National Historic Site (NHS) andNational Historical Park (NHP) are designations for officially recognized areas of nationally historic significance in the United States. They are usually owned and managed by the federal government. An NHS usually contains a single historical feature directly associated with its subject, while an NHP is an area that generally extends beyond single properties or buildings to include a mix of historic and later structures and sometimes significant natural features.[1]
As of 2024, there are 63 NHPs and 85 NHSes. Most NHPs and NHSs are managed by theNational Park Service (NPS). Some federally designated sites are owned by local authorities or privately owned, but are authorized to request assistance from the NPS as affiliated areas.[2] One property is managed by theU.S. Forest Service,Grey Towers National Historic Site.[3]
Since October 15, 1966, all historic areas, including NHPs and NHSs, in the NPS are automatically listed on theNational Register of Historic Places (NRHP). There are also about 90,000 NRHP sites, the large majority of which are neither owned nor managed by the NPS. Of these, about 2,600[4] have been designated at the highest status asNational Historic Landmark (NHL) sites.
After its founding in 1916, theNational Park Service initially oversaw sites of primarily scenic and natural significance, includingnational parks andnational monuments. Historians soon began recommending preservation of sites relating to human history.[5] Congress createdColonial National Monument in 1930 to protect theJamestown Settlement andYorktown battlefield in Virginia as one of the first new historical areas, and it was renamed a national historical park in 1936.[5] It then establishedMorristown National Historical Park, the 1779–1780 winter encampment of theContinental Army in New Jersey, on March 2, 1933, as the first NHP: The U.S. House committee noted that the new designation was logical for the area and set a new precedent, with comparison to thenational military parks, which were then in the War Department. The park's establishment allowed the NPS to have an administrative historical program with professional historians.[6] PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt reorganized the agency to also oversee memorials and military parks with historic significance later in 1933, substantially broadening the NPS's mandate.[7]
In 1935, Congress passed theHistoric Sites Act (Pub. L. 49–666), which established that "it is a national policy to preserve for public use historic sites, buildings and objects of national significance for the inspiration and benefit of the people of the United States."[8] This expanded upon theAntiquities Act of 1906, which gave the President the ability to order "the protection of objects of historic and scientific interest." The Historic Sites Act directed the National Park Service to survey historic sites which may be of national significance, as well as restore and acquire properties. TheHistoric American Buildings Survey began to document the country's architectural heritage and identify buildings for potential protection. Initially theSecretary of the Interior could designate national historic sites, though this did not include funding for acquition or administration without congressional action.[7]Salem Maritime National Historic Site was the first place to be preserved as a national historic site, created by SecretaryHarold L. Ickes's secretarial order on March 17, 1938.[9] It had followed his designation of theJefferson National Expansion Memorial in 1935; many historic sites in the National Park System continue to be protected under different designation types.[7]Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site was designated later that year, another example of industrial heritage.
As the NPS developed criteria for nationally significant historic sites in the late 1930s, it aimed to identify unique sites that could each tell a broad story and would fit together to cover all aspects of American history. Surveys of sites were guided by themes and chronologies to ensure a diverse and comprehensive selection of those most representative of different eras and geographies, with less political influence over site selection.[10] In the 1950s, theMission 66 program revived historic studies that had lagged during World War II and saw the creation of theNational Historic Landmarks program as a method to recognize important sites. From the 1960s to 1990s, the NPS evolved from a thematic framework, in which numerous specific themes and subthemes of American history were expected to each be included in some way in the system,[11] to a conceptual framework, whereby both new and existing park units would be examined more holistically for ways to study history such as "creating social movements and institutions," "developing the American economy," and "peopling places." In the 20th century, potential new park units have been recommended not so much on "an orderly, balanced, and comprehensive" preservation of "outstanding examples", as Chief Historian Ronald Lee put it, but on those mandated to be studied by Congress, most of whose requests are recommended against by the NPS.[10]
A 1973 NPS publication outlined policies for administration of historical areas, which were distinct from its natural and recreational areas. This included not only NHSs and NHPs but also national military parks, national battlefields, national battlefield parks, national battlefield sites, national memorials, and some national monuments; at that time there were 178 such areas, and management focused on "maintaining and where necessary restoring the historical integrity of structures, sites and objects significant to the commemoration or illustration of the historical story".[12] But because most units contained a combination of natural, historic, and recreational lands, theGeneral Authorities Act of 1970 made all areas equal within theNational Park System;[13] separate policy manuals for each were replaced in 1975 with one that would tailor policies in each park respective to the purpose of zones within.[7]
National historic sites are generally federally owned and administered properties, though some remain under private or local government ownership. There are currently 86 NHSs, of which 76 are official NPS units, 9 are NPS affiliated areas, and one is managed by theUnited States Forest Service.
Derived from the Historic Sites Act of 1935, a number of NHSs were established byUnited States Secretaries of the Interior, but most have been authorized by acts ofCongress. In 1937, the first NHS was created inSalem, Massachusetts, in order to preserve and interpret the maritime history of New England and the United States.
| Name | Image | Location | Area[14] | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny Portage Railroad |  | Pennsylvania | 1,284.27 acres (5.1973 km2) | TheAllegheny Portage Railroad was the firstrailroad through theAllegheny Mountains in centralPennsylvania that connected the Midwestern United States to the Eastern seaboard, used as aportage railway to haul river boats andbarges over the divide between theOhio and theSusquehanna Rivers.[15] |
| Amache |  | Colorado | Granada War Relocation Center, or Camp Amache, was a concentration camp where more than 10,000 Japanese Americanswere interned during World War II.[16] | |
| Andersonville |  | Georgia | 515.61 acres (2.0866 km2) | TheAndersonville National Historic Site, a formerConfederateprisoner-of-war camp, is located nearAndersonville,Georgia. The prison operated during the final fourteen months of theAmerican Civil War, February 1864 – April 1865. It was overcrowded, with an inadequate water supply, inadequate food, and unsanitary conditions. Of the roughly 45,000Unionprisoners held there during the war, nearly 13,000 died.[17] |
| Andrew Johnson |  | Tennessee | 16.68 acres (0.0675 km2) | Andrew Johnson was elected vice president in 1864 and was sworn in as 17th President of the United States after the assassination of President Lincoln on April 15, 1865. The historic site encompasses the homestead inGreeneville, Tennessee, that he and his family lived in.[18] |
| Bent's Old Fort | _(29241849547).jpg) | Colorado | 798.54 acres (3.2316 km2) | Bent's Old Fort was built in 1833 in southeasternColorado. Before it was destroyed in 1849, the fort was the only major whiteAmerican permanent settlement on theSanta Fe Trail betweenMissouri and the Mexican settlements to support trade with trappers and SouthernCheyenne andArapahoPlains Indians.[19] |
| Blackwell School |  | Texas | The Blackwell School was asegregrated school that servedMarfa, Texas's Hispanic population from its construction in 1909 until the end of school segration in 1965.[20] | |
| Boston African American |  | Massachusetts | 0.59 acres (0.0024 km2) | TheBeacon Hill neighborhood was home to most of Boston's Black population before the Civil War, much of whom were slaves who escaped via theUnderground Railroad. Sites on the Black Heritage Trail include the 1806African Meeting House, the oldest standingblack church in the United States; theRobert Gould Shaw Memorial; schools; and homes of several abolitionists.[21] |
| Carl Sandburg Home | .jpg) | North Carolina | 268.49 acres (1.0865 km2) | Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site is located in the village of Flat Rock, North Carolina, and preserves Connemara, the home ofPulitzer Prize-winning poet and writerCarl Sandburg. Sandburg and his family moved here in 1945 for the peace and solitude needed for his writing and for the roughly 30 acres of pastureland for his wife, Lilian, to raise her champion dairy goats.[22] |
| Carter G. Woodson Home |  | Washington, D.C. | 0.15 acres (0.00061 km2) | Carter G. Woodson, the pioneering historian, author, and journalist who foundedBlack History Month, lived in this three-story rowhouse from 1922 until his death in 1950. There he operated theAssociation for the Study of Negro Life and History and published theNegro History Bulletin and theJournal of Negro History.[23] |
