Archaeological Open-Air Museum

Snake River Fur Post (US)

Member of EXARC
No

The Snake River Fur Post is a reconstructed fur trade post on the Snake River west of Pine City, Minnesota. The post was established in the fall of 1804 by John Sayer, a partner in the North West Company, and built by his crew of voyageurs. 

Sayer had been working for British fur trade companies since the 1770s in the Fond du Lac District, southwest of Lake Superior. When Sayer and his party arrived in the area they were welcomed by the local Ojibwe. The Ojibwe recommended Sayer’s party build a post on the banks of Ginebig-ziibi. The post included a rowhouse with six rooms that included living quarters, a storehouse, and a room where trade was conducted. The rowhouse was enclosed by a stockade with a single entrance. On April 26, 1805, the North West Company party left the Snake River Fur Post and returned to Fort St.

Crossroads Village & Huckleberry Railroad (US)

Member of EXARC
No

In 1967, local individuals and organizations realized that many structures of historical importance in the Flint area were being destroyed, and plans for the construction of interstate highways and urban development would necessitate the demolition of additional buildings. There was also a realization that rural skills, equipment, and crafts were being lost.

In the following years, several buildings were donated and moved to the present site. Eventually, ideas to create a farm museum and preserve buildings of historic importance merged into the concept of a rural village. Impetus came with the realization that the nation’s bicentennial was fast approaching. The plans for this hypothetical Crossroads Village evolved from the common characteristics of rural villages in Genesee County as depicted in the 1873 Atlas of Genesee County. The Village, dedicated July 4, 1976, became a reality.

Lincoln's New Salem (US)

Member of EXARC
No

Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site is a reconstruction of the village where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1831 to 1837. The village was abandoned by about 1840. Although he never owned a home here, Lincoln was engaged in a variety of activities while he was at New Salem. He clerked in a store, split rails, enlisted in the Black Hawk War, served as postmaster and deputy surveyor, failed in business, and was elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 1834 and 1836 after an unsuccessful try in 1832. 

Twelve log houses, the Rutledge Tavern, ten workshops, stores, mills and a school where church services were held have been reproduced and furnished as they might have been in the 1830s. The furnishings, including many articles actually used by the New Salem people of Lincoln's time and others dating back to the same time period, were assembled and donated to the state by the Old Salem Lincoln League.

Lincoln Log Cabin (US)

Member of EXARC
No

Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site, part of the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area, preserves the 19th-century home of Thomas and Sarah Bush Lincoln, father and step-mother of the 16th president of the USA. 

Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer living in Springfield by the time his parents moved here, but his burgeoning law practice often brought him to Charleston and the farm, especially during the 1840s. Abraham Lincoln also owned a portion of the farm which he deeded back to his father and step-mother for their use during their lifetime.

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial (US)

Member of EXARC
No

The Lincoln Living Historical Farm does not retain any of the original structures from Abraham Lincoln's time but was built in an attempt to depict a typical farm of 1820s Indiana. It incorporates some of what is known of the Lincoln farm and activities which were a common part of the Lincoln family's daily life.

The operation of the farm consists of component parts which comprise one integrated demonstration. The main theme depicts self-sufficiency and man in his natural environment. The seasons and the weather are an important part of the demonstration. Everything the Lincolns raised and used was either totally consumed or recycled. Nothing was wasted. They derived their living from the land and forest around them.

Barberville Pioneer Settlement (US)

Member of EXARC
No

In 1976 a group of teachers founded the Pioneer Settlement for the Creative Arts, Inc., as a not for profit organization. At first the property known as the Central School of Barberville (c. 1919), was leased, however in 2001 the School Board bestowed ownership of the property to the Board of Directors of the Settlement.

The group began moving local and regional historically significant buildings onto the property, and a historical "village" setting emerge, dating to between 1875 and 1910. These include a pottery shed, a country store and a Methodist church. Through the years, additional workshops were built to exhibit various historical trades and life ways of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s like a Print Shop, Wheelwright Shop/Carriage House, Woodwright Shop, Blacksmith Shop, and the native American Timucuan-Myacca and Seminole Villages.

Fort Uncompahgre (US)

Member of EXARC
No

Fort Uncompahgre was located near the confluence of the Gunnison and Uncompahgre Rivers and was probably built around 1828 by Antoine Robidoux. The modern-day town of Delta is located close to the site. The fort was abandoned in 1844. Little is known about the construction or layout of the fort. The reconstructed fort opened in 1990, following an initiative by William Bailey and his supporters. Currently, the fortress is under management by the Interpretive Association of Western Colorado (IAWC). 

This area was a hub for trails coming north out of the San Juan River Basin in south western Colorado and north western New Mexico, meeting the North Branch of the Old Spanish Trail (a pack route traveling east and west from Santa Fe to Los Angeles). Step back in time and visit the replica of an 1820’s era historic fur trading center and learn about the history of the earliest days of commerce on Colorado’s Western Slope.

The Trapper’s Cabin is an example of a simple living structure that provided shelter during the coldest months. 

Pioneer Living History Museum (US)

Member of EXARC
No

In 1956, a group of Arizona history enthusiasts became concerned about the razing and demolition of historical buildings in the state Arizona as a result of new construction by land developers. This group formed the "Pioneer Arizona Foundation, Inc. They constructed a 90 acres large reconstruction of an old 1800’s town, located on North Phoenix. The museum opened in 1969. It has ten original historical buildings and structures including the structures of a ranch complex and a farm. The museum also has 15 reconstructed buildings and/or structures. 

The Bandstand is a reconstructed bandstand built in 1881 in Globe, Arizona 

The Bank is a reconstructed Valley Bank built in 1884 which was located in Phoenix; 
It was the first bank that was used for no other purpose than banking. The front and contents are from the original bank built in 1884, and the vault is from the Gila Valley Bank and Trust Company. The bank is reconstructed from a drawing of the original and is furnished in the style of banks of that period.

Coggeshall Farm Museum (US)

Member of EXARC
No

The clocks stopped in 1799 at Coggeshall Farm Museum, a living history farm in Bristol, Rhode Island. As well as meeting interpreters dressed in accurate reproduction clothing, you can sign up for fun, hands-on programs. Learn what it was like to be an 18th-century farmhand and enjoy the rewards of a breakfast of johnnycakes, made in a cast-iron skillet; check the livestock, from the pig and the cows to the heirloom game hens.

Although the Farm building is original, in 1968 the Bristol Historical Society signed a lease and constructed various outbuildings. Coggeshall Farm Museum opened in 1973. The mission of the Coggeshall Farm Museum is to preserve this 1790s Rhode Island salt-marsh farm. 

Old Sturbridge Village (US)

Member of EXARC
No

Old Sturbridge Village, the largest outdoor history museum in the Northeast, depicts a rural New England town of the 1830s. Step inside more than 40 original and seven reconstructed buildings all situated on more than 200 scenic acres. Three areas (the Center Village, the Mill Neighborhood, and the Countryside) show different ways of rural New England life in the 1830s.

The working farms of Old Sturbridge Village feature several Heritage Breed animals including chicken, sheep, pigs, oxen, and cows. All of the animals are similar to the ones that would have been found in 19th-century New England with distinct qualities that made them ideal for the weather and the farmer’s needs.
Old Sturbridge Village, a museum and learning resource of New England life, invites each visitor to find meaning, pleasure, relevance, and inspiration through the exploration of history.