North America Museums and Culture

    The Brick Store Museum, United States

  117 Main Street - Kennebunk, ME           
The mission of The Brick Store Museum is to preserve the rich heritage of the Kennebunks for year-round residents, seasonal visitors and future generations through the collection, preservation, interpretation and exhibition of its material culture.
History - William Lord was born at Kennebunk Landing in 1799, the third son of Tobias Lord and Hephzibah Conant Lord. As a merchant and ship owner, Lord became one of Kennebunk’s most important patriarchs and citizens. In 1820 he married Sarah Cleaves of Biddeford, and they lived in what was then the Jonas Clark house at 20 Summer Street. It sits high on the hill and is now known as the William Lord Mansion, a private residence. It was here that Lord and his wife raised their large family of 10 children.
    Badin Historic Museum, United States
  60 Falls Rd. - Badin, NC           
The story of Badin begins circa 10,000 BC when Native Americans camped on the hill above the falls of our river and fashioned spearheads from outcroppings of rhyolite rock. Many native tribes followed, using this area until the 1700's. Settlers arrived in the 1600's and 1700's and the river was given a name: the Yadkin. Its rushing waters were instrumental in the beginning of our town when...
    The Ottawa Art Gallery, Canada
  Arts Court, 2 Daly Avenue - Ottawa, ON            
The Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG), Ottawa's designated municipal gallery, is an independent non-profit public art gallery committed to the acquisition, presentation, interpretation and dissemination of contemporary art for the benefit of the local arts community. OAG's programs explore a variety of issues and include exhibitions, talks, lectures, tours and publications. The Gallery has a growing contemporary collection of works associated with the region. It also houses the Firestone Collection of Canadian Art, which is presented through changing exhibitions. The Firestone Collection is comprised of over 1,600 works of art assembled by Ottawa collectors O.J. and Isobel Firestone, who purchased the works from the early 1950s to the 1970s.
    Hollywood Wax Museum, United States
  6767 Hollywood Blvd - Hollywood, CA           
What began as a family business has blossomed into a world famous entertainment company, Kuvera Attractions. Entrepreneur Spoony Singh built the Hollywood Wax Museum with the vision of bringing people close to their favorite stars. More than 40 years later, the Hollywood Boulevard attraction is the longest running wax museum in the nation and has expanded into other cities across the United States.
    Montclair Historical Society, United States
  108 Orange Road - Montclair, NJ           
The main goals Montclair Historical Society strives to achieve are preservation and education. The institution is dedicated preserving its four historic buildings, grounds and collections. By preserving these historical assets, visitors are afforded the opportunity to interpret the Montclair area history, utilizing the four houses, that span three centuries in age, as tangible examples.
    Sheldon Museum & Cultural Center, United States
  Box 269 - Haines, AK           
The purpose of the Sheldon Museum and Cultural Center, Inc., an educational institution of the Haines Borough, is committed to collecting, preserving and interpreting through history, art and unique blending of diverse cultures within the Chilkat Valley. The Sheldon Museum's presentation of artifacts, clan trust property, and memorabilia enhances quality of life for area residents and visitors; informs researchers and historians; inspires artists and creative writers; and encourages community pride through permanent, temporary, and traveling exhibits, and through a variety of programs for schools and the public.
    Brooklyn Historical Society, United States
  128 Pierrepont Street - Brooklyn, NY             
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The cornerstone of Brooklyn’s enlightened history and the pinnacle of museum life, the Brooklyn Historical Society takes everything that is Brooklyn and makes it vibrant and tangible for all to experience. The Brooklyn Historical Society is not just a museum; it’s the very vehicle designed to preserve and present the past. Every single aspect of Brooklyn’s history is represented within the Queen Anne styled building and offers something for everybody. If you are a baseball buff then you can relive the days of Duke Snyder and the Brooklyn Dodgers through the sports exhibit. If you are from a Jewish heritage you can learn more about the significant history of the Jews in New York through the Brooklyn Jewish Historical Initiative. Even the most prominent New Yorkers are featured within the Brooklyn Historical Society, giving you an opportunity to dive into the immense history of New York and how Brooklyn’s populace played its part in setting that stage. Summer 2012 marks the time of remodeling of the Brooklyn Historical Society which will further expand its walls and give even more people an opportunity to see the real Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Historical Society is one of the most awe-inspiring and enlightening experiences available in New York City and needs to be visited live in order to be appreciated fully.
    Geppi's Entertainment Museum, United States
  301 W Camden St - Baltimore, MD            
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Geppi’s Entertainment Museum is dedicated to presenting the story of popular culture since the nation’s earliest days in an entertaining and educational fashion so that our guests have the unique opportunity to walk through a timeline that parallels and is entwined with history as a whole.