| Charles Pinckney | .jpg) | South Carolina | 28.45 acres (0.1151 km2) | Charles Pinckney was a South Carolinian governor,Founding Father, and signer of theUnited States Constitution. He served as South Carolina's governor for four terms; his first two terms ran consecutively from 1789 to 1792, his third from 1796 to 1798, and his fourth from 1806 to 1808.[24] Pinckney used the site, which was then known as Snee Farm, as a plantation and country retreat.[25] |
| Chicago Portage (affiliated area) | .jpg) | Illinois | 91.2 acres (0.369 km2) | TheChicago Portage served as one of the "most important travel routes of the mid-continent."[26] In 1673, explorersJacques Marquette andLouis Jolliet first crossed the Chicago Portage. The site marks the western end of the historic portage linking theGreat Lakes to theMississippi River[27] with a statue of Marquette, Jolliet, and a Native American with a canoe. The statue was created by artist Ferdinand Rebechini.[28] |
| Chimney Rock (affiliated area) |  | Nebraska | 83 acres (0.34 km2) | Chimney Rock is a prominent geologicalrock formation in westernNebraska that served as alandmark along theOregon Trail, theCalifornia Trail, and theMormon Trail during the mid-19th century.[29] |
| Christiansted |  | U.S. Virgin Islands | 27.15 acres (0.1099 km2) | Christiansted, the capital of the formerDanish West Indies onSt. Croix Island, was an important part of the urban development of theVirgin Islands and theinfluence of the Dutch on the area.[30] The site consists of six historical sites, including Fort Christianvaern, a Dutch fort that now serves as one of the best-preserved examples ofCaribbean colonial fortification.[31] |
| Clara Barton |  | Maryland | 8.59 acres (0.0348 km2) | Clara Barton, humanitarian and founder of theAmerican Red Cross, lived in this house from 1897 until her death in 1912. The house served as headquarters and a warehouse for the Red Cross. When it was established in 1974, the Clara Barton National Historic Site was the first national historic site dedicated to the accomplishments of a woman.[32] |
| Edgar Allan Poe | .jpg) | Pennsylvania | 0.52 acres (0.0021 km2) | Edgar Allan Poe, regarded as a major figure in theAmerican Romanticism movement, lived in this house. He likely rented it for a year or less in 1843, but it remains Poe's only residence still standing in Philadelphia. The site details Poe's time in Philadelphia, where he wrote some of his most famous works including "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Raven".[33] |
| Eisenhower |  | Pennsylvania | 690.46 acres (2.7942 km2) | Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States and Five-Star General, lived in this home from 1950 until two years before his death in 1969. While president and afterwards, Eisenhower hosted many important dignitaries, politicians, and foreign leaders at the house.[34] |
| Eleanor Roosevelt |  | New York | 180.50 acres (0.7305 km2) | Eleanor Roosevelt, theFirst Lady from 1933 to 1945 andAmbassador to the United Nations, used this property, named Val-Kill, for both personal entertainment, hosting, and helping employ local farming families in handcraft traditions. The site now commemorates Roosevelt's life and accomplishments.[35] |
| Eugene O'Neill | .jpg) | California | 13.19 acres (0.0534 km2) | The only American playwright to win aNobel Prize in Literature,Eugene O'Neill bought this site, which he called Tao House, with the money awarded to him for the aforementioned prize. He lived in the house from 1937 to 1944, writing plays such asThe Iceman Cometh andA Moon for the Misbegotten.[36] |
| Fallen Timbers Battlefield andFort Miamis (affiliated area) | .jpg) | Ohio | 9 acres (0.036 km2) | The Battle of Fallen Timbers, a decisive American victory over Native American and British opponents which effectively ended theNorthwest Indian War, was fought on this site on August 20, 1794. Originally, a site in nearbyMaumee was incorrectly identified as the battle site, but this area has since been renamed the Fallen Timbers State Memorial and is now preserved as a part of this park.[37] |
| First Ladies |  | Ohio | 0.46 acres (0.0019 km2) | Commemorating the accomplishment ofFirst Ladies of the United States, this site holds exhibits on the evolving roles of first ladies in the American presidency and American society. The site also preserves the home of First LadyIda McKinley.[38] |
| Ford's Theatre |  | Washington, D.C. | 0.30 acres (0.0012 km2) | PresidentAbraham Lincoln wasassassinated on April 14, 1865, while watching a performance ofOur American Cousin at Ford's Theatre. He was brought across the street to thePetersen House where he died the next morning. The theatre continues to produce live plays and has a museum of artifacts related to Lincoln, and the Petersen House, the first historic home purchased by the U.S. government, is furnished as it was the night Lincoln died.[39] |
| Fort Bowie |  | Arizona | 999.45 acres (4.0446 km2) | AUnited States Army outpost established in 1862 by the California Volunteers. The base was the focal point of military operations in theApache Wars, including the surrender ofGeronimo in 1886 and the banishment of theChiricahuas toFlorida andAlabama thereafter.[40] |
| Fort Davis |  | Texas | 523.00 acres (2.1165 km2) | Originally established in 1854 to protect emigrants, mail coaches, and freight wagons on the trans-Pecos portion of theSan Antonio–El Paso Road and theChihuahua Trail, the fort saw very sparse use. Thus, it remains one of the best examples of aUnited States Army fort in the southwestern United States. The fort also holds particular importance in regards toAfrican-Americans in the army, as the9th and10th Cavalry regiments (all-black regiments also known as"The Buffalo Soldiers") were stationed at Fort Davis after theCivil War, helping rebuild the site.[41] |
| Fort Laramie |  | Wyoming | 873.11 acres (3.5334 km2) | Founded as a private trading-post in the 1830s to service the overland fur trade, the site became an important trading post due to its location near theSouth Pass of theRocky Mountains. The fort was purchased by the United States Army in 1849 to protect the manywagon trains of migrant travelers on theOregon Trail. Fort Laramie was also a notable stop on theMormon Trail.[42] |
| Fort Larned |  | Kansas | 718.39 acres (2.9072 km2) | Established in 1859 as theCamp on Pawnee Fork, the site protected travelers on theSanta Fe Trail from hostileNative Americans. The fort saw occasional use during various Native American conflicts throughout the 1800s and was raided byKiowa Indians in 1864. In 1867, the fort served as a meeting place forGeneralWinfield Scott Hancock and chiefs from theCheyenne tribe, indirectly beginningHancock's War.[43] |
| Fort Point |  | California | 29.00 acres (0.1174 km2) | Originally established in 1794 bySpain, the fort was captured by theUnited States in theMexican-American War and refortified in the 1840s during thegold rush. The modern Fort Point was completed in the 1850s, but saw little use. In 1937, theGolden Gate Bridge was built directly above the fort, though it is a part of theGolden Gate National Recreation Area and not the site itself.[44] |
| Fort Raleigh |  | North Carolina | 515.73 acres (2.0871 km2) | This site preservesRoanoke Colony, the firstEnglish settlement in the present-dayUnited States. Founded in 1587 bySir Walter Raleigh, the colony was abandoned sometime between 1587 and 1590 and no survivors were discovered; many have dubbed it the "Lost Colony". During theAmerican Civil War, the site became the Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony, acontraband camp forslave refugees overseen by theUnion Army.[45] |
| Fort Scott |  | Kansas | 20.11 acres (0.0814 km2) | Established in 1842 as a midway point betweenFort Leavenworth andFort Gibson, Fort Scott provided protection tosettlers migrating west fromNative Americans in theGreat Plains. The site saw little attention until the passage of theKansas–Nebraska Act in 1854.Free-soilers andpro-slavery advocates occupied separate parts of the fort, leading to continued conflict. TheUnion Army took the fort during theAmerican Civil War, holding it throughout the war.[46] |
| Fort Smith |  | Arkansas,Oklahoma | 75.00 acres (0.3035 km2) | Established in 1871, Fort Smith contains the building which once housed theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, which had jurisdiction over federal cases inIndian Territory. The fort was also a stop on theTrail of Tears for theChoctaw andCherokee people. The site contains a walking tour detailing the forced relocation.[47] |
| Fort Union Trading Post |  | Montana,North Dakota | 440.14 acres (1.7812 km2) | Fort Union was regarded as the most importantfur trading post on the upperMissouri River, as it is situated at the confluence of the Missouri and its tributary, theYellowstone River. Much of the site is a modern reconstruction based on archaeological excavations and contemporary drawings.[48] |
| Fort Vancouver |  | Washington,Oregon | 206.72 acres (0.8366 km2) | TheHudson's Bay Company had their northwest headquarters atFort Vancouver, where they operated thefur trade and oversaw vast territory in the 1820s to 1840s. A reconstructed fort shows life in theColumbia District. It is adjacent to thePearson Air Museum and the U.S. Army's formerVancouver Barracks, and the home of HBC superintendentJohn McLoughlin is in Oregon City.[49] |
| Frederick Douglass |  | Washington, D.C. | 8.57 acres (0.0347 km2) | Frederick Douglass was a prominent abolitionist who gave speeches and wrote books about his time enslaved and social reform. He spent the last 17 years of his life at this home, called Cedar Hill, in theAnacostia neighborhood, where he wrote an autobiography and was a member of D.C. society. The house is restored with many of Douglass's original belongings.[50] |
| Frederick Law Olmsted |  | Massachusetts | 7.21 acres (0.0292 km2) | Frederick Law Olmsted was an influential landscape architect, responsible for such projects asCentral Park inNew York City and theEmerald Necklace aroundBoston. Olmsted moved to this site, called Fairsted, in 1883 and established the world's first full-scale professional office for the practice of landscape design. His sons and successors would continue the practice for the next century.[51] |
