Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site |
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Visitor centre at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site
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| Location | Baddeck, Nova Scotia |
| Built | 1954 |
| Website | Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site |
| Designated | 1959 |
The Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site is a special place in Baddeck, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada. It's about 10 hectares (25 acres) big and looks out over the beautiful Bras d'Or Lakes.
This site is managed by Parks Canada, which looks after important historical places across the country. It's home to the largest collection of items and documents from Alexander Graham Bell's many years of experimental work in Baddeck. This important site was officially named a National Historic Site in 1952.
Contents
Exploring Bell's Inventions and Discoveries
The Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site is like a treasure chest filled with amazing things. Many of the artifacts were given to the site in 1955 by the Bell family from their own museum.
Amazing Machines and Speed Records
The site shows off many cool items related to Bell's experiments. You can see the original body of a hydrofoil boat called the HD-4. This boat set a world marine speed record in Baddeck in 1919, zooming over the water at more than 112 kilometers per hour (over 70 miles per hour)!
There's also a full-size copy of another famous aircraft, the AEA Silver Dart. In 1909, J.A.D. MacCurdy flew the Silver Dart over the frozen Baddeck Bay. This was a huge moment because it was the first time a controlled aircraft heavier than air was flown in the entire British Empire!
From Sound to Flight: Bell's Many Interests
The museum has many other exhibits and documents that show Bell's wide range of research. He worked on how to send speech and sound using wires and even light. He also experimented with kites, early airplanes, and fast boats.
You'll also learn about Bell's important work helping people who are deaf. His efforts in deaf education actually helped lead to his most famous invention: the invention of the telephone.
A View of History
The museum building was designed by Canadian architects. From the roof of the building, there's a special observation deck. From here, you can see Bell's former home, the Beinn Bhreagh estate, across the bay. Beinn Bhreagh is also a National Historic Site, but it's still owned by Bell's family and is not open to the public.
More About Alexander Graham Bell
- Alexander Graham Bell honors and tributes
- Alexander Graham Bell School, Chicago, Illinois
- Bell Homestead National Historic Site, Brantford, Ontario
- Bell Telephone Memorial, Brantford, Ontario
- Parks Canada
- Volta Laboratory and Bureau, Washington, D.C.
