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Great book featuring farm and rural house of the United States. 180 black and white illustrations / photographs (23 color illustrtions) of homes, farmland, farm buildings, plantation houses, rural farms and houses, outbuildings, privies, smokehouses, root cellars and other architecture and structures. Houses from Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, Vermont, Hudson River Valley, Pennsylvania, The South, The Midwest.Section on Farm Museums - National Colonial Farm, Fruitlands Museum, Pennsylvania Farm Museum, Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation and other museums. Bibliography.Gray hardcover with illustrated dust jacket. 260 pages. Measures 9 by 11 inches. Interesting book, nicely illustrated. ... Read more

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Based on Ray Boomhower's regular column in Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History, this lavishly illustrated guide highlights many of the beautiful and fascinating public historic sites located throughout Indiana and the many people who brought these places to prominence. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

A solid history of the Minnesota statehouse
This reprint of Thompson's history of the Minnesota State Capitol should interest any Gopher State resident, or someone curious about the Progressive-era politics of statehouse architecture.It is thoroughly well illustrated and admirably narrates the story of the need for a new capitol and constructing the grand Cass Gilbert building.Unfortunately, the author closes his book when the structure is completed, and does not take the building's history beyond construction.Did nothing happen to or in the building in the twentieth century?It would be made a better work with an interpretation of the building's use over the years, not just the narrative of its construction.Nonetheless, Thompson's work is a solid narrative of interest to historians both in Minnesota and the republic at large. ... Read more

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Montana writer and historian Joseph Kinsey Howard described Montana as "high, wide, and handsome."It is difficult to find better words for Montana's geography.Between these covers, Carroll Van West discusses Montana's physical and historical landscapes, the settings for important events involving exploration, the military, Native Americans, miners, cowboys, homesteaders, and railroad builders as well as the physical remnants of Montana's prehistoric past.With this guide in hand, readers can discover a Montana past unavailable in more standard histories. ... Read more

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This extensively documented work explores the historic site ofCharles Towne, South Carolina. In his excavation, Stanley Southdiscovered the artifacts from not only the European occupation of thelate 1600's but also the earlier remains of Native Americansettlements. In this work, South criticizes archaeologists who"discover" artifacts only from the historic period they are focusingon and ignore the evidence from other equally important periods. This excavation and research from one of the foremost historicalarchaeologists in America is a valuable resource to historicalarchaeologists, historians and anthropologists, especially thoseinvolved in the southeastern United States. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Review from Journal of Anthropological Research
`The book is site reporting at its best. It is extremely well illustrated with numerous field excavation photographs, artifact plates, historical maps, and South's archaerological site plans, which rank among the most artistic and informative produced. This is an excellent site report and well worth the wait.'

Journal of Anthropological Research, 59 (2003)

Excerpt of review from Choice Magazine Oct. 2002
`.. a major authority on method and theory in historical archaeology and an expert on the American Southeast, considers arhcaeological conservation, theory building, and historic site interpretation and restoration focusing on 1670-80 Charles Towne, South Carolina, and the Native American legacy that preceded European colonization. His well-documented compendium explicates "the process of historic site development for the education and entertainment of the visiting public", presenting a salient example of historic cultural resource management.'

Choice, 40:2 (October 2002) ... Read more

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With the rapid increase of the Hispanic population in the United States, the Spanish cultural heritage has begun to achieve greater visibility and attract widespread interest. This directory reflects the efforts of states, museums, and other institutions, communities, and individuals to preserve and promote Hispanic material culture. It offers detailed information on depositories of Hispanic-American arts and crafts, photographic collections, museums, historic sites, and festivals, as well as folklore and oral history archives. ... Read more

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Defining Memory uses case studies of exhibits from around the country to examine how local museums, defined as museums whose collections are local in scope or whose audiences are primarily local, have both shaped and been shaped by evolving community values and sense of history. Levin and her contributors argue that these small institutions play a key role in defining America's self-identity and should be studied as seriously as more national institutions like the Smithsonian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. ... Read more

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This illustrated history of Civil War Texas provides a description of Texas during the Civil War as well as a guide for those who wish to visit sites in Texas associated with the war. In this compact volume the reader or tourist is led on a historical journey through Civil War Texas, from the passage of the secession ordinance in Austin through the last battle of Palmito Ranch. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Nice synopsis
This book is not overly ambitious but is nevertheless a good overview of a very hard period of Texas history.It should be used primarily as a synopsis leading to more detailed study of important events.

Even though the book is almost an outline, I still learned things I hadn't heard before.I didn't realize, for example, that most Texas men of military men joined the Confederate military.I don't doubt the accuracy of this but believe, from a patriotism perspective, that this is remarkable.I can't think of any other war in U.S. history where men would have joined in these kinds of percentages.Granted, the Confederacy ultimately resorted to the draft but apparently most of these people were volunteers.