| Friendship Hill |  | Pennsylvania | 674.56 acres (2.7298 km2) | Albert Gallatin, a notable early American politician and the longest-servingSecretary of the Treasury, lived in this estate from 1788 to 1832. During this time, Gallatin was instrumental in reducing the national debt,purchasing the Louisiana Territory and funding theLewis and Clark Expedition; an obscure figure in modern times, the Park Service dubs Gallatin the "forgotten founding father".[52] |
| Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church (affiliated area) | _Episcopal_Church_916_S_Swanson_St_Philadelphia_PA_(DSC_3836).jpg) | Pennsylvania | 3.7 acres (0.015 km2) | Swedish immigrants were an important part of early Pennsylvanian history, withNew Sweden existing in current-dayPhiladelphia from 1638 to 1655. This church, known locally as Old Swedes', is the oldest church in Pennsylvania and the second-oldest Swedish church in the United States. The site highlights the influence of Swedish culture and people on early America.[53] |
| Grant–Kohrs Ranch |  | Montana | 1,618.43 acres (6.5496 km2) | Originally established for fur trading in 1862, this ranch would eventually grow to cover over ten million acres ofPowell County, Montana, under the ownership ofcattle baronConrad Kohrs. Though the current-day park is only 1,618 acres, it illustrates the role of cattlemen in American history.[54] |
| Grey Towers |  | Pennsylvania | 102 acres (0.41 km2) | Also known as the Gifford Pinchot House or the Pinchot Institute, this house was the home ofGifford Pinchot, the first head of theUnited States Forest Service. The house was commissioned in 1884 by Pinchot's father, James Pinchot, and remained in the Pinchot family until 1960, when the property was donated to the Forest Service. It became aNational Historic Landmark shortly thereafter, one of the first places in the country to be designated as such.[55] |
| Hampton |  | Maryland | 62.04 acres (0.2511 km2) | The 1790Georgian style Hampton Mansion was once the largest residence in America and has several rooms with original furnishings and artworks; it is the only NPS site preserved for its architectural merit. Long owned by the aristocratic Ridgely family, the plantation estate had more than 300 enslaved people farming and maintaining the grounds, which include terraced gardens, a farm house, and original slave quarters.[56] |
| Harry S. Truman |  | Missouri | 12.59 acres (0.0509 km2) | Harry Truman served as the 33rdPresident of the United States, overseeing the end ofWorld War II. Though born in nearbyLamar, Missouri, Truman lived in this house after marrying his wifeBess Truman in 1919 until his death in 1972. The house itself was built by Bess Truman's maternal grandfather and stands across the street from her birthplace. Though Truman's legal name was Harry S. Truman, the site's name is officially styled without a period following S, his middle name.[57] |
| Herbert Hoover |  | Iowa | 186.80 acres (0.7560 km2) | 31stPresident of the United StatesHerbert Hoover lived inWest Branch, Iowa, for the first eleven years of his life, with the cottage he lived in from 1879 to 1884 serving as the Hoover's only remaining residence at the site. The site also includes several associated buildings related to the Hoover's life in West Branch, including a recreation of Hoover's father's blacksmith shop and the home of Hoover's uncle Laban Miles, anIndian Agent forRutherford B. Hayes. Hoover and his wife, Lou, are both buried within the site's grounds.[58] |
| Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt | .jpg) | New York | 838.43 acres (3.3930 km2) | Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd andlongest-servingPresident of the United States, was born and raised at Springwood, his family's estate on the banks of theHudson River. Roosevelt essentially lived at Springwood his entire life, and frequently visited even during his presidency. It also served as one of Roosevelt'sSummer White Houses, where he hosted foreign dignitaries such asKing George VI andWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King. Roosevelt, his wife,Eleanor, and their dogFala are buried together at the site.[59] |
| Honouliuli |  | Hawaii | 154.46 acres (0.6251 km2) | The Honouliuli Internment Camp,Hawaiʻi's largest and longest-operatinginternment camp, opened in 1943 and closed in 1946. The camp imprisonedprisoners of war duringWorld War II, at its height imprisoning nearly 4,000 and making it the largest prisoner of war camp in Hawaiʻi. Japanese-Americans were alsointerned at the site followingExecutive Order 9066.[60] |
| Hopewell Furnace |  | Pennsylvania | 848.06 acres (3.4320 km2) | The Hopewell Furnace was aniron plantation from 1771 to 1883, producingpig iron and cast iron products as a self-sufficient community. Theblast furnace was fed by huge quantities charcoal made from the surrounding forests, though anthracite coal was briefly used for smelting instead. A restored water wheel continues to pump air for the furnace. Community buildings include the Ironmaster's Mansion, office, barn, church, and workers' quarters.[61] |
| Hubbell Trading Post |  | Arizona | 160.09 acres (0.6479 km2) | Following theLong Walk of the Navajo, manyNavajo returned to the Ganado region of Arizona to restart their lives. Finding their homes and crops devastated, trade became an important means of economic growth for the Navajo. Established in 1878,J. Lorenzo Hubbell's trading post inGanado, Arizona, serves as the oldest operating trading post on the Navajo Nation.[62] |
| James A. Garfield | .jpg) | Ohio | 7.82 acres (0.0316 km2) | 20thPresident of the United StatesJames A. Garfield wasassassinated less than a year into his term, yet lived an accomplished life as an attorney, member of theOhio State Senate, andUnited States Representative. The site preserves Garfield's home from 1876 until his death, as well as hispresidential library, as he was the first president to have one.[63] |
| Jamestown (affiliated area) | .jpg) | Virginia | 20.63 acres (0.0835 km2) | James Fort was established onJamestown Island in 1607 as the first permanent English settlement inNorth America. The fort eventually evolved into the town ofJamestown, Virginia (also spelled Jamestowne). The site is owned and operated by the National Park Service andPreservation Virginia, also serving as a unit ofColonial National Historical Park.[64] |
| John Fitzgerald Kennedy |  | Massachusetts | 0.09 acres (0.00036 km2) | John F. Kennedy was a part of theKennedy political family and served as the 35thPresident of the United States. Purchased in 1914, John and his sistersRosemary andKathleen were the only Kennedys born in the house, as the Kennedy family moved in 1920.Rose Kennedy purchased the property again in 1966 to restore it to its 1914 appearance, donating it to the National Park Service the following year.[65] |
| John Muir |  | California | 344.14 acres (1.3927 km2) | John Muir, an early advocate for the preservation ofwilderness in the United States and the "Father of theNational Parks", lived in this house from 1897 until his death in 1914. While here, Muir co-founded theSierra Club and served as its first president. He also wrote hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles, essays, and books advocating for the preservation of American wilderness, such as preventingYosemite National Park'sHetch Hetchy Valley from beingdammed. Though he died before its founding, Muir is often credited as a major figure in the development of the National Park Service.[66] |
| Kate Mullany (affiliated area) |  | New York | Kate Mullany, leader of theCollar Laundry Union inTroy, New York, lived and worked in this house as she organized localwomen's labor movements. Mullany's union was one of the first women's unions that lasted longer than the resolution of a specific issue.[67] | |
| Knife River Indian Villages | .jpg) | North Dakota | 1,751.00 acres (7.0860 km2) | Preserves the historic and archaeological remnants of bands ofHidatsa, NorthernPlains Indians, inStanton, North Dakota. Knife River was a major trading and agricultural area and the area was home to the villages of Awatixa Xi'e, Awatixa, andBig Hidatsa Village.[68] |
| Lincoln Home |  | Illinois | 12.24 acres (0.0495 km2) | Abraham Lincoln, 16thPresident of the United States, lived in this house from 1844 to 1861 while practicing law and serving in theUnited States House of Representatives. Lincoln also lived in this house when he was elected president in 1860. In addition to Lincoln's house, several other structures within the four-block area are also preserved and have been restored to their appearance during the time Lincoln lived in the neighborhood.[69] |
| Little Rock Central High School |  | Arkansas | 28.22 acres (0.1142 km2) | When opened in 1927, Little Rock Central was the nation's largest and most expensive high school facility. In 1957, the school gained international attention during theLittle Rock Integration Crisis, when nine African-American students were denied entry to the school by students, protestors, and the state'sgovernor. As this was in defiance to the recent ruling ofBrown v. Board of Education, President Dwight D. Eisenhower deployed the101st Airborne Division and theArkansas National Guard to escort the students to school and deter protestors. The school itself is not open to the public as part of the site, but nearby visitor centers tell the school's history and provides streetscape walking tours with park rangers.[70][71] |
| Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters |  | Massachusetts | 1.98 acres (0.0080 km2) | During theSiege of Boston,General (and laterPresident of the United States)George Washington used this house as his headquarters and base of operations. Washington was based in the house for less than a year between 1775 and 1776; the house was later owned by popularfireside poetHenry Wadsworth Longfellow. The Longfellow family owned the house 1843 to 1972.[72] |
