National_Historic_Sites_(United_States)

National Historic Site (United States)

National Historic Site (United States)

Protected area of historical significance in the United States


National Historic Site (NHS) and National Historical Park (NHP) are designations for officially recognized areas of national 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]

Salem Maritime National Historic Site in Salem, Massachusetts was the first national historic site to be established in the U.S.

As of 2024, there are 63 NHPs and 85 NHSs. Most NHPs and NHSs are managed by the National 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 the U.S. Forest Service, Grey Towers National Historic Site.[3]

As of October 15, 1966, all historic areas, including NHPs and NHSs, in the NPS are automatically listed on the National 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 2,500[4] have been designated at the highest status as National Historic Landmark (NHL) sites.

History

After its founding in 1916, the National Park Service initially oversaw sites of primarily scenic and natural significance, including national parks and national monuments. Historians soon began recommending preservation of sites relating to human history.[5] Congress created Colonial National Monument in 1930 to protect the Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown battlefield in Virginia as one of the first new historical areas, and it was renamed a national historical park in 1936.[5] Morristown National Historical Park, the 1779–1780 winter encampment of the Continental Army in New Jersey, was established on March 2, 1933, as its largest historical area. The U.S. House committee noted that the new designation was logical for the area and set a new precedent, with comparison to the national 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] President Franklin 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 the Historic Sites Act (Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 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 the Antiquities 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. The Historic American Buildings Survey began to document the country's architectural heritage and identify buildings for potential protection. Initially the Secretary 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 secretarial order on March 17, 1938.[9] It had followed Secretary Harold L. Ickes's designation of the Jefferson 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, the Mission 66 program revived historic studies that had lagged during World War II and saw the creation of the National 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 NHSes and NHPs but also national military parks, national battlefields, national battlefield parks, national battlefield sites, national memorial, 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, the General Authorities Act of 1970 made all areas equal within the National 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

National Historic Sites are generally federally owned and administered properties, though some remain under private or local government ownership. There are currently 85 NHSs, of which 75 are official NPS units, 9 are NPS affiliated areas, and one is managed by the United States Forest Service.

Derived from the Historic Sites Act of 1935, a number of NHSs were established by United States Secretaries of the Interior, but most have been authorized by acts of Congress. In 1937, the first NHS was created in Salem, Massachusetts, in order to preserve and interpret the maritime history of New England and the United States.

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National Historic Area

There is one National Historic Area in the US park system, a unique designation given to the Aleutian World War II National Historic Area.

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International Historic Site

There is one International Historic Site in the US park system, a unique designation given to Saint Croix Island, Maine, on the New 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.

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Authorized Historic Sites

The following sites are not yet owned or formally developed by the National Park Service, but are to be eventually owned and established as National Historic Sites.

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National Historical Parks

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.

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International Historical Park

Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park was formally established by the United States and Canada in 1998, the year of the centennial of the gold rush the park commemorates. The park comprises Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Washington and Alaska, and Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site in British Columbia. It was this trail which so many prospectors took in hopes of making their fortunes in the Klondike River district of Yukon.

