The Chaco Culture National Historical Park will be one of the stops on “America’s Summer Roadtrip,” a live 12-hour virtual tour of prominent historic sites taking place on August 1. Each guided tour will take visitors “behind the scenes” into areas not included in public tours. The live stream from New Mexico will begin at about 2pm Mountain Time.
Americans have been enjoying summer road trips for more than 100 years. This annual family tradition allows travelers of all ages to tour heritage sites, bring history lessons to life and gain a fuller understanding of the people and places that have shaped society today.
To maintain this tradition in the age of “social distancing,” The Pursuit of History, a non-profit pioneering innovative ways to engage more people with history, today announced “America’s Summer Roadtrip 2020,” a free live stream event debuting on August 1 on AmericasSummerRoadtrip.org. It will also be streamed and archived on The Pursuit of History’s Facebook page.
The “Roadtrip” will travel across the country and through our nation’s history with 12, hour-long livestreams from 12 leading historic sites. Many of the sites are still operating temporarily with limited or no public access and services due to public health restrictions in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Conducted by leading expert guides, each tour will include a special behind-the-scenes look at something that visitors would not get to see if they went in person.
On August 1, the tour will start at 7am and run until 7pm. (Mountain Time). The tour destinations include:
- Historic New Bridge Landing (River Edge, NJ) – Revolutionary War battle site & Washington headquarters
- The Rebecca Nurse Homestead (Salem, MA) – Home of woman convicted and executed in Salem Witch Trials
- Faneuil Hall and The Printing Office of Edes & Gill (Boston) – Cradle of Liberty. The site of historic meetings, speeches, and debates for 275 years, and the recreation of a historic printing office
- Minute Man National Park (Lexington and Concord) – Site of the first battle in the Revolutionary War
- National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (Cincinnati) – Abolitionist-era museum and education center dedicated to ongoing struggle for freedom and equality
- The Molly Brown House (Denver) – Famed Titanic survivor’s ornate Victorian-era mansion
- Thomas Edison National Historical Park (West Orange, NJ) – Industrial facility built by Edison in 1887 to research and develop his inventions
- Wright Brothers National Memorial (Kill Devil Hills, NC) – Site of the first successful, sustained, powered flights in a heavier-than-air machine
- American Heritage Museum (Hudson, MA) – Military history museum with extensive collection of vehicles from World War II, as well as World War I and other wars
- Heart Mountain Interpretive Center (Powell, WY) – WW II Japanese American confinement camp
- Chaco Culture National Historical Park (New Mexico) – Ruins of the largest and most advanced ancient Pueblo villages in the Southwest
- Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park (Near Sacramento) – Site of discovery that sparked California’s 1849 “Gold Rush”
“For organizations facing a sharp drop in visitations this summer, this is a great way to raise awareness and encourage people to visit next year and in the years to come,” explained Carrie Lund, founder and executive director of The Pursuit of History. “And for individuals, this will be a fun way to travel across the country from the comfort of your tablet, computer, or iPhone/Android device.”
For complete “Roadtrip” information including the day’s schedule, and to experience the Roadtrip live on August 1, please visit: AmericasSummerRoadtrip.org.
The Pagosa Daily Post welcomes submissions, photos, letters and videos from people who love Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Call 970-903-2673 or email pagosadailypost@gmail.com