| Lower East Side Tenement (affiliated area) | .jpg) | New York | 0.0925 acres (0.000374 km2) | Built in 1863, the site is estimated to have housed 15,000 people from over 20 nations between 1863 and 2011.New York City was an epicenter forEuropean immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries, with many immigrants arriving viaEllis Island to live intenement houses similar to this one. The site promotes tolerance and historical perspective on the immigrant experience.[73] |
| Maggie L. Walker | .jpg) | Virginia | 1.29 acres (0.0052 km2) | Maggie L. Walker was anAfrican-American businesswoman who chartered the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank inRichmond, Virginia, making her both the first African-American woman to charter a bank and the first African-American woman to serve as a bank president. Later in life, Walker was bound to awheelchair as a result ofparalysis, also serving as an icon forpeople with disabilities. Walker lived in this house from 1904 until her death in 1934. The house also contains a preservedelevator, rare for private residences at the time, which Walker used to access the second floor after her paralysis.[74] |
| Manzanar |  | California | 813.81 acres (3.2934 km2) | Manzanar was one of tenconcentration camps used to imprisonJapanese-Americans duringWorld War II followingExecutive Order 9066. Though one of the smaller camps, more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated at the site, with over 10,000 inmates at its peak. The site preserves and interprets the legacy of Japanese-American incarceration in the United States, as it was identified by theNational Park Service as the best-preserved of the ten former camp sites.[75] |
| Martin Van Buren |  | New York | 284.93 acres (1.1531 km2) | Martin Van Buren, the 8thPresident of the United States, purchased this house during his presidency in 1839 and lived here until his death in 1862. The property, called Lindenwald, served as the headquarters for Van Buren's unsuccessful 1844 and 1848 campaigns for a second-term as president. Located only a mile away from Van Buren's birthplace inKinderhook, New York, the house was also owned by local authorWashington Irving, who Van Buren later befriended.[76] |
| Mary McLeod Bethune Council House |  | Washington, D.C. | 0.07356 acres (0.0002977 km2) | Mary McLeod Bethune was an importantcivil rights activist whoFranklin D. Roosevelt appointed to his executive council to help create theBlack Cabinet. TheNational Council of Negro Women, founded by Bethune, also occupied the house from its founding in 1935 until 1981. The house highlights the accomplishments of the organization and Bethune's lifelong work to advance the lives of African-Americans.[77] |
| Minidoka |  | Idaho | 396.30 acres (1.6038 km2) | The Minidoka War Relocation Center was the first of ten camps whereJapanese Americans were imprisoned during World War II. More than 13,000 incarcerees stayed here at hastily built barracks in the high desert, working on camp construction, at its farm, or on theAnderson Ranch Dam. TheBainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial, commemorating where 276 residents were removed from their homes, is a unit of Minidoka NHS.[78] |
| Minuteman Missile |  | South Dakota | 43.80 acres (0.1773 km2) | During theCold War, the United States established several missile-building sites in remote parts of the country, including this site nearWall, South Dakota, which the 66th Strategic Missile Squadron of the44th Strategic Missile Wing operated. The facilities represent the only remaining intact components of a nuclear missile field that once consisted of 150Minuteman II missiles and 15 launch-control centers which covered over 13,500 square miles of southwestern South Dakota.[79] |
| New Philadelphia |  | Illinois | 124.33 acres (0.5031 km2) | Founded in 1836, New Philadelphia was the first town in the United States platted and registered by anAfrican-American before theAmerican Civil War. The founder,Free Frank McWorter, was a former slave who was able to save money from work and his own business to purchase the freedom of his wife, then himself, and over time, 13 members of his family fromKentucky. The town no longer exists, having been abandoned between the 1880s and 1920s.[80][81] |
| Nicodemus |  | Kansas | 4.39 acres (0.0178 km2) | The town ofNicodemus, Kansas, was founded in 1877, and serves as the only remaining western town established byAfrican-Americans during theReconstruction Period following theAmerican Civil War. The site contains several preserved buildings from the town's early history and illustrateswestward expansion by African-Americans in post-war America.[82] |
| Ninety Six |  | South Carolina | 1,021.94 acres (4.1356 km2) | Old Ninety Six and Star Fort, so named for being 96 miles from theCherokee town ofKeowee (though it is actually 78 miles away), as well as the town ofNinety Six, South Carolina, were strategic forts for both the Cherokee people and soldiers during theAmerican Revolutionary War. The town of Ninety Six was aLoyalist stronghold during the Revolutionary War, and from May 22 to June 18, 1781, newly appointed Southern Department commander of theContinental Army,Major GeneralNathanael Greene led 1,000 troops in an unsuccessful siege against the 550 Loyalists defending the fort in the village.[83] |
| Pennsylvania Avenue |  | Washington, D.C. | 17.61 acres (0.0713 km2) | The neighborhood aroundPennsylvania Avenue between theWhite House and theUnited States Capitol has many historically and architecturally significant buildings and sites, including theOld Post Office,Freedom Plaza,United States Navy Memorial,National World War I Memorial,Federal Triangle,John Marshall Park, andJudiciary Square.[84] |
| President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home | .jpg) | Arkansas | 0.68 acres (0.0028 km2) | William J. Clinton was the 42ndPresident of the United States. He was born in the town ofHope, Arkansas, and lived the first four years of his life in this house. While he lived there, the house was actually owed by Clinton's grandparents, who looked after him while his mother was working inNew Orleans. As of 2023, Clinton is the most recently elected president to have an established National Park in their honor.[85] |
| Puʻukoholā Heiau | .jpg) | Hawaii | 86.24 acres (0.3490 km2) | This stone temple was built byKamehameha the Great in 1791 following a prophecy that would allow him to conquer all of the Hawaiian islands. At this site his cousin Keōua was slain, ending the civil war onHawaiʻi.John Young governed the island from its first European-style house nearby while Kamehamehaunified Hawaii.[86] |
| Sagamore Hill |  | New York | 83.02 acres (0.3360 km2) | Theodore Roosevelt, the 26thPresident of the United States, lived in this house from 1885 until his death in 1919. Roosevelt spent many summers aroundOyster Bay as a child, but only properly owned property on there with the completion of this house. His"Summer White House", he hired the New York architectural firm ofLamb & Rich to design a shingle-style,Queen Anne home for the property. While living at Sagamore Hill, Roosevelt helped facilitate the end of theRusso-Japanese War and hosted several foreign dignitaries while serving as president.[87] |
| Saint Paul's Church |  | New York | 6.13 acres (0.0248 km2) | Established in 1665, Saint Paul's Church is one of New York's oldest parishes. The church was the site of the infamousJohn Peter Zenger Trial of 1733, which set an early precedent forFreedom of Press in theUnited States, and served as a military hospital after theAmerican Revolutionary WarBattle of Pell's Point in 1776. The site was authorized in 1978 to protect Saint Paul's Church from increasing industrialization of the surrounding area ofthe Bronx andMount Vernon, New York.[88] |
| Salem Maritime |  | Massachusetts | 9.02 acres (0.0365 km2) | Salem, Massachusetts was one of the most significant seaports trading commodities inearly American history. Before theAmerican Revolution, the town benefitted greatly from theTriangle Trade; during theAmerican Revolutionary War, Salem was an important port forprivateers. After the war, Salem became a hub forFar East trading. The park contains several buildings and theFriendship of Salem, all of which preserve and interpret the maritime history ofNew England and theUnited States.[89] |
| San Juan | _03.jpg) | Puerto Rico | 75.13 acres (0.3040 km2) | Located in theOld San Juan section ofSan Juan, Puerto Rico, the park containsCastillo San Felipe del Morro, an important fortress during Puerto Rico's colonial period. The fort has been occupied by several generations of soldiers, and the site highlights the lives and conflicts of those stationed there. The site is also aWorld Heritage Site.[90] |
| Sand Creek Massacre |  | Colorado | 12,583.34 acres (50.9230 km2) | On November 29, 1864, theUnited States Army's3rd Colorado Cavalry murdered an estimated 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho people during theAmerican Indian Wars in what became known as theSand Creek Massacre. While visitors can learn about the massacre, theColorado War, and view the battlefield from a distance, the massacre site itself is off-limits to visitors.[91] |
| Saugus Iron Works |  | Massachusetts | 8.51 acres (0.0344 km2) | Saugus, Massachusetts, was home to the first integratedironworks inNorth America due toJohn Winthrop the Younger establishing the ironworks sometime in the 1640s. Since iron goods were often imported to thecolonies, Winthrop believed he could profit from producing iron goods inNew England, since he had an abundance of raw materials and access to the New England andChesapeake Colonies. A string of financial difficulties and mismanagement led to the ironworks closing in 1670.[92] |
| Springfield Armory |  | Massachusetts | 54.93 acres (0.2223 km2) | Formally known as the United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield, this was the primary center for the manufacture of United States militaryfirearms from 1777 until its closing in 1968. The armory's innovative use ofInterchangeable parts and theassembly line process would prove essential to manufacturing firearms for conflicts like theSpanish-American War,American Civil War, andWorld War I. The armory was also the site ofShays' Rebellion in the 1780s.[93] |
