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American Artifacts

Recent Events (31 - 40 of 72)

American Artifacts: Smithsonian 9/11 Collection
Sunday, September 9, 2012     Washington, DC

In December, 2001, Congress designated the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History as the country’s official repository of September 11th collections.  American History TV toured the exhibit, “September 11: Remembrance and Reflection,” which displays more than 50 objects recovered from New York, the Pentagon, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and recent acquisitions from the Transportation Security Administration.

American Artifacts: War of 1812 Shipwreck
Saturday, September 1, 2012     Upper Marlboro, Maryland

In 1812, Joshua Barney, a retired naval hero of the Revolutionary War proposed a plan for a fleet of American barges to defend the Chesapeake Bay area against the British. In August, 1814, Barney was forced to destroy & sink his fleet of 15 vessels in Maryland's Patuxent River to prevent their capture. The suspected flagship "Scorpion" was discovered under the river mud in 1979 and partially excavated. Now, underwater archaeologist Robert Neyland of the Navy History and Heritage Command is leading a team to further study the wreck. American History TV visited the river with Mr. Neyland to learn about the project, and visited the Navy's Underwater Archaeology lab in the Washington Navy yard where the artifacts are studied.

American Artifacts: Old Sturbridge Village
Monday, August 27, 2012     Sturbridge, Massachusetts

American History TV visits Old Sturbridge Village, Massachusetts, a “living history” museum that depicts early New England life from 1790 to 1840. Now, we hear from costumed historians who present what is was like to live and work in 19th-century New England. Curator Tom Kelleher serves as our guide.
 

American Artifacts: American Antiquarian Society
Sunday, August 26, 2012     Worcester, MA

Each week American Artifacts takes viewers into archives, museums and historic sites around the country. The American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts, is an independent research library founded in 1812 by Revolutionary War patriot and printer Isaiah Thomas. The library's collection includes more than four million items and focuses on printed materials dating from the first European settlement of American through 1876 and the post-Civil War Reconstruction era. American History TV visited the American Antiquarian Society to look at some of the highlights from their collection. 

American Artifacts: USS Constitution Museum (Part 1)
Sunday, August 19, 2012     Boston

USS Constitution launched in Boston in 1797 and was named by President George Washington for the Constitution of the United States. The ship gained fame during the War of 1812, defeating British warships in three sea battles and earning the nickname “Old Ironsides.” American History TV visited the USS Constitution Museum, located at the same pier in Boston where the ship is docked today. The museum’s president, Anne Grimes Rand, gave us a tour of some of the museum’s exhibits and artifacts, which trace the history of the ship from its construction, to its role in the in the War of 1812, to the present day. 
 

American Artifacts: USS Constitution Museum (Part 2)
Saturday, August 18, 2012     Boston

USS Constitution launched in Boston in 1797 and gained fame during the War of 1812, defeating British warships in three sea battles and earning the nickname “Old Ironsides.” American History TV visited the USS Constitution Museum in Boston, located at the same pier where the ship is docked today. The museum's president, Anne Grimes Rand, gave use a tour of an exhibit looking at the lives of sailors aboard USS Constitution during the War of 1812.

American Artifacts: Underground Railroad & Slavery Experience
Sunday, August 5, 2012     Germantown, Maryland

Button Farm Living History Center is a work-in-progress dedicated to depicting 19th-century slave plantation life. Through their programs and activities they strive to give visitors the experience of working as a slave, and also experiencing the perils of escaping to freedom on the Underground Railroad.  American History TV traveled 30 miles northwest of the nation's Capitol to visit the farm and learn about the non-profit Menare Foundation.

American Artifacts: Clara Barton's Missing Soldiers Office (Part 2)
Sunday, July 29, 2012     Washington, DC

Clara Barton died 100 years ago on April 12, 1912. Between 1861 and 1868, she lived in a Washington, DC boarding house and employed as many as twelve clerks in her "Missing Soldiers Office."  In 1996 the General Services Administration was preparing the building for demolition when they discovered artifacts eventually proving that this was the lost office of the founder of the American Red Cross. 

American Artifacts: Clara Barton's Missing Soldiers Office (Part 1)
Sunday, July 22, 2012     Washington, DC

Between 1861 and 1868, Clara Barton, known as the Angel of the Battlefield and founder of the American Red Cross, lived in a Washington, DC boarding house on 7th street, NW. She employed twelve clerks on the third floor in her "Missing Soldiers Office," where they received over 60,000 letters from families searching for lost sons and husbands.

American Artifacts: Nixon Library Watergate Exhibit
Monday, July 2, 2012     Yorba Linda, California

In 2011, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, California opened a new permanent exhibit about Watergate. 

Library Director Timothy Naftali gave American History TV a tour of the exhibit, which chronicles events beginning in 1971 that led up to the break-in at the Watergate offices of the Democratic National Committee on June 17, 1972. 

Mr. Naftali also discussed the aftermath of the scandal, the resignation of President Nixon on August 9, 1974, and the lasting impact that Watergate had on our system of government. 

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