    Greensboro Historical Museum, United States
  130 Summit Avenue - Greensboro, NC           
Here you'll discover first hand the rich history of the Piedmont area. The museum's 17,000 square feet of exhibition space offers hours of entertaining, educational enjoyment. Visit the museum and view a vintage moving picture in the Crystal Theatre, listen in on a conversation at the local Telephone Exchange, become a pharmacist at the Richardson-Fariss Drugstore. You can also learn about short story writer O. Henry, First Lady Dolley Madison, the Greensboro Sit-ins, war, work life and much more. While you're here, make sure to take a stroll through homes built in the 1700s or visit the First Presbyterian cemetery and see the graves of North Carolina Governor John Motley Morehead or family members of William Sydney Porter (O. Henry). Make the Museum Shop your final stop and purchase hard to find antique recreations, colonial toys, a fascinating book or a piece of Seagrove pottery.
    National Sports Museum, United States
  26 Broadway - New York, NY           
Nothing has shaped the world quite the same as sports. On the heart of Broadway in Manhattan sits the illustrious National Sports Museum which is dedicated to featuring the celebration of sports and the impact it has had on our culture and our lives. Inside this technologically advanced structure is an amazing assortment of interactive exhibitions, in-depth retail areas and some of the finest dining in all of New York. The center attraction begins with the immersion theater which is a 360-degree display that shows a presentation on the history and progression of sports. As visitors continue on, they will find themselves in a variety of different exhibits dealing with every major sport imaginable. You will get to see a historical timeline of the individual sports as well as video presentations on what makes that sport so great. Another feature of the National Sports Museum is the exploration of the perfect athlete. The museum presents the mental, physical and psychological preparation that goes into becoming a great athlete. Through the science, the presentation and the sheer charisma that this building produces, the National Sports Museum is a landmark in New York and one of the single best experiences available to sports fans today.
    Musée Laurier, Canada
  16, Laurier Street West - Victoriaville, QC           
As a patrimonial and historical site, the Musée Laurier welcomes, each year, thousands of visitors from all around the world. The Musée Laurier holds an important collection of works by Canadian artists and presents prestigious exhibitions regularly. Moreover, the institution offers a variety of activities for all the family. Welcome to the land of Sir Wilfrid Laurier!
    Koshland Science Museum, United States
   - Washington, DC           
Opened to the public in April 2004, the new Marian Koshland Science Museum uses engaging, interactive exhibits to bring to life the numerous reports conducted by the prestigious National Academies every year.
    Museum of Death, United States
  6031 Hollywood Blvd. - Hollywood, CA           
The World Famous Museum of Death was founded in San Diego June 1, 1995. Originally located in San Diego's 1st mortuary's in a building once owned by Wyatt Earp. Evolving from the controversial art gallery the Rita Dean, founders James Healy and Cathee Shultz realized the void in the Death education in this country and decided to make Death their Life's work.
Recently reopened at it's NEW location the Museum of Death houses the worlds largest collection of Serial Murderer Artwork, Photos of the Charles Manson Crime Scenes, the Guillotined Severed Head of the Blue Beard of Paris, Henri Landru, Original Crime Scene and Morgue Photos from the Grisly BLACK DAHLIA MURDERS, a Body Bag and Coffin collection, replicas of Full Size Execution Devices, Mortician and Autopsy Instruments, Pet Death Taxidermy, and much much more!
    Lucan Area Heritage & Donnelly Museum, Canada
  171 Main Street - Lucan, ON            
he Lucan Area Heritage Association operates a museum dedicated to the preservation and retelling of the most famous historical events of the area. Events such as Lucan being the first black settlement in Canada known as Wilberforce, continued development of the Irish settlers and the infamous Donnelly massacre are key chapters in Canadian history and a vital part of Canada's future.
    Ontario Archaeological Museum, Canada
  1444 Queen St. E., Suite 102 - Toronto, ON           
The Ontario Archaeological Society is a registered charitable organization that promotes the ethical practice of archaeology.
Ontario's historic and prehistoric resources are continually being destroyed by urban, commercial and industrial development.
    Firefighter Museum, Canada
  4124 – 11 Street S.E. - Calgary, AB           
The Firefighter Museum of Calgary's purpose is to acquire, restore, maintain and protect fire apparatus, pictures, equipment and memorabilia of the Fire Services' past.
    Telephone Historical Museum, Canada
  10440 108 Ave NW - Edmonton, AB           
See, hear and do at one of the most enjoyable attractions in Edmonton! This Telephone Historical Centre is the largest of its type in North America. Perfect for all ages.
The Telephone Historical Centre opened to the public in 1987. It was founded by a group of ED TEL retirees who were dedicated to preserving the history of the telephone in the Edmonton area.