| Steamtown |  | Pennsylvania | 62.48 acres (0.2528 km2) | The Scranton yards of theDelaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad inScranton, Pennsylvania, were built between 1899 and 1902, with a workingturntable and aroundhouse added sometime in the 1930s. The current site is mostly recreations of these structures used to houseF. Nelson Blount's donated collection ofsteam engines andrailroad cars. The site also illustrates the history of Scranton'sDickson Manufacturing Company, arailwaysteam locomotive manufacturer.[94] |
| Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace |  | New York | 0.11 acres (0.00045 km2) | Theodore Roosevelt, the 25thPresident of the United States, was born inNew York City in 1858. He and his family lived in abrownstone inManhattan until 1872. The Roosevelt's house was demolished in 1916, but the site was purchased in 1919 by theTheodore Roosevelt Association, who hiredTheodate Pope Riddle to rebuild the house as a replica of how it appeared in 1865. The house was opened as a museum and eventually donated to the Park Service.[95] |
| Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural |  | New York | 1.18 acres (0.0048 km2) | Following theassassination ofWilliam McKinley inBuffalo, New York, Vice PresidentTheodore Roosevelt assumed office. At the time of McKinley's assassination, Roosevelt was inVermont. He traveled to Buffalo to visit McKinley, who was still alive, and left afterwards to visit theAdirondack Mountains. While there, McKinley died, and Roosevelt returned to Buffalo to take theOath of Office at the house of scholarAnsley Wilcox. In modern times, the site preserves not only the room of Roosevelt's swearing in, but also artifacts related to thePan-American Expo, where McKinley was shot.[96] |
| Thomas Cole (affiliated area) |  | New York | 3.5 acres (0.014 km2) | PainterThomas Cole, the founder of theHudson River School, lived and painted at this house, which he called Cedar Grove, from 1833 until his death in 1848. Widely regarded as the first significant Americanlandscape painter, Cole had a tremendous influence onAmerican art andromanticism. While at Cedar Grove, Cole painted many pieces of theCatskill Mountains, as well as his famous seriesThe Voyage of Life.[97] |
| Thomas Stone |  | Maryland | 328.25 acres (1.3284 km2) | Thomas Stone, member of theMaryland Senate andsigner of theDeclaration of Independence, lived in this house from 1770 until his death in 1787. Stone was buried on the property, as was most of his family. The Stone family owned the home, which was known as both the Thomas Stone House and Haberdeventure, until 1938. The Stones were active in Maryland politics for generations, with Stone's brothersMichael Jenifer Stone andJohn Hoskins Stone serving in Maryland's state government and Stone's grandsonFrederick Stone representing Maryland'sfifth district in theUnited States House of Representatives.[98] |
| Touro Synagogue (affiliated area) |  | Rhode Island | 0.23 acres (0.00093 km2) | Completed in 1763, the Touro Synagogue, also known as the Congregation Jeshuat Israel, is the oldestJewish synagogue in theUnited States and the only one dated to theColonial Era.Sephardic Jews from theWest Indies were the first to occupy the synagogue, withAshkenazi Jews andOrthodox Jews occupying it from the late 19th century onwards. The site is still an active synagogue.[99] |
| Tuskegee Airmen |  | Alabama | 89.68 acres (0.3629 km2) | The332d Fighter Group and the477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of theUnited States Army Air Forces duringWorld War II were anall-black group of service members also known as the Tuskegee Airmen, so named for being educated at Alabama'sTuskegee University. The site preservesMoton Field, the site of primary flight training for the airmen, and illustrates the airmen's accomplishments and role indesegregating the military.[100] |
| Tuskegee Institute |  | Alabama | 57.92 acres (0.2344 km2) | Founded in 1881, Tuskegee Institute is aprivate,historically blackland-grant university which is still active. That year, authorBooker T. Washington was hired as a teacher (and eventually principal) at the school and helped expand the university's size and areas of study to lay the groundwork for its prominence in black education. The Institute has played many significant roles inAfrican-American history, including the site of theTuskegee Syphilis Study and the educating of theTuskegee Airmen. Notable alumni includeGeorge Washington Carver (who is buried on the campus grounds),Ralph Ellison, andLionel Richie.[101] |
| Ulysses S. Grant |  | Missouri | 9.60 acres (0.0388 km2) | Ulysses S. Grant, 16thPresident of the United States andCommanding General of theUnion Army during theAmerican Civil War, lived on this site from 1854 to 1859. The house, called White Haven, was owned by the family of Grant's wife,Julia Dent, and she remained here with the Grants' children while Grant was stationed elsewhere as part of his military service. Grant managed the site's farms and grounds for his father-in-law, including the use ofslaves, though Grant, born to a strictabolitionist, was uncomfortable with the practice.[102] |
| Vanderbilt Mansion |  | New York | 211.65 acres (0.8565 km2) | New York Central Railroad directorFrederick William Vanderbilt and other members of theVanderbilt family lived in this house from 1899 until its acquisition by the National Park Service in 1940. Known as Hyde Park, the building is one of the oldestHudson River estates and was located near the New York Central Railroad, providing Vanderbilt easy access toNew York City on his own line. The 54-room mansion is the work of the architectural firmMcKim, Mead & White.[103] |
| Washita Battlefield |  | Oklahoma | 315.20 acres (1.2756 km2) | On November 27, 1868, theBattle of Washita River occurred at theSouthern Cheyenne village ofChief Black Kettle. As part of theComanche campaign, Lt. Col.George Custer led the7th U.S. Cavalry to attack the village in the early morning hours, resulting in a large number of Cheyenne casualties. The historic site includes one of the largest and best-preserved tracts, including the village of the Cheyenne, which was the focal point of the battle[104] |
| Whitman Mission |  | Washington | 138.53 acres (0.5606 km2) | In 1836, a small group ofPresbyterianmissionaries traveled with the annualfur trapper'scaravan intoOregon Country on theOregon Trail. Among the group wereMarcus Whitman and his wifeNarcissa Whitman. The Whitmans established the Whitman Mission west ofWalla Walla, Washington, but were murdered alongside eleven others byCayuse people in the 1847Whitman massacre. The massacre was an important part ofPacific Northwest history, as it caused theUnited States Congress to take action in declaring territorial status to the Oregon Country to protect immigrant settlers.[105] |
| William Howard Taft |  | Ohio | 3.64 acres (0.0147 km2) | William Howard Taft, the 27thPresident of the United States and 10thChief Justice of the Supreme Court was born in this house in 1857 and lived here until leaving to attendYale University in 1874. Taft's entire family lived in the house, including his six siblings. TheTaft political dynasty began at the house with Taft's father,Alphonso Taft, an important diplomat and 34thAttorney General; Alphonso Taft hosted many important political leaders and dignitaries at the house.[106] |
There is one National Historic Area in the US park system, a unique designation given to theAleutian World War II National Historic Area.
| Name | Image | Location | Area | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aleutian World War (affiliated area) | .jpg) | Alaska | Preserves the site of Fort Schwatka onMount Ballyhoo, one of four coastal defense posts built to protectDutch Harbor and the highestcoastal battery ever constructed in the United States. Several collapsed barracks, gun mounts, and lookouts remain.[107] |
There is one International Historic Site in the US park system, a unique designation given toSaint Croix Island, Maine, on theNew Brunswick border. The title, given to the site of the first permanent French settlement in America, recognizes the influence that it has had on both Canada and the United States. The NPS does not distinguish among these designations in terms of their preservation or management policies.
| Name | Image | Location | Area[14] | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Croix Island |  | Maine | 6.5 acres (0.026 km2) | Saint Croix Island was the site of an early attempt at French colonization byPierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons in 1604. Nearly half the expedition's men died that winter before they moved toNova Scotia and foundedAcadia. Sited near the mouth of theSaint Croix River, both the NPS and Parks Canada have interpretive sites on the respective mainlands.[15] |
The following site is not yet owned or formally developed by the National Park Service, but may eventually be owned and established as a national historic site.
| Name | Image | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home | .jpg) | Illinois | Pending acquisition of property; on February 6, 2002, (Public Law 107-137), theUnited States Secretary of the Interior was authorized to purchase the property from the Reagan Home Preservation and Restoration Committee (the then-owners) and establish a National Historic Site under the jurisdiction of theNational Park Service. The committee instead sold the property toYoung America's Foundation, who currently owns and operates the site.[108] |
National historical parks tend to be larger and more complex than national historic sites. In the United States, sites are "historic", while parks are "historical". The NPS explains that a site can be intrinsically historic, while a park is a modern legal invention. As such, a park is not itself "historic", but can be called "historical" when it contains historic resources. It is the resources which are historic, not the park.[109] There are 63 national historical parks.
| Name | Image | Location | Area[14] | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abraham Lincoln Birthplace |  | Kentucky | 344.50 acres (1.3941 km2) | PresidentAbraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in a one-roomlog cabin, which was reconstructed in a neoclassical memorial building. He lived until age seven on another farm nearby before moving to Indiana.[110] |
| Adams |  | Massachusetts | 23.82 acres (0.0964 km2) | The eleven buildings at this farm were home toUnited States presidentsJohn Adams andJohn Quincy Adams and several generations of their family. They include theJohn Adams Birthplace andJohn Quincy Adams Birthplace, the Stone Library,Peacefield mansion, andUnited First Parish Church, where they are buried.[111] |
| Appomattox Court House |  | Virginia | 1,774.60 acres (7.1816 km2) | The end of the Civil War was initiated on April 9, 1865, with the Union victory at theBattle of Appomattox Court House, after which Confederate GeneralRobert E. Lee surrendered to Union GeneralUlysses S. Grant at theMcLean House. Several hiking trails lead to historic cabins and other marked sites.[112] |
| Blackstone River Valley |  | Rhode Island,Massachusetts | 1,489.00 acres (6.0258 km2) | Some of the earliest textile mills in America were built in theBlackstone Valley, developing the area into an industrial leader with several company towns connected by theBlackstone Canal. Five historic districts include preserved mill complexes.[113] |
| Boston | .jpg) | Massachusetts | 43.82 acres (0.1773 km2) | TheFreedom Trail links several sites that madeBoston important during theAmerican Revolution. These include theOld State House, where theBoston Massacre took place; theOld North Church; theOld South Meeting House, where theBoston Tea Party was organized;Charlestown Navy Yard, home to theUSSConstitution, and the 221 ft (67 m)Bunker Hill Monument at the site of theBattle of Bunker Hill.[114] |
| Brown v. Board of Education |  | Kansas,South Carolina | 1.85 acres (0.0075 km2) | Monroe Elementary School in Topeka was one of the city's fourracially segregated schools for African American students.Brown v. Board of Education, a Supreme Court case brought by a parent at the school, held that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" and segregation was unconstitutional. The park was expanded in 2022 to include two schools in South Carolina involved in theBriggs v. Elliott case that was combined withBrown.[115] |
| Cane River Creole |  | Louisiana | 205.50 acres (0.8316 km2) | TheOakland andMagnolia Plantations represent the history of FrenchCreole culture of Northern Louisiana. Generations of enslaved and tenant workers farmed cotton here, with 65 remaining buildings.[116] |
| Cedar Creek and Belle Grove |  | Virginia | 3,704.96 acres (14.9934 km2) | At the 1864Battle of Cedar Creek,Union GeneralPhilip Sheridan's army fended off the lastConfederate attempt to invade the North. The nearbyBelle Grove Plantation served as Sheridan's headquarters and exhibits the history of farming and slavery in theShenandoah Valley.[117] |
| Chaco Culture |  | New Mexico | 33,960.19 acres (137.4320 km2) | This canyon site was inhabited from the 9th to 12th centuries by theAncestral Puebloans, who built the largest pre-colonial buildings in the US, including thegreat housesPueblo Bonito andChetro Ketl. Their architecture, archaeological artifacts, and petroglyphs, show the sophistication of this former economic center.[118] |
| Chesapeake and Ohio Canal |  | District of Columbia,Maryland,West Virginia | 19,617.37 acres (79.3887 km2) | The 184 mi (296 km)Chesapeake and Ohio Canal shipped coal and other cargo down thePotomac River fromCumberland, Maryland, toGeorgetown, Washington, D.C., from 1831 to 1924. Itstowpath, alongsidemany preserved locks, is now a hiking and cycling trail, with more strenuous trails atGreat Falls. It is also part ofPotomac Heritage National Scenic Trail.[119] |
| Colonial |  | Virginia | 8,675.04 acres (35.1066 km2) | Founded in 1607,Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America and served as the colonial capital until 1699.Historic Jamestown preserves its archaeological ruins and is connected by theColonial Parkway to the Yorktown Battlefield, where in 1781 George Washington's Continental Army defeated the British in theSiege of Yorktown, the last major battle of the Revolutionary War.[120] |
| Cumberland Gap |  | Kentucky,Tennessee,Virginia | 24,546.83 acres (99.3375 km2) | TheCumberland Gap of theAppalachian Mountains was a major passageway for Native Americans and later European settlers between the East Coast and the interior. Called the "first doorway of the west", the park includes the ridge of theCumberland Mountains, theGap Cave, and theHensley Settlement.[121] |
| Dayton Aviation Heritage |  | Ohio | 110.56 acres (0.4474 km2) | Dayton, Ohio, was home toOrville and Wilbur Wright, who invented powered flight. This multi-site park includes theirWright Cycle Company shop,Huffman Prairie Flying Field, where they conducted test flights, theWright Company airplane factory, Orville's homeHawthorn Hill, and the Wright Brothers Aviation Center, as well as thePaul Laurence Dunbar House, home of poetPaul Laurence Dunbar[122] |
| First State |  | Delaware,Pennsylvania | 1,409.22 acres (5.7029 km2) | Delaware was the first state to ratify theConstitution of the United States, and this park features several sites dating to the colonial era. These includeNew Castle Court House, the first capitol of the state;Fort Christina and theOld Swedes Church, site of thefirst Swedish colony in America;Dover Green; theJohn Dickinson House, the plantation owned by founding fatherJohn Dickinson; and Brandywine Valley nature reserve.[123] |
| Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie |  | South Carolina | 232.52 acres (0.9410 km2) | In April 1861 the South Carolina militia bombardedFort Sumter, build on an artificial island inCharleston Harbor, initiating theCivil War. During asecond battle in 1863 Union forces largely destroyed the fort, which was later rebuilt. NearbyFort Moultrie, first built in 1776, defendedCharleston from the British in theBattle of Sullivan's Island, and itspalmetto log construction is represented on theFlag of South Carolina.[124] |
| George Rogers Clark |  | Indiana | 26.17 acres (0.1059 km2) | George Rogers Clark sacked the BritishFort Sackville on theWabash River in 1779 during theIllinois campaign of the Revolutionary War. PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt dedicated a memorial to this victory in 1936. The circular domed Classical-style memorial has a bronze statue of Clark and seven murals depicting the events and their aftermath.[125] |
| Golden Spike | .jpg) | Utah | 2,735.28 acres (11.0693 km2) | Thefirst transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869 when theUnion Pacific Railroad from Iowa connected with theCentral Pacific Railroad from California atPromontory Summit.Leland Stanford ceremoniously drove thegolden spike to join the final rails. ReplicaJupiter andNo. 119 locomotives on rebuilt rails are used in reenactment events at the park. An auto tour and a hiking trail follow routes oftracklaying race of 1869.[126] |
| Harpers Ferry |  | West Virginia,Virginia,Maryland | 3,669.19 acres (14.8487 km2) | In 1859 abolitionistJohn Brown conducted araid on the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, a prelude to the Civil War; he was executed and became a martyr.John Brown's Fort remains in the historic lower town in West Virginia. Hiking trails in all three states have overlooks of the confluence of thePotomac andShenandoah rivers. The park also has the remains ofStorer College, industrial ruins, and Civil War batteries.[127] |
| Harriet Tubman |  | New York | 31.50 acres (0.1275 km2) | Harriet Tubman, a leadingabolitionist and conductor in theUnderground Railroad, moved toAuburn, New York, in 1859, where she continued to shelter Blacks moving north. The park features her residence, theAfrican Methodist Episcopal Zion Church she attended, and the Tubman Home for the Aged she founded for elderly African Americans.[128] |
| Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad |  | Maryland | 480.00 acres (1.9425 km2) | Harriet Tubman, after escaping slavery herself in 1849, guided 70 enslaved people from theEastern Shore of Maryland to freedom during 13 trips. The fields, marshes, and woodlands of the park include the site of her childhood home, several farms sites she was forced to work at, theHarriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center, and ascenic byway.[129] |
| Homestead |  | Nebraska | 210.45 acres (0.8517 km2) | After passage of theHomestead Act of 1862, hundreds of thousands of families moved west to farm federally owned land, which they would receive after five years of cultivation. This site includes some of the first acres claimed. Over 10% of the country was homesteaded, allocating land of the Native Americans to settlers. The site includes a historic cabin and school, heritage center, and restoredtallgrass prairie, which was largely eradicated by the settlers.[130] |
| Hopewell Culture |  | Ohio | 1,775.78 acres (7.1863 km2) | Peoples of theHopewell culture lived in Ohio from about 200 BC to 500 AD. They built several large ceremonial earthworks in geometric shapes up to hundreds of feet wide. Archaeological findings revealed the society's beliefs, practices, and trade.[131] |
| Independence |  | Pennsylvania | 44.87 acres (0.1816 km2) | TheDeclaration of Independence was signed in 1776 and theConstitution was drafted in 1787 atIndependence Hall, then the Pennsylvania capitol inPhiladelphia. TheLiberty Bell resides across the street, and other historic buildings include theFirst Bank of the United States,Carpenters' Hall, andCongress Hall.[132] |
| Jean Lafitte |  | Louisiana | 25,875.86 acres (104.7159 km2) | Designated a National Historical Park and Preserve, this site highlights several facets of Louisiana culture, history, and nature. The Chalmette Battlefield was the site of theBattle of New Orleans, the final event of theWar of 1812. The Barataria Preserve offers hiking and canoeing though swamps andbayous home to alligators. Three cultural centers interpretAcadian andCajun societies. A visitor center in theFrench Quarter illustrates the traditions of theMississippi River Delta.[133] |
| Jimmy Carter |  | Georgia | 78.35 acres (0.3171 km2) | PresidentJimmy Carter has spent much of his life in the small town ofPlains, Georgia. Visitors can tour his boyhood home and farm, and the high school he andRosalynn Carter attended is now the visitor center. Carter ran his1976 presidential campaign out of the Plains Train Depot, built in 1888 and now a museum. The Carter compound within the park, which includes the Carter family home where President Carter still resides as well as Mrs. Carter's gravesite, is closed to visitors.[134] |
| Kalaupapa |  | Hawaii | 10,778.88 acres (43.6206 km2) | Kalaupapa National Historical Park is located inKalaupapa, Hawaiʻi, on theisland ofMolokaʻi, with the goal of preserving the settings of twoleper colonies that operated from 1866 to 1969 with 8500 residents during its operation.[135] |
| Kaloko-Honokōhau | .jpg) | Hawaii | 1,163.05 acres (4.7067 km2) | This coastal park includes two fishponds and a fish trap used inAncient Hawaiian aquaculture and brackishanchialine pools with‘ōpae‘ula shrimp. Lava flows lead down to theAla Kahakai National Historic Trail, running along the beach and by ruins of an ancientheiau.[136] |
| Keweenaw |  | Michigan | 1,870.00 acres (7.5676 km2) | This park shows the life and history of theKeweenaw Peninsula in theUpper Peninsula of theU.S. state ofMichigan. It is the site of the oldest and largest lava flow known on Earth, which produced the only known place where 97 percent pure native copper is found in large amounts. This natural resource supported unique populations, where both prehistoric aboriginal mining of copper and more recent mining settlements occurred.[137] |
| Klondike Gold Rush |  | Alaska,Washington | 12,996.49 acres (52.5949 km2) | After gold was found at theKlondike River in 1896, 100,000 prospectors journeyed to theYukon for theKlondike Gold Rush, most taking a route throughSkagway, Alaska, along theChilkoot Trail, which can still be hiked today, or theWhite Pass Trail.[138] The Seattle unit inPioneer Square tells the city's history as a boomtown when prospectors passed through and bought their provisions.[139] |
| Lewis and Clark |  | Oregon,Washington | 3,410.15 acres (13.8004 km2) | After crossing the continent to the Pacific Ocean, members of theCorps of Discovery Expedition spent the winter of 1805–1806 atFort Clatsop, which was reconstructed fromWilliam Clark's journals. Lewis and Clark documented the nature and geography around the mouth of theColumbia River, including at the affiliatedEcola andCape Disappointment State Parks.[140] |
| Lowell |  | Massachusetts | 141.71 acres (0.5735 km2) | The city ofLowell, Massachusetts wasat one time an important manufacturing center due to its proximity to theMerrimack River,Charles River, andPawtucket Falls. Attempting to replicateEngland's mill communities, Lowell became one of the largest manufacturing hubs in the United States during theIndustrial Revolution. The park now covers the history of Lowell'stextile mills and the workers who worked and lived in the city.[141] |
| Lyndon B. Johnson |  | Texas | 1,571.71 acres (6.3605 km2) | PresidentLyndon B. Johnson spent much of his life here in theHill Country, where visitors can tour his reconstructed birthplace, boyhood home, and ranch. The still-working ranch was Johnson's Little White House where he spent a fifth of his presidency working and hosting guests. It also has the plane used asAir Force One.[142] |
| Manhattan Project |  | New Mexico,Tennessee,Washington | 113.61 acres (0.4598 km2) | TheManhattan Project was a massive top secret project with the goal of producing anatomic weapon duringWorld War II. Representing the multi-faceted nature of the project, the park consists of three units that were key to the development of the atomic bomb:Oak Ridge, Tennessee;Los Alamos, New Mexico; andHanford, Washington.[143] |
| Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller | .jpg) | Vermont | 643.07 acres (2.6024 km2) | Earlyconservationist and authorGeorge Perkins Marsh was born in this house and lived in it for many years. Marsh was an early advocate of environmental conservation, and the park highlights his history of protecting the environment. The site also takes its name from influential lawyerFrederick H. Billings and businessmanLaurance Rockefeller, both of whom also owned themain house on the property.[144] |
| Martin Luther King Jr. |  | Georgia | 39.17 acres (0.1585 km2) | Civil rights leaderMartin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929 in a home inSweet Auburn, Atlanta, and succeededhis father as pastor of theEbenezer Baptist Church down the street. After his 1968 assassination, theKing Center for Nonviolent Social Change, the site of his andhis widow's tombs, was founded next door to the church. The historic district also includes theFire Station No. 6 and periodshotgun houses.[145] |
| Minute Man | .jpg) | Massachusetts | 1,027.76 acres (4.1592 km2) | TheAmerican Revolutionary War began at theOld North Bridge inConcord, Massachusetts; colonial commanders ordered militia men to fire back at British troops for the first time at the bridge following the "shot heard round the world" earlier in the day in the neighboring town ofLexington. The park encompasses many sites in Concord and Lexington related to the start of the revolution, as well as The Wayside, the home of several authors includingLouisa May Alcott andNathaniel Hawthorne.[146] |
| Morristown |  | New Jersey | 1,710.72 acres (6.9230 km2) | TheFord Mansion inMorristown, New Jersey was GeneralGeorge Washington's Headquarters during the winter of 1779–1780, while theContinental Army was encamped atJockey Hollow.[147] |
| Natchez |  | Mississippi | 119.75 acres (0.4846 km2) | Natchez National Historical Park commemorates the history ofNatchez, Mississippi, and consists of four separate sites.Fort Rosalie is the 18th century site built bythe French. It was later renamed Fort Panmure and controlled byGreat Britain,Spain, and theUnited States.Forks of the Road marks what was the second-busiest slave trading market in the Deep South between 1832 and 1863. The other two sites, Melrose and the William Johnson House, contain furnishings related to life inantebellum Natchez and other exhibits.[148] |
| New Bedford Whaling |  | Massachusetts | 34.00 acres (0.1376 km2) | During the first half of the 19th century,New Bedford, Massachusetts, was one of the world's most importantwhaling ports; at its economic height, New Bedford was the wealthiest city in North America per capita. The park is ahistoric district administered under a partnership between theNational Park Service, the City of New Bedford and private building owners to preserve the historic landscapes, structures, and collections and promote research and educational programming associated with the history of whaling.[149] |
| New Orleans Jazz | .jpg) | Louisiana | 5.13 acres (0.0208 km2) | Jazz music originated inNew Orleans's diverse culture ofCreoles, Afro-Caribbeans, African Americans, and European Americans.Brass bands, often led by charismatic bandleaders, played at community events and evolvedragtime and dance tunes with improvisation.Perseverance Hall inLouis Armstrong Park was a major social club for mixed-race dance events featuring early jazz.[150] |
| Nez Perce | .jpg) | Idaho,Montana,Oregon,Washington | 4,564.93 acres (18.4736 km2) | The park preserves the traditional aboriginal lands of theNez Perce people, specifically those related to theNez Perce War, an 1877 conflict whereChief Joseph attempted to lead the Nez Perce to freedom inCanada, but were attacked by theU.S. Army Cavalry. The park is composed of 38 discontiguous sites which span three mainecoregions, covering a wide range of elevations and climates in thenorthwestern United States.[151] |
| Ocmulgee Mounds |  | Georgia | 3,401.92 acres (13.7671 km2) | People of theMississippian culture built several largeearthworks along theOcmulgee River around 900–1100 AD, including ceremonial temples,platform mounds, andearth lodges. In the 1930s, the largest archaeological dig in U.S. history excavated millions of artifacts dating to more than 14,000 years ago. The park also has trails through forests and wetlands rich with wildlife.[152] |
| Palo Alto Battlefield |  | Texas | 3,426.87 acres (13.8681 km2) | TheBattle of Palo Alto was fought on May 8, 1846, as the first major conflict of theMexican–American War. After Mexican troops under GeneralMariano Arista marched onFort Texas, American GeneralZachary Taylor's infantry forced them to retreat with an efficient artillery attack.[153] |
| Paterson Great Falls |  | New Jersey | 51.33 acres (0.2077 km2) | As one of the largest waterfalls on the East Coast, the Great Falls of thePassaic River contributed toPaterson's founding in 1792 byAlexander Hamilton as an industrial city. The falls were harnessed to power cotton mills, locomotive factories, silk mills, and other manufacturing facilities, but the city declined in the 20th century.[154] |
