesson centered on excerpts from a 1675 letter from the bishop of Cuba, Gabriel Diaz Vara Calderon, to Queen Mariana of Spain that describes life in Spanish Florida missions. Includes a list of questions and excerpts from the letter. (CMK)

Presents a lesson about frontier life in Texas and is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file "Castolon Historic District" and other source materials about Castolon and ranching in the Big Bend region. States that the lesson could be incorporated into units on westward expansion or U.S. geography. (CMK)

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…

Focuses on the reconstruction of the San Luis de Talimali, which was among the largest and most important missions in Spanish Florida with the Apalachee Indians as their parishioners. Describes the various structures found at San Luis: (1) the council house; (2) the chief's house; and (3) the church. (CMK)

Discusses David Hurst Thomas' archaeological work on the Spanish borderlands, which integrates field archaeology and documentary history. Focuses on locating and studying the Santa Catalina de Guale. Addresses his project on the Pueblo San Marcos that will further test his ideas about the Spanish mission period. (CMK)

This lesson is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file "Women's Rights Historic Site Thematic Resources" and other sources on the M'Clintock House and women's rights. The lesson is about a house located at 14 East Williams Street in Waterloo, New York, where on July 16, 1848, five women, including Elizabeth…

This lesson explores the life of Adeline Hornbek, a single mother of four who became a successful homesteader in Colorado by taking advantage of the Homestead Act of 1862, which allowed unmarried, widowed, or divorced women to claim land as head of a household. The lesson can be used for teaching about the Homestead Act, the western expansion, or…

Describes the Virginian gentlemen within the United States during the eighteenth century and illustrates the features of plantation mansions using the mansion owned by Fielding Lewis known as Kenmore. Presents a lesson that is centered around the estate inventory upon the death of Lewis. Provides the inventory and assignment sheet. (CMK)

Presents a lesson that: (1) explores how Stephen Decatur's mansion reflected the importance that the politically ambitious once placed on being in close proximity to sites of authority; and (2) examines Decatur's duel with Commodore Barron in 1820 in order to illustrate how "gentlemen" handled conflicts that compromised their sense of…

This book explores the potential of U.S. movie theaters as an important national asset. Each of the 4,000 movie palaces constructed during Hollywood's Golden Age, as well as the countless smaller theaters modeled after the grander showcases, has a role to play in the life of today's cities. The first section of the book explores the social and…

This lesson describes and discusses the impact on Carnegie Libraries in U.S. history. The lesson plan contains eight sections: (1) "About this Lesson"; (2) "Getting Started: Inquiry Question"; (3) "Setting the Stage: Historical Context"; (4) "Locating the Site: Maps" (Carnegie Libraries in the United States,…

This lesson traces the use of Eleanor Roosevelt's retreat, Val-Kill, a "shack" (actually a stone cottage) built in 1925 on the grounds of the Roosevelt family estate at Hyde Park (New York), and how it nurtured her spirit, personal style, and humanitarian efforts. The lesson explains that Eleanor and her women friends later expanded the…

Considers women's history in the western United States using the historic places of the National Park system as its basis. The National Park Service has created three categories for historic sites: places that focus on women's history; places that include women's history; and places that surprise us with women's history. (MJP)

Small historic sites are endeavors by small communities to preserve elements of their past. The sites they choose reveal the cultural values they esteem today. The structures most frequently represented at seven museum-developed sites are schools and churches because they were agents of social order, centers of community life and ritual, and…