    Royal London Wax Museum, Canada
  470 Belleville Street - Victoria, BC           
A visit to the Royal London Wax Museum is a journey into the pages of time. The museum documents a myriad of events through some three hundred historical personages from early to contemporary times. Through its objects, artifacts, likenesses of pivotal personages, scenarios and multi-media exhibitions, all visitors will have a meaningful opportunity to see history come alive. This museum is an important educational resource.
    Manitoba Museum, Canada
  190 Rupert Avenue - Winnipeg, MB            
The Manitoba Museum is the province’s largest heritage centre renowned for its combined human and natural heritage themes. The institution shares knowledge about Manitoba, the world and the universe through its collections, exhibitions, publications, on-site and outreach programs, Planetarium shows and Science Gallery exhibits.
The Museum’s collections reflect the heritage of Manitoba and other regions of the world. Eight interpretive galleries explore the history and environment of the province from its northern Arctic coast to its southern prairie grasslands. The Museum is noted for its Urban Gallery, which recreates Winnipeg in the 1920s, and the full-size replica ship Nonsuch, whose voyage in 1668 led to the founding of the Hudson’s Bay Company.
    Art Gallery of Ontario, Canada
  317 Dundas Street West - Toronto, ON             
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Founded in 1900 by a group of private citizens as the Art Museum of Toronto, the Art Gallery of Ontario is one of the largest art museums in North America, with a physical facility of 486,000 square feet. Currently under construction, the AGO’s new facility will boast 583,000 square feet, and will re-open in 2008 with an innovative architectural design by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry.
The AGO currently has more than 68,000 works in its collection, spanning from 100 AD to the present.
    Alberta Aviation Museum, Canada
  11410 Kingsway Avenue - Edmonton, AB           
See the incredible progress of technology in the past century of flight. Take a guided tour with a group, or plan a self guided, interactive journey through the culture of flight, from the days of wood and fabric to the Jet Age of today. Celebrate 100 years of flight at the Alberta Aviation Museum!
    Sisimiut Museum, Greenland
  Jukkorsuup aqq. 9 - Sisimiut, GL           
The old town quarter is characterized by its colonial age buildings. As most of the towns in Greenland, Sisimiut has been spared of large fires. Consequently, a great deal of the colony administration buildings has been preserved. The greater part of these buildings belongs to Sisimiut Museum...
    Canada Aviation Museum, Canada
  11 Aviation Parkway - Ottawa  - Ontario, CA           
The Canada Aviation Museum has avoided the tendency to concentrate exclusively on the aviation accomplishments of a single nation, or on developments within one sector of the aviation industry. Instead, the Museum’s collection policy is to illustrate the development of the flying machine in both peace and war from the pioneer period to the present time. The collection gives particular, but not exclusive, reference to Canadian achievements. Consequently, aircraft from many nations are represented in the collection—a fact that has earned it a strong international following.
The Canada Aviation Museum is recognized as having the most extensive aviation collection in Canada and one which ranks among the best in the world. In 1988, the importance of the collection was acknowledged in the opening at Rockcliffe of the first phase of a multi-phase development program to serve as the new home of the collection.
    Greenland National Museum, Greenland
  Hans Egedevej 8 - 3900 Nuuk, GL           
Museet blev startet i midten af 1960`erne som det første museum i Grønland. Samlingerne er siden udvidet gennem indsamling, fra udgravninger og med tilbageført materiale fra Danmarks Nationalmuseum. Museet har landsdækkende arbejdsopgaver indenfor arkæologi, nyere tids historie, kunst og kunsthåndværk. Museet rummer de centrale registre om fredede bygninger og fortidsminder og varetager fredningslovens bestemmelser om fredning af fortidsminder og bygninger samt deltager i naturfredning og byplanlægning.
    Durham Mining Museum
   - Greenland, GL           
"Two different accounts of the history of coal mining in County Durham are presented.
The first comes from The Victoria History of the Counties of England - Durham, published in three volumes in 1907. It contains a large section on the history of coal mining in the county. This work focuses on the detailed history and does not cover the social or practical side of the industry. We have reproduced the text up to the start of the nineteenth century.
The second comes from The History, Topography, and Directory of the County Palatine of Durham by Francis Whellan, second edition, published in 1894. Once again there is a large section of the history of coal mining in the county, however, it concentrates on the nineteenth century, but the major part covers the practical and the social side of mining during the nineteenth century.
The two works complement each other, and together present an overall history of the coal industry in County Durham. The history is nor complete without coverage of the twentieth century and the eventual demise of the industry - this topic is too large and complex to cover here and is best left to the many books on the subject. We do however, provide some information for the twentieth century in the individual pages on each colliery."