| Pecos |  | New Mexico | 6,693.49 acres (27.0876 km2) | ThePueblo people lived in New Mexico as early as 1000AD and have had an enormous impact on the culture and development of the state. Pecos Pueblo, also known as Cicuye Pueblo, a Native American community established in thePueblo II Period, is preserved at the park. The park also encompasses thousands of acres of landscape infused with historical elements from prehistoric archaeological ruins to 19th century ranches and theGlorieta Pass Battlefield.[155] |
| Pullman |  | Illinois 41°41′28″N87°36′36″W / 41.691°N 87.610°W /41.691; -87.610 (Pullman National Monument) | 0.4 acres (0.002 km2) | This district ofChicago was the firstplanned industrial community in theUnited States, built as acompany town for thePullman Company that manufactured railroad cars. The community was opened in the early 1880s and by 1883 had reached a population of 8,000 people, but the community was annexed by Chicago in 1889 after failing to meet expectations. This, in part, led to theAmerican Railway Union forming andboycotting Pullman in the 1894Pullman Strike over unfair wages and shaping the course of American labor policy. The park also highlights the accomplishments of theBrotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, who successfully negotiatedunionization for African-Americans with Pullman.[156] |
| Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau | .jpg) | Hawaii | 419.80 acres (1.6989 km2) | This "place of refuge" provided protection to defeated warriors and those who broke thekapu, or sacred laws of ancientHawaiʻi. A long masonry wall separates the ceremonial site from the Royal Grounds, which includes the reconstructed Hale o Keawe, aheiau that was a mausoleum for localaliʻi, or high chiefs. TheAla Kahakai National Historic Trail passes through the park, alongside cliffs and volcanictide pools.[157] |
| Reconstruction Era | .jpg) | South Carolina | 64.99 acres (0.2630 km2) | TheReconstruction era was a period in American history following theAmerican Civil War and lasting until approximately theCompromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloody Civil War, bring the formerConfederate states back into theUnited States, and to counteract the political, social, and economic legacies ofslavery. The park includes several buildings related to the lives ofemancipated slaves inBeaufort, South Carolina, as Beaufort was one of the first places in the United States where they "voted, bought property and created churches, schools and businesses."[158][159] |
| Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front |  | California | 145.19 acres (0.5876 km2) | The park preserves and interprets the legacy of theUnited States home front during World War II, including theKaiser Richmond Shipyards, theVictory shipSS Red Oak Victory, atank factory, and other facilities built to support America's entry intoWorld War II. The park focuses on the roles of women and African-Americans in the war effort, and is named forRosie the Riveter, a cultural icon representing the women who worked in factories and shipyards during the war.[160] |
| Saint-Gaudens |  | New Hampshire | 190.75 acres (0.7719 km2) | IrishsculptorAugustus Saint-Gaudens lived in this summer residence from 1885 to 1897, with the house becoming his permanent home from 1900 until his death in 1907. While here, Saint-Gaudens sculpted some of his most notable works, including theRobert Gould Shaw Memorial andDiana. Saint-Gaudens's influence in the art world attracted many artists toCornish, New Hampshire, with his house serving as the center of theCornish Art Colony.[161] |
| Ste. Genevieve |  | Missouri | 16.91 acres (0.0684 km2) | The city ofSte. Genevieve, Missouri was the first organized European settlement west of theMississippi River. The city was founded in 1735 byFrench Canadiancolonists and settlers from east of the river. Notably, the city is home to aNational Historic Landmark District which showcases a high concentration ofPoteaux-sur-sol andPoteaux en terre buildings, exemplifying rare examples of well-preserved colonial-eraFrench architecture.[162] |
| Salt River Bay |  | U.S. Virgin Islands | 989.42 acres (4.0040 km2) | Located on the island ofSt. Croix, the park contains the only known site where members of theColumbus expedition set foot on what is nowUnited States territory. The park also preserves uplandwatersheds,mangrove forests, andestuarine andmarine environments that supportthreatened andendangered species.[163] |
| San Antonio Missions |  | Texas | 947.77 acres (3.8355 km2) | The Spanish established several missions along theSan Antonio River in the 17th and 18th centuries to colonize Texas and convert the Indigenous Americans.Mission Concepcion,Mission San José,Mission San Juan Capistrano, andMission San Francisco de la Espada feature enclosed layouts with decorative elements representing Spanish andCoahuiltecan indigenous motifs. The park is aWorld Heritage Site.[164] |
| San Francisco Maritime | .jpg) | California | 49.86 acres (0.2018 km2) | Thismaritime museum has a collection of historic vessels built from the 1880s to 1910s including the steam ferryEureka, the world's largest wooden ship; thesquare rig sailing shipBalclutha; schooners; and tugboats.[165] |
| San Juan Island |  | Washington | 2,145.56 acres (8.6828 km2) | With the U.S. and Great Britain engaged in a boundary dispute over theSan Juan Islands, the killing of a pig in 1859 led both sides to form military camps on opposite ends ofSan Juan Island. The bloodlessPig War ended 13 years later when the U.S. was decided the owner of the islands. Both the American and English camps have surviving buildings, developed trails, and shoreline.[166] |
| Saratoga |  | New York | 3,579.14 acres (14.4843 km2) | TheBattles of Saratoga were fought on September 19 and October 7 in 1777 as part of theAmerican Revolutionary War. The climax of theSaratoga Campaign, it was a decisive victory for the Americans over Britain and prevented Britain from gaining control of the strategicHudson River Valley. The park includes the site of surrender betweenBritish Army GeneralJohn Burgoyne andAmerican Army GeneralHoratio Gates.[167] |
| Sitka |  | Alaska | 116.29 acres (0.4706 km2) | The 1804Battle of Sitka took place between Russian fur-trappers and theTlingit people and resulted inSitka later becoming the capital ofRussian America. TheRussian Bishop's House, a log structure from the 1840s, was the seat of the Russian Orthodox Church's proselytism efforts. The park also has a collection oftotem poles.[168] |
| Thomas Edison |  | New Jersey | 21.25 acres (0.0860 km2) | Inventor and industrialistThomas Edison moved to the Glenmont mansion in 1886 and opened his nearby laboratory complex the next year. His company developedphonographs, batteries, movie cameras, and numerous other products in over 40 years in operation inWest Orange. The park has several early cars from Edison's collection and a reproduction of theBlack Maria, the first movie studio.[169] |
| Tumacácori | _(cropped).jpg) | Arizona | 360.32 acres (1.4582 km2) | The park protects the ruins of three Spanish Jesuit mission communities: Mission San Cayetano de Tumacácori (at Tumacácori) andMission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi (1691, the two oldest missions in southern Arizona) andMission San Cayetano de Calabazas (1756).[170] |
| Valley Forge |  | Pennsylvania | 3,468.54 acres (14.0367 km2) | TheContinental Army was encamped at Valley Forge during the winter and spring of 1777–1778, where they were led by GeneralGeorge Washington and trained byBaron von Steuben in preparation for theRevolutionary War. The site is preserved withWashington's Headquarters, reconstructed cabins displaying soldiers' hardship, and the 1917National Memorial Arch.[171] |
| War in the Pacific |  | Guam | 2,030.65 acres (8.2177 km2) | This park commemorates the bravery and sacrifice of those who participated in thePacific Theater ofWorld War II. Park units include theAsan andAgat Invasion Beaches where U.S. troopslanded in 1944 afterJapanese occupation, thePiti Guns and other Japanese defensive sites, and memorials.[172] |
| Weir Farm |  | Connecticut | 74.20 acres (0.3003 km2) | J. Alden Weir was animpressionist painter and founding member of"The Ten" who lived and worked in this house and studio from 1882 until his death in 1919. The park also commemorates the lives of artists such asJohn Singer Sargent,Albert Pinkham Ryder, and several other notable artists who stayed with the Weirs family throughout their lives.[173] |
| Women's Rights |  | New York | 7.44 acres (0.0301 km2) | In 1848, theSeneca Falls Convention was held inSeneca Falls, New York. The convention wasAmerica's firstwomen's rights convention, andsuffrage advocates such asElizabeth Cady Stanton,Lucretia Mott, andFrederick Douglass were in attendance. TheDeclaration of Sentiments was drafted and signed at the convention. The park preserves several sites associated with the convention, including the houses of Stanton and McClintock.[174] |
Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park was formally established by the United States and Canada in 1998, the year of the centennial of thegold rush the park commemorates. The park comprisesKlondike Gold Rush National Historical Park inWashington andAlaska (above) andChilkoot Trail National Historic Site in British Columbia. Tens of thousands of prospectors took this trail in hopes of making their fortunes in theKlondike River district ofYukon.
Download coordinates as:
