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Historic Sites
Find a Grave - Want to know where Ben Franklin is buried and see a photo of his grave? Or how about Walt Disney, or maybe a baseball great like Ty Cobb. Or say you're going to Concord, Massachusetts, and want to know if anyone famous is buried there. Wow--Louisa May Alcott, Henry David Thoreau, and Nathaniel Hawthorne are in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery among lots of others! Find graves all over the world at this unique site.
Ford's Theater NHS Home Page - The theater where President Lincoln was shot is now a national historic site. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Expanded Home Page, you will learn some fascinating facts about the assassination. Why was there no guard--or was there? Where is the chair Lincoln was sitting in? And where is the bullet that killed him? The surprising answers are all here. This site offers information in 11 languages besides English.
GORP - National Historic Trails - Ever wondered if you could find any of the old pioneer routes, like the Oregon Trail? You can! To this day, some of the old wagon ruts are still visible, and you can walk in the footsteps of early settlers during the westward expansion of the United States. You'll find maps and detailed descriptions of the Oregon Trail, plus the following: Santa Fe Trail; Trail of Tears; Iditarod National Historic Trail; Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail; Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail; Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail; Nez Perce National Historic Trail; and the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail.
Great American Landmarks Adventure - At this page you can download pages of historic landmarks to color. But it's not the usual type of famous landmark. Here you'll find some really weird stuff, such as Independence Rock (Casper, Wyoming), where folks traveling along the Oregon Trail got out of their covered wagons long enough to scratch their names. You'll find the U.S. Capitol here, but you can also choose to color the Taos pueblo. If you send in your drawing, they may put it on the Web. Check it out!
Historic Mile - Take a tour of over 50 famous landmarks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You'll visit Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, and see Betsy Ross' House, where some say she sewed the very first American flag. Along the way, stop in at the Pretzel Museum for a quick snack.
Independence National Historical Park - Welcome to Independence National Historical Park. Is this your first trip to Philadelphia? Yes? Then you'd better begin your tour at the Visitor Center, where you will see the film Independence . Next you will want to check out the Liberty Bell. No new cracks, please! Do you know when the bell was rung for the last time? You can find out before moving along to Independence Hall. No pushing ahead, there is plenty of time for all of the stops along the way in historic Philadelphia. You'll end at the Deshler Morris House, which served as the official residence for President George Washington during the yellow fever epidemic of 1793. Enjoy your visit!
Lancaster Priory and Parish Church - Historic Lancaster Priory, UK, - Founded 1094 in a Church existing from 630 AD, with roots in Roman times. The Priory is on a hill, next to Lancaster Castle, in North West England, just south of the Lake District. It is a Church of England Parish Church in daily use. They welcome visitors whether on the Internet, or for real! See also the Royal School of Church Music Northern Cathedral Singers pages on the links page.
Landmarks of Hispanic L.A. - What do you think of when you hear someone say Los Angeles, California? Maybe movie stars come to mind, or surfers, or rock musicians. Los Angeles, though, is a very old center of American Hispanic and Latino culture. To understand Los Angeles, you have to understand its Latin roots. This page is a good place to begin. Here you'll read about some of Los Angeles' earliest history, and you'll see the landmarks where the history took place.
Light of Liberty - On July 4, 1884, the United States received a monumental birthday gift from France. The 15-story-tall Statue of Liberty was designed by sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi. He used his mother as the model! Learn more at this illuminating site.
Mount Rushmore - Who are "the four most famous guys in rock"? Well, it's not the Beatles; it's the four American presidents carved into the granite of Mount Rushmore, South Dakota. At this site you can find out why the faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln are sculpted there, and how the feat was accomplished.
Mount Vernon - The Home of Our First President, George Washington - We know this isn't really in Washington, but it is nearby. And many of Washington's visitors make the short trip to Mount Vernon. Seeing where our first president lived makes him more real to us. Walking up his front steps, lounging on his lawn--these things connect us to a real person instead of a historical figure. Maybe you can't visit Mount Vernon, Virginia, in person, but you can stop in via the Net. At Mount Vernon, you can take a tour, read some astounding facts, and even work out a Washington word search puzzle. You can also learn about archaeology at Mount Vernon and explore related links. The Mount Vernon virtual tour includes the East Front, the large dining room, study, master bedroom, gardens, the Washingtons' tomb, and a slave memorial. Washington was the only one of the Founding Fathers to free his slaves; in his will he gave them their freedom upon his death.
National Trust for Historic Preservation Home Page - Many historic sites are old--so how come they look so nice? Because people like you care enough to save them from deterioration. This is called historic preservation. This resource will help you find out how to save historic sites in your area.
Old North Church (Christ Church Boston) - On April 18, 1775, church sexton Robert Newman climbed into the belfry of the Old North Church and hung up two signal lanterns. To Paul Revere, watching from a boat, that meant the British were coming--by sea--up the Charles River towards Lexington. Revere's famous "midnight ride" was immortalized by poet Longfellow. This page tells the history of the church as well as what's going on there today. It's still an active Episcopal church.
ParkNet: Gateway to the National Park Service - The U.S. National Park Service administers everything from Abraham Lincoln's birthplace national historic site (Kentucky) to Zion National Park (Utah). Between those two sites in the alphabet are hundreds of other monuments, parks, battlefields, trails, seashores, and other places of special importance to Americans. Search the Visit Your Parks area by name, location, or theme.
Statue of Liberty - This is part of the poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. It was written by Emma Lazarus, and you can learn more about the statue's history at the official National Park Service site.
Temple of Liberty: Building the Capitol for a New Nation - Visit the Capitol, courtesy of the Library of Congress. The U.S. Capitol was envisioned as a "Temple of Liberty" by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Read the various proposals for how this most important of all U.S. public buildings should look. Then study the approved plans and visit the porticoes and the wings of our Capitol as it was built. The original building took 34 years, six architects, and six presidents to build. When you're finished touring this historic site, you'll be an expert, and your feet won't be tired!
The Boston Freedom Trail and Black Heritage Trail - It's only 2.5 miles long, but you'll be walking through years of Boston's history. Check out the Paul Revere House and the Old North Church ("one if by land, two if by sea..."). Don't miss the Boston Massacre site or the Bunker Hill Monument. Bring a cup of tea and take the virtual tour to the Black Heritage Trail as well.
Vietnam Veteran's Memorial - The U.S. National Park Service administers this memorial site, which is in Washington, D.C. Over 58,000 American men and women died in the Vietnam War, a conflict so controversial it divided the generations as well as the country. All their names are engraved on a mirrorlike granite wall. People leave flowers, poems, military gear, and other objects around the wall. It is a very moving place to visit, and we guarantee you will never forget your experience there.
White House for Kids - Let Socks, the First Cat, take you on a fascinating kid's-eye tour of the White House in Washington, D.C. Buddy, the First Dog, can come along, too. You'll learn how the White House was built (bricks were made on the front lawn), tour the rooms, and find out about the First Family pets that have lived there (don't miss President Harrison's goat or Caroline Kennedy's pony). We learned something we didn't know before: the president's desk was once part of a ship, abandoned north of the Arctic circle in 1854! The HMS Resolute was later found by the crew of an American whaling ship. It was repaired and refitted, then sent to Queen Victoria as a gesture of goodwill. Later, when the ship was taken out of service and dismantled, a desk was made from some of its timbers. Queen Victoria presented the desk to President Hayes in 1880. The desk has been used by most presidents since then. Socks never gets to sit on it, though. Well, maybe he does, late at night, when no one is around.
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