By Maxine Carter-Lome, publisher
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. The program was created in 1966 with the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act. The National Park Service is the official Keeper of the register – and in partnership with state historic preservation offices the Park Service decides what properties will be listed on the register.
Historic buildings, districts, sites, structures, and objects worthy of preservation for their historical significance or “great artistic value,” are included on the Register. Today, that includes over 1.8 million resources, recognized for their significance in American history, architecture, art, archeology, engineering, and culture.Where to start your exploration of history as you travel the country? Here are the top suggestions for sites to see from resources that have done the pre-planning for you:
Unique Sites in the West
WorldAtlas.com, one of the largest publishing resources in geography and other topics it covers, listed these “Top 10 Unique Sites on the Registry:”
1. Santa Barbara Mission – Santa Barbara, California
A Spanish Mission founded in 1786, the Santa Barbara Mission is the only mission remaining under the leadership of Franciscan Friars.
2. Hawthorne Bridge – Portland, Oregon
With its vertical lifts which cross the Willamette River in Portland Oregon, Hawthorne Bridge is the oldest highway bridge in Portland and one of the busiest bridges in Oregon for cyclists with over 8,000 using the bridge daily. The bridge was added to the NRHP in 2012.

3. King Street Station – Seattle, Washington
King Street Station was constructed from 1904 to 1906 and mainly served the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific Railways. It was added to the NRHP in 1973 and was acquired by the City of Seattle in 2008 who provided funds for its renovation.
4. Old Idaho State Penitentiary – Boise, Illinois
The Old Idaho State Penitentiary was used as a prison from 1872 to 1973 in Boise Illinois. The 600-capacity prison received more than 13,000 inmates in the 101 years of its operation. It was placed on NRHP in 1973 because of its significance as a territorial prison.
5. Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site – Powell County, Montana
The Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site was established in 1972 as a commemoration of the Western cattle industry of the 1850s.
6. Painted Desert Inn – Navajo County, Arizona
Built of petrified wood and other native stone, the Painted Desert Inn was the vision of Herbert David Lore in 1920. This complex lodge is located in Petrified National Park in Navajo County. The inn was re-designed in the Pueblo Revival Style and constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps between 1937 and 1940 with a section of the lodge remodeled in 1920. The artistic murals in the inn were done by Fred Kobotie who is a Hopi artist and recently restored.

located inside of the main ranch house is decorated for a festive holiday feast. The table is covered by a white cloth and is surrounded by eight ornate wooden chairs. On top of the table are numerous plates, serving dishes, bowls, glasses, and silverware from the museum collection.
7. Beehive House – Salt Lake City, Utah
The Beehive House was the official residence of three Presidents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: Brigham Young, Lorenzo Snow, and Joseph F. Smith. Young, a polygamist, constructed the house, which was completed in 1854, to accommodate his large family and to receive and entertain visitors to the territory when he served as Governor.
8. Daniels And Fisher Tower – Denver, Colorado
Built in 1910 as part of the Daniel and Fisher department store, the 325-foot tall tower was modeled after The Campanile. The tower has 20 floors with clock faces on all four sides. The tower was listed on the NRHP in 1969.
9. San Jose De Gracia Church – Las Trampas, New Mexico
Constructed between 1760 and 1766, the San Jose de Gracia Church is characterized by the 18th and 19th-century design of its ceiling and notable artworks. The Church was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970.
10. Devils Tower Entrance Road – Devils Tower, Wyoming
The Devil’s Tower, made up of igneous rocks in the Bear Lodge Mountain, was established as a national monument in 1906 by President Roosevelt. The tower rises to a height of 1,262 feet. The Entrance Road at the Devil’s Tower, also known as Wyoming Highway 110, is a road that leads to the tower providing scenic views. The road, constructed in 1917, is 3 miles long and starts from Wyoming Highway 24.
Read the complete article here: www.worldatlas.com/articles/10-sites-from-the-national-register-of-historic-places-west.html Other areas covered at World Atlas include the Northeast, Midwest, and Nationwide.
Historic Places
Master Carpenter and T.V. Host Bob Vila shared the article “10 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places Worth Seeing” by contributing writer Rachel Brougham on his blog last year:1. Lincoln Home – Springfield, Illinois
Abraham Lincoln’s home in Springfield, Illinois. The home is approximately 180 years old and has been kept in great condition. During the tour, you’ll get a glimpse of the former parlor, dining room, Lincoln’s bedroom, and the kitchen.