I think that this must have been one of the reasons for the lethality of the Civil War.No doubt Northerners in some states joined with similar fervor.The result was huge armies composed of highly motivated men meeting on the field of battle--620,000 deaths--more than all other wars in U.S. history combined.Modern propagandists promote the idea that this blood bath "unified" the nation.I wonder.

Ron Braithwaite, author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico

An ash from the embers of another time.
This publication is about halfway in size between a pamphlet and a small book, having a totalof 84 pages, of which 18 are index, notes, and identification of the author.However, even though it is quite small, itsuccinctly lays out the high points of the involvement of the people ofTexas in the War Between the States.Pleasingly enough, it touches uponthe high points of the period such as the Battle of Sabine Pass and thelow, such as the murder of Union sympathizers near Fredricksburg andGainesville.

This book is not really for the avid Texas historyenthusiast because it is so small that most of its information wouldalready be known by that group. However, it is a nice, well-written littlebook for the reader who wants to spend an hour or so to get an overallsummary of the involvement of Texas and Texans in the Civil War era. ... Read more

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Museums in the context of historical scholarship
Nazi Germany in 1934 established the Gestapo museum, to help educate the public about the "Red menace."The museum displayed confiscated weapons from the German Communist Party, and displayed the methods they were concealed.The political motivation for this museum is apparent, to instill fear in the public about the communist threat.This is an extreme example of political influence on museums, but also an example of how museums can be manipulated to present an obscure message.Part I of Warren Leon and Roy Rosenzweig'sHistory Museums in the United States deals with the constraints imposed on museums, and the necessity for them to be evaluated like any historian would judge written work.The structure of Part I is separated by essays that deal with: gallery exhibitions, big-city museums, outside gallery, historical homes, and case studies concerned with the Gettysburg battlefield and EPCOT Center at Disneyland, and are evaluated like a book review.Despite the various methods of presenting and evaluating history, these essays, and their authors, hold a common purpose of critically evaluating museums as the "central means of presenting history to the public" (xiii).
The constraints of institution politics, audience, and financing influence museum presentations, and bind these museum critiques (xx).Part I covers different types of museum presentations, which range from gallery exhibitions to Disneyland.One of the fundamental problems of these presentations is the idea of museums as "shrines" (31).Whether the museum is trying to illustrate progress through technology, or promote the "great man" theory through historic houses, these presentations do not deal with the conflict and darker sides of history.To the credit of these presentations their employees are relatively trained and attempt to represent history accurately, but like professional historians can never get to the truth, because history is not about truth but the pursuit of it.The fundamental problem is when corporate ventures become involved as is the case with Gettysburg and more interestingly EPCOT center.
Michael Wallace argues, "The past is too important to be left to the private sector.If we wish to restore our social health, we had better get beyond Mickey Mouse history," and is the main argument of his essay, "Mickey Mouse History: Portraying the Past at Disney World," (179).Wallace's essay presents the fundamental problems of presenting history to the public, and a fundamental flaw in reviewing Disneyland as museum.Walt Disney's portrayal of history was utopian in nature; Disney wanted to improve the past not reproduce it; a Disney designer refers to this as "Disney Realism," which is possibly influenced by the Soviet Union's idea of "Socialist Realism," or the idea that art can mold the human soul (161).This is a fundamental problem with Corporate Disney, and their presentations at EPCOT center, which takes audiences from the dim past to a model society of the future; the audiences become participants in the corporate vision of the past and future (169).The problem resides with the audience.Is the audience there becomes of some fascination with the past or just entertainment?Wallace is correct that history should not be left to the private sector, but I doubt the majority of people view the world through the idea of "Disney Realism."
Leon and Rosenzweig's compilation of essays effectively place museums in the context of historical works that need to be reviewed and scrutinized; especially given the fact that museums are one of the core methods of presenting history to the public.The essays in Part I demonstrate the constraints of museum presentation, and the ultimate problem of corporate intervention and entertainment on historical presentation.History should not be in the hands of corporations, or authoritarian regimes, but the people who question, evaluate, and attempt to synthesize historical documentation, to obtain the closest interpretation of truth.

History Museums in the United States : A Critical Assessment
A must have! Being a new student to the museum studies field this book's importance can not be understated.The editors collected 15 essays from the most predominant scholars in the field of museum studies.If youdo not know who they are you will after reading this book.The bookprovides a great indrodution to all the problems, or another way of sayingit philosophical thinking ,that goes into developing museums and exhibits. Once you read this book you can concentrate on a specific area, but thisbook is a great overview. ... Read more

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Though the United States is often said to be a "melting pot" society for its assimilation of multiple cultures, Americans have also demonstrated a strong interest in retaining elements of their historical, cultural and artistic heritage. Since the 19th century, and especially following World War II, this has resulted in the establishment of numerous ethnic museums, art galleries, and historic sites.

This comprehensive directory, the first of its kind, provides information about more than 1,100 museums and sites devoted to 55 ethnic groups. Organized alphabetically by ethnic group, entries include a description of each site and of its collections and facilities, along with complete contact information, website, hours and ticket information. ... Read more

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In this powerful collection of over one hundred images and testimonies, award-winning photographer Thomas Daniel has documented the world of Civil War reenactors--men, women and children who recreate and relive one of the most turbulent and tragic periods in American history. These images capture the reenactors' genuine passion to educate, to celebrate and honor the past, and in some cases, to trace their own ancestry. They capture the fanatical devotion of some to the southern cause, and what it means to be a son or daughter of the South. Their stories also allow us to more fully understand the complexities of this remarkable group and its often misunderstood and controversial flag.
This is a journey to a world few of us know, where the battles of Antietam, Gettysburg, and Harper's Ferry still live, where confederate and union soldiers skirmish, and reenactors labor to duplicate historical truth down to the smallest recorded detail. Their dedication to honest and genuine portrayal is clearly evident in these photographs, in their stories, and in their willingness to bear the discomforts of cold, rain and mud to live the truth of those who died on the battlefields.
Over recent years, Daniel has traveled the South to interview and photograph this society of reenactors--northerners, southerners, Native Americans, and African Americans who share their own individual motives for creating this living history. As Daniel himself writes in the introduction, this book is not to recreate the battles, the reasons for the war, or to argue who won or lost, but to capture all the myriad reasons why men and women dress and live the part of confederate and union soldiers. Their reasons are as candid and diverse as the men and women who live the life of reenactors. The photographs that appear in this volume, however, are the most memorable. They alone tell revealing, unforgettable stories. ... Read more

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Keyed to official highway maps, this richly illustrated guide leads the traveler to virtually every principal landmark associated with the war. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Traveler's Guide to the Great Sioux War
Superb volume; spent happy hours reading about places we've been lucky enough to visit and reviewing ones still to come if we can ever cross the Atlantic again. Amazon is a fantastic storehouse for books on our favourite subjects.This one is a must as an aide memoire and a forward planner.

On tour of the Great Sioux War sites
This little book (only 126 pages) does many different things, all very well, and most better than books many times its size. Hedren has chosen 54 specific historical sites relating to the Great Sioux War and arranged them chronologically, with site 1 being the Grattan Battlefield in Wyoming (commemorating an 1854 incident which helped set the stage for later events) and site 54 being Sitting Bull's grave in South Dakota (he died in 1890). In addition to these 54 "official" sites, Hedren identifies and directs readers to many other related locations nearby.

Each site gets a number (which is also pin-pointed on a map), a brief description of the its significance, and directions to it (also whether it's on private property or not); then follows a longer historical account of the site's role in the War and a number of photographs indicating what a visitor to the site would see. It's a magnificent tool for anyone touring the area (most sites are in Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska), but it's just as valuable (and exciting) for anyone interested in the Sioux War who can't leave his livingroom. A great book. Highly recommended.

More than a Travelor's Guide: Great Frame Work of Sioux War
This book is fabulous in that in that it not only charts the tour sites of the Great Sioux was with excellent maps, directions and fantastic pictures but also provides excellent mini-histories on what occurred at each site including bios on the main participants. Just reading this book gives you a goodhistorical perspective for the great plains war with chapters that categorize the historical sites by period starting with the Gratten marker in Wyoming. The Gratten monument was for a Lt. and his company that threatened Conquering Bear's village over the alleged theft of a cow resulting in his death and his companies (1856). This book proceeds with sites and histories flowing the Red Cloud War of 1866, through the Little Bighorn Campaign period and aftermath, the summer and winter campaigns. Also includes historical sites after 1877 such as sitting Bull's Canadian sites with descriptions of the sites and pictures. Hedren covers every major historical site from old forts, some of which have been reconstructed and some have actual structures that he describes and has pictures of. You can virtuallyfollow the expeditions of the army or find exact locations ofsignificant village sites. This book adds an extra dimension to any trip as Hedren shows you additional sites, someobscure, right next door to the more publicized sites.A great example is Little Bighorn, just 30 miles away is the pristine Rosebud Battlefield site where Crook encountered the Sioux and Cheyenne in a desperate and critical battle a week before Custer. In addition, the Powder River Battlefield where Crook's forces struck first but lost the initiative in March is just further west of the Rosebud Battlefield. This book provides so much information and easy directions including those that are on private property (includes caution to seek permission) that an adventurous traveler can seemingly so it all in a long week but perhaps two. The book's pictures are better than many books that are dedicated to a specific battle. The pictures of the massive Bear Butte Mountain are incredible as its mass is seen along a flat plain. The also book includes pictures of the main participants and their places of rest. A book that Walter Camp would be proud of as he documented many of these sites almost 100 years ago before they were lost to obscurity. I wish I had this book when I visited the Little Bighorn two years ago; however, there is so much great information I would have had to stay west another week. ... Read more