See also


References

  1. "Designations of National Park System Units". National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  2. "National Park Service Affiliated Areas: An Overview". Congressional Research Service. May 19, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  3. "LIST OF NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARKS BY STATE" (PDF). nps.gov. National Park Service. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  4. Butowsky, Harry A. (1978). "History and Derinitioa of the Names of Historical Units within the National Park Svstsm" (PDF). National Park Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-09-14.
  5. Unrau, Harlan D. (September 1983). "Chapter Five: New Initiatives in the Fields of History, Historic Preservation and Historical Park Development and Interpretation". Administrative History: Expansion of the National Park Service in the 1930s. National Park Service.
  6. Mackintosh, Barry (2005). The National Parks: Shaping the System. U.S. Department of the Interior. pp. 51–54. ISBN 978-0-912627-73-1. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  7. "Historic Sites Act of 1935". National Park Service. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  8. "Foundation Document: Salem Maritime National Historic Site" (PDF). National Park Service. September 2019.
  9. "Part One of the National Park System Plan: History" (PDF). National Park Service. 1972. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-09-14.
  10. Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 91–383
  11. "Listing of Acreage (Summary)" (PDF). NPS Stats. National Park Service. December 31, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  12. "Saint Croix Island International Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  13. "Amache National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  14. "Andersonville National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  15. "Andrew Johnson National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  16. "Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  17. "Boston African American National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  18. "Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  19. "Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  20. "Charles Pinckney". National Park Service. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  21. "Charles Pinckney National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  22. "Chicago Portage National Historic Site". National Park Service. Accessed June 13, 2023.
  23. "Chicago Portage National Historic Site". Forest Preserves of Cook County. Accessed June 13, 2023.
  24. Walsh, John. "Art Photography: FERDINAND REBECHINI (1923-2003, American). Kaskaskia tribe member leads Fr. Jacques Marquette, S.J. and Louis Jolliet through the Chicago Portage, 1673. A Cor-10 steel sculpture (1990) in Lyons, Illinois." Corridors. Accessed June 13, 2023.
  25. "Christiansted National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  26. "Fort Christiansvaern". National Park Service. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  27. "Clara Barton National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  28. "Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  29. "Eisenhower National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  30. "Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  31. "Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  32. "Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  33. "Fallen Timbers Battlefield and Fort Miamis National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  34. "Ford's Theatre National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  35. "Fort Bowie National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  36. "Fort Davis National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  37. "Fort Laramie National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  38. "Fort Larned National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  39. "Fort Point National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  40. "Fort Raleigh National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  41. "Fort Scott National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  42. "Fort Smith National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  43. "Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  44. "Fort Vancouver National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  45. "Frederick Douglass National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  46. "Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  47. "Friendship Hill National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  48. "Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  49. "Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  50. "Grey Towers National Historic Site". U.S. Forest Service. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  51. "Hampton National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  52. "Harry S. Truman National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  53. "Herbert Hoover National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  54. "Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  55. "Honouliuli National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  56. "Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  57. "Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  58. "James A. Garfield National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  59. "John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  60. "John Muir National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  61. "Kate Mullany National Historic Site". National Park Service. Accessed June 22, 2023.
  62. "Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  63. "Lincoln Home National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  64. "Guided Tours". National Park Service. Accessed June 17, 2023.
  65. "Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  66. "Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  67. "Lower East Side Tenement National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  68. "Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  69. "Manzanar National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  70. "Martin Van Buren National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  71. "Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  72. "Minidoka National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  73. "Minuteman Missile National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  74. Husar, Deborah. "House passes New Philadelphia national park bill". Herald-Whig. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  75. Husar, Deborah (2022-12-27). "New Philadelphia named unit of the National Park Service". Herald-Whig. Retrieved 2022-12-28.
  76. "Nicodemus National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  77. "Ninety Six National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  78. "Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  79. "Puʻukoholā Heiau National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  80. "Sagamore Hill National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  81. "Saint Paul's Church National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  82. "Salem Maritime National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  83. "San Juan National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  84. "Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  85. "Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  86. "Springfield Armory National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  87. "Steamtown National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  88. "Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  89. "Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  90. "Thomas Cole National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  91. "Thomas Stone National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  92. "Touro Synagogue National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  93. "Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  94. "Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  95. "Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  96. "Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  97. "Washita Battlefield National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  98. "Whitman Mission National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  99. "William Howard Taft National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  100. "YAF Saves Ronald Reagan's Boyhood Home". Young America's Foundation. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  101. "Blackwell School National Historic Site". National Park Service. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  102. U.S. National Park Service, Headquarters Office, Washington, DC. Personal letter.
  103. "Listing of Acreage (Summary)" (PDF). NPS Stats. National Park Service. December 31, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  104. "Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  105. "Adams National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  106. "Appomattox Court House National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  107. "Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  108. "Boston National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  109. "Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  110. "Cane River Creole National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  111. "Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  112. "Chaco Culture National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  113. "Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  114. "Colonial National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  115. "Cumberland Gap National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  116. "Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  117. "First State National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  118. "Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  119. "George Rogers Clark National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  120. "Golden Spike National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  121. "Harpers Ferry National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  122. "Harriet Tubman National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  123. "Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  124. "Homestead National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  125. "Hopewell Culture National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  126. "Independence National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  127. "Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  128. "Jimmy Carter National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  129. "Kalaupapa National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  130. "Kaloko-Honokōhau National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  131. "Keweenaw National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  132. "Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  133. "Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park – Seattle Unit". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  134. "Lewis and Clark National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  135. "Lowell National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  136. "Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  137. "Manhattan Project National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  138. "Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  139. "Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  140. "Minute Man National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  141. "Morristown National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  142. "Natchez National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  143. "New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  144. "New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  145. "Nez Perce National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  146. "Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  147. "Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  148. "Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  149. "Pecos National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  150. "Pullman National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  151. "Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  152. Jennifer Schuessler, President Obama Designates First National Monument Dedicated to Reconstruction, New York Times (January 12, 2017).
  153. "Reconstruction Era National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  154. "Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  155. "Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  156. "Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  157. "Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  158. "San Antonio Missions National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  159. "San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  160. "San Juan Island National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  161. "Saratoga National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  162. "Sitka National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  163. "Thomas Edison National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  164. "Tumacácori National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  165. "Valley Forge National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  166. "War in the Pacific National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  167. "Weir Farm National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  168. "Women's Rights National Historical Park". National Park Service. Retrieved October 11, 2021.

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