mansion in San Jose, California. Its inhabitants have long since passed, and it’s now renowned for its extraordinarily enigmatic, i.e., insane design and the apparent ghosts the house is home to.
2. Winchester Mystery House – San Jose, California
The Winchester Mystery House is a 160-room Victorian mansion built by Sarah L. Winchester, who was the wife of William Wirt Winchester, a rifle manufacturer.
3. Milwaukee Avenue Historic District – Minneapolis, Minnesota
The Milwaukee Avenue Historic District, included on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, consists of modest brick homes with arched windows and fairytale-style porches built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today, the narrow street is a popular pedestrian way open to the public.
4. Longfellow House – Cambridge Massachusetts
Tour Longfellow House and learn about the history of slavery and freedom, along with the life of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and George Washington’s stay at the house during the Siege of Boston.
5. Mark Twain House – Hartford, Connecticut
Twain described his time in this High Victorian Gothic home as the happiest and most productive years of his life. Take a guided tour to learn why.
6. Historic Front Street Warehouses – Nashville, Tennessee
Want to live in a piece of history? The block-deep old warehouses that line Nashville’s former Front Street (now called First Avenue) face the Cumberland River and were used to handle bulk products such as dry goods, groceries, and hardware. Today, many of these warehouses have been renovated and are now occupied by shops, entertainment venues, and restaurants.

7. Bay View – Petoskey Michigan
A winding community lined by Victorian homes, many with large front porches, that overlook the crystal blue waters of Lake Michigan. It was founded in 1875 by Michigan Methodists as a camp “for scientific and intellectual culture and the promotion of the Christian religion and morality.”
8. Yawkey House – Wausau, Wisconsin
Cyrus and Alice Yawkey built the home beginning in 1900 at the cost of about $35,000, which was said to be the most expensive home in town at the time. It features stunning Classical Revival architecture from the outside, with original decorative elements inside.
9. Mulford Farmhouse – East Hampton, New York
Mulford Farmhouse is known as one of the most significant and intact English Colonial farmsteads in the United States. Built in 1680, it’s been left largely unchanged since 1750, and much of the framing of the house has been left untouched.
10. Mabry-Hazen House – Knoxville, Tennessee
Built in 1858 in the Italianate style for local businessman Joseph Alexander Mabry and three generations of his family. Today, the home is open as a museum where visitors can see how the home was furnished and styled over the decades. With more than 2,500 original artifacts on display, it is the largest original family collection in America.
Read the complete article here: www.bobvila.com/articles/10-national-register-houses
Presidential Homes
CNN Travel shares its thoughts on “6 Historic Presidential Homes on the Registry to See:”

is ten times the size of the average home
in colonial Virginia.
1. George Washington’s Mount Vernon – Virginia
The home of our nation’s first president and his wife, George and Martha Washington. Opened to the public in 1860, Mount Vernon offers tours of the mansion, slave cabins, distillery, the tombs of George and Martha Washington and their family, the farm, and extensive grounds.
2. Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello – Virginia
The home of the author of the Declaration of Independence and the nation’s third president (1801–1809). Monticello is evidence of Thomas Jefferson’s skill as one of the nation’s first architects.
3. James Madison’s Montpelier – Virginia
The home of the fourth president (1809-1817) and “Father of the Constitution,” James Madison. Many of Madison’s treasures are on display at the visitor center gallery, including his walking stick and Dolley Madison’s engagement ring. Guests can explore Dolley Madison’s effect on popular culture and take a tour of the cellars that explore the lives of the enslaved community at the estate.
4. Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage – Tennessee
Jackson purchased land in 1804 on which he and his wife, Rachel, built the Hermitage while they lived in nearby log cabins. It was completed in 1819 but renovated after an 1834 fire during his presidency. After Jackson died in 1845 (his wife had died in 1829), the state of Tennessee purchased the property from his son. The original farmhouse and kitchen, called the “First Hermitage” and later used for slave quarters, have been restored to their appearance during slavery.

5. James Buchanan’s Wheatland – Pennsylvania
A lifelong bachelor, Buchanan purchased Wheatland in 1848 and retreated there after his time in office. He raised his orphaned nieces and nephews there, and many of the period pieces on the first two floors belonged to him.
6. Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site – Indiana
Harrison built his home in Indianapolis after purchasing the land in 1867, and he resided at the 16-room Italianate house, outside of his presidency, for the rest of his life. Visitors can see 10 of the 16 rooms, restored and decorated with Harrison’s possessions and other period pieces.
You can read the complete article here: www.cnn.com/travel/article/presidential-homes-historic-preservation-act-50th/index.html
Landmarks
These “10 National Historic Landmarks You Won’t Believe Are Actually Landmarks” are courtesy of Budget Travel:
1. Lynch Knife River Flint Quarry – Stanton, North Dakota
Arguably the nation’s most overlooked natural resource, it became a landmark in 2012.
2. Peavy-Hagline Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator – St. Lewis Park, Minnesota
Built in 1900, this rural tower stretches 125 feet into the air. According to the Minnesota Historical Society, it served as a model for future concrete structures built around the United States, satisfying the builders’ intention to prove that concrete could indeed be used in elevator construction.
3. Fresno Municipal Sanitary Landfill – Fresno, California
The Fresno Municipal Sanitary Landfill, which operated from 1935 to 1989, is ground zero for innovation in the sanitation industry.

4. Lucy the Elephant – Margate City, New Jersey
The six-story, nine-ton quadruped, originally made of wood and tin sheeting (she was buttressed with steel in 1970), has been endearing herself to visitors to this sleepy beach town five miles from Atlantic City since 1882.
5. Howard High School – Wilmington, Delaware
The school played a critical role in the landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which declared it unconstitutional to segregate public schools.
6. American Flag Raising Site – Sitka, Alaska
The flagpole that marks Castle Hill, which was later renamed Baranof Castle State Historic Site, is where, in 1867, the Russians relinquished Alaska to the United States and, soon after, where the 49-star American flag was raised to commemorate Alaska’s new statehood for the first time.
7. Experimental Breeder Reactor No. 1 – Arco, Idaho
Declared a landmark in 1965, the desert-situated decommissioned reactor was the world’s first nuclear power plant to generate electricity when, in 1951, it illuminated four 200-watt bulbs.
8. Fireproof Building – Charleston, South Carolina
The grand Greek Revival-style County Records Building in Charleston carried the superlative distinction as the most fire-protected building when it was built in 1829, making it the oldest fire-resistant building in the Country today. The structure is solid masonry and stucco, with iron shutters on triple windows, and even survived the 1886 earthquake.

9. Davis-Ferris Organ – Round Lake, New York
The stately, massive Davis-Ferris Organ was built in 1847 for $2,500 and sat in Manhattan’s Calvary Episcopal Church until 1888, when it was purchased by a Methodist camp for $1,500 and moved to a town auditorium in Round Lake, a village in upstate New York. It’s said to be the oldest and largest organ of its type.
10. Baltusrol Golf Club – Springfield, New Jersey
An A.W. Tillinghast-designed golf course that was completed in 1918. It is often seen as one of his greatest achievements.
For more information on landmarks, homes, and sites of historic interest, The National Park Service maintains the National Register of Historic Places and a fully searchable online database here: https://npgallery.nps.gov/nrhp
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