February 2012

Located on the Western Kentucky University campus, this two-floor museum features exhibits on early Kentucky immigrants, the Shakers' influence on local culture, and the role of the Civil War in local history. Displays include a recreated slave cabin, general store, and Union bivouac. An original 1830s log cabin, which contains reproduction furnishings, tools, and clothes, is located on the two-acre grounds.

This three-acre Bowling Green depot, which was restored in 1925, served as a train station on the L&N rail line, which ran between Birmingham and Louisville between 1858 to 1979. The 4,000-square-foot exhibit space showcases L&N passenger, sleeper, and dining cars, as well as the city's first locomotive diesel engine. One display features a recreated segregated waiting room and interpretive panels that explore the role of minorities in North American railroad history. Visitors can see five restored railcars, including a post office car and caboose.

In the late 18th century, white settlers discovered an abundance of saltpeter, an ingredient of gunpowder in this cave system, which is the most extensive series of natural passageways in the world. The cave became an important source of saltpeter during the War of 1812. Later it drew tourists and tuberculosis patients, the latter hoping for a cure in the cave's allegedly regenerative air. Two-hour historic cave tours travel 300 feet underground through the narrow passageway Fat Man's Misery, up Mammoth Dome, and across a bridge spanning the 105-foot-deep Bottomless Pit. The surrounding 52,800-acre park features scenic bluffs, springs, and historic attractions, such as the train engine No. 4 and its coach from the railroad during the late 1800s.

The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan is a national historic landmark site and a multi-day, multi-venue destination that celebrates American history and innovation. With an unparalleled collection of authentic artifacts that changed the world and the stories of some of the greatest innovators that ever lived, The Henry Ford is a significant educational resource for understanding America’s history of innovation, ingenuity and resourcefulness. Its mission is to use its assets to inspire future generations to help create a better future.

FORT DONELSON, TN—General Ulyssess S. Grant moves his Union forces overland from Fort Henry on the Tennessee River to the outer defenses of Fort Donelson, on the Cumberland River. Flag Officer Andrew H. Foote would move his flotilla downstream to support Grant's advance. 

ROANOKE ISLAND, NC—Led by General Amrbose E. Burnside, Union soldiers secure Roanoke Island following an extensive bombardment and amphibious landings. The island remained in Federal hands for the remainder of the war, where it became a haven for runaway slaves.