National Historic Site
In the United States, individual buildings, places or facilities that are of particular historical importance as monuments are designated as National Historic Sites . Almost all of the National Historic Sites are owned by the US federal government and are managed by the National Park Service under the umbrella of the Department of the Interior. The United States Forest Service manages one property, the Gray Towers National Historic Site .
The law is based on the National Historic Site Act of 1935. While some of the areas were initially designated by the Home Office , today Congress approval is required.
Currently (2008) there are 89 National Historic Sites of very different types in the USA:
- Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site and many other forts and trading posts in the Wild West are reminiscent of great social, cultural, and economic movements.
- Ford's Theater National Historic Site , where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, is an example of an NHS commemorating a celebrity
- Golden Spike National Historic Site , the site where the first transcontinental rail link was completed, is dedicated to a single, significant event
Larger areas or larger collections of buildings that are protected because of their historical importance are usually designated as National Historical Park .
List of National Historic Sites
International Historic Site
On Saint Croix Island on the border between the USA and Canada, Saint Croix Island is the only International Historic Site to be established.
Planned National Historic Site
Former National Historic Sites
Former National Historic Sites are:
- Atlanta Campaign National Historic Site (established in 1944, transferred to the state of Georgia in 1950)
- Mar-A-Lago National Historic Site (established in 1972, returned to the Post Foundation in 1980)
- McLoughlin House National Historic Site (incorporated into Fort Vancouver National Historic Site)
- St. Thomas National Historic Site (established in 1960, transferred to the Virgin Islands in 1975 )
- Martin Luther King, Jr.National Historical Site in Atlanta (established in 1980, upgraded to National Historical Park in 2018 )
- Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site in New Hampshire (established in 1964, opened in 1977, upgraded to National Historical Park in 2019)
Web links
- List of National Park Service protected area categories
- Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada