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. There are 63 national historical parks. +National Historical ParksNameImageLocationAreaDescription Abraham Lincoln Birthplace Kentucky President Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in a one room log cabin, which was reconstructed in a neoclassical memorial building. He lived until age seven on another farm nearby before moving to Indiana. Adams Massachusetts The eleven buildings at this farm were home to United States presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams and several generations of their family. They include the John Adams Birthplace and John Quincy Adams Birthplace, the Stone Library, Peacefield mansion, and United First Parish Church, where they are buried. Appomattox Court House Virginia The end of the Civil War was initiated on April 9, 1865, with the Union victory at the Battle of Appomattox Court House, after which Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at the McLean House. Several hiking trails lead to historic cabins and other marked sites. Blackstone River Valley Rhode Island, Massachusetts Some of the earliest textile mills in America were built in the Blackstone Valley, developing the area into an industrial leader with several company towns connected by the Blackstone Canal. Five historic districts include preserved mill complexes. Boston Massachusetts The Freedom Trail links several sites that made Boston important during the American Revolution. These include the Old State House, where the Boston Massacre took place; the Old North Church; the Old South Meeting House, where the Boston Tea Party was organized; Charlestown Navy Yard, home to the USS Constitution, and the 67.36 m Bunker Hill Monument at the site of the Battle of Bunker Hill. Brown v. Board of Education Kansas, South Carolina Monroe Elementary School in Topeka was one of the city's four racially 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 the Briggs v. Elliott case that was combined with Brown. Cane River Creole Louisiana The Oakland and Magnolia Plantations represent the history of French Creole culture of Northern Louisiana. Generations of enslaved and tenant workers farmed cotton here, with 65 remaining buildings. Cedar Creek and Belle Grove Virginia At the 1864 Battle of Cedar Creek, Union General Philip Sheridan's army fended off the last Confederate attempt to invade the North. The nearby Belle Grove Plantation served as Sheridan's headquarters and exhibits the history of farming and slavery in the Shenandoah Valley. Chaco Culture New Mexico This canyon site was inhabited from the 9th to 12th centuries by the Ancestral Puebloans, who built the largest pre colonial buildings in the US, including the great houses Pueblo Bonito and Chetro Ketl. Their architecture, archaeological artifacts, and petroglyphs, show the sophistication of this former economic center. Chesapeake and Ohio Canal District of Columbia, Maryland, West Virginia The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal shipped coal and other cargo down the Potomac River from Cumberland, Maryland, to Georgetown, Washington, D. C. from 1831 to 1924. Its towpath, alongside many preserved locks, is now a hiking and cycling trail, with more strenuous trails at Great Falls. It is also part of Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. Colonial Virginia 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 the Colonial Parkway to the Yorktown Battlefield, where in 1781 George Washington's Continental Army defeated the British in the Siege of Yorktown, the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. Cumberland Gap Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia The Cumberland Gap of the Appalachian 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 the Cumberland Mountains, the Gap Cave, and the Hensley Settlement. Dayton Aviation Heritage Ohio Dayton, Ohio, was home to Orville and Wilbur Wright, who invented powered flight. This multi site park includes their Wright Cycle Company shop, Huffman Prairie Flying Field, where they conducted test flights, the Wright Company airplane factory, Orville's home Hawthorn Hill, and the Wright Brothers Aviation Center, as well as the Paul Laurence Dunbar House, home of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar First State Delaware, Pennsylvania Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution of the United States, and this park features several sites dating to the colonial era. These include New Castle Court House, the first capitol of the state; Fort Christina and the Old Swedes Church, site of the first Swedish colony in America; Dover Green; the John Dickinson House, the plantation owned by founding father John Dickinson; and Brandywine Valley nature reserve. Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie South Carolina In April 1861 the South Carolina militia bombarded Fort Sumter, build on an artificial island in Charleston Harbor, initiating the Civil War. During a second battle in 1863 Union forces largely destroyed the fort, which was later rebuilt. Nearby Fort Moultrie, first built in 1776, defended Charleston from the British in the Battle of Sullivan's Island, and its palmetto log construction is represented on the Flag of South Carolina. George Rogers Clark Indiana George Rogers Clark sacked the British Fort Sackville on the Wabash River in 1779 during the Illinois campaign of the Revolutionary War. President Franklin 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. Golden Spike Utah The rirst transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869 when the Union Pacific Railroad from Iowa connected with the Central Pacific Railroad from California at Promontory Summit. Leland Stanford ceremoniously drove the golden spike to join the final rails. Replica Jupiter and No. 119 locomotives on rebuilt rails are used in reenactment events at the park. An auto tour and a hiking trail follow routes of tracklaying race of 1869. Harpers Ferry West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland In 1859 abolitionist John Brown conducted a raid 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 the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. The park also has the remains of Storer College, industrial ruins, and Civil War batteries. Harriet Tubman New York Harriet Tubman, a leading abolitionist and conductor in the Underground Railroad, moved to Auburn, New York, in 1859, where she continued to shelter Blacks moving north. The park features her residence, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church she attended, and the Tubman Home for the Aged she founded for elderly African Americans. Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Maryland Harriet Tubman, after escaping slavery herself in 1849, guided 70 enslaved people from the Eastern 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, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center, and a scenic byway. HomesteadNebraskaAfter passage of the Homestead 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 restored tallgrass prairie, which was largely eradicated by the settlers. Hopewell Culture Ohio Peoples of the Hopewell culture lived in Ohio from about 200 BC to AD 500. 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. Independence Pennsylvania The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 and the Constitution was drafted in 1787 at Independence Hall, then the Pennsylvania capitol in Philadelphia. The Liberty Bell resides across the street, and other historic buildings include the First Bank of the United States, Carpenters' Hall, and Congress Hall. Jean Lafitte Louisiana 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 the Battle of New Orleans, the final event of the War of 1812. The Barataria Preserve offers hiking and canoeing though swamps and bayous home to alligators. Three cultural centers interpret Acadian and Cajun societies. A visitor center in the French Quarter illustrates the traditions of the Mississippi River Delta. Jimmy CarterGeorgiaPresident Jimmy Carter has spent much of his life in the small town of Plains, Georgia. Visitors can tour his boyhood home and farm, and the high school he and Rosalynn Carter attended is now the visitor center. Carter ran his 1976 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. Kalaupapa Hawaii Kalaupapa National Historical Park is located in Kalaupapa, Hawaiʻi, on the island of Molokaʻi, with the goal of preserving the settings of two leper colonies that operated from 1866 to 1969 with 8500 residents during its operation. Kaloko Honokōhau Hawaii This coastal park includes two fishponds and a fish trap used in Ancient Hawaiian aquaculture and brackish anchialine pools with ‘ōpae‘ula shrimp. Lava flows lead down to the Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail, running along the beach and by ruins of an ancient heiau. Keweenaw Michigan This park shows the life and history of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula of the U. S. state of Michigan. 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. Klondike Gold Rush Alaska, Washington After gold was found at the Klondike River in 1896, 100,000 prospectors journeyed to the Yukon for the Klondike Gold Rush, most taking a route through Skagway, Alaska, along the Chilkoot Trail, which can still be hiked today, or the White Pass Trail. The Seattle unit in Pioneer Square tells the city's history as a boomtown when prospectors passed through and bought their provisions. Lewis and Clark Oregon, Washington After crossing the continent to the Pacific Ocean, members of the Corps of Discovery Expedition spent the winter of 1805–1806 at Fort Clatsop, which was reconstructed from William Clark's journals. Lewis and Clark documented the nature and geography around the mouth of the Columbia River, including at the affiliated Ecola and Cape Disappointment State Parks. Lowell Massachusetts The city of Lowell, Massachusetts was at one time an important manufacturing center due to its proximity to the Merrimack River, Charles River, and Pawtucket Falls. Attempting to replicate England's mill communities, Lowell became one of the largest manufacturing hubs in the United States during the Industrial Revolution. The park now covers the history of Lowell's textile mills and the workers who worked and lived in the city. Lyndon B. Johnson Texas President Lyndon B. Johnson spent much of his life here in the Hill 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 as Air Force One. Manhattan Project New Mexico, Tennessee, Washington The Manhattan Project was a massive top secret project with the goal of producing an atomic weapon during World 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; and Hanford, Washington. Marsh Billings Rockefeller Vermont Early conservationist and author George 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 lawyer Frederick H. Billings and businessman Laurance Rockefeller, both of whom also owned the main house on the property. Martin Luther King Jr. Georgia Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929 in a home in Sweet Auburn, Atlanta, and succeeded his father as pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church down the street. After his 1968 assassination, the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, the site of his and his widow's tombs, was founded next door to the church. The historic district also includes the Fire Station No. 6 and period shotgun houses. Minute Man Massachusetts The American Revolutionary War began at the Old North Bridge in Concord, 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 of Lexington. 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 including Louisa May Alcott and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Morristown New Jersey The Ford Mansion in Morristown, New Jersey was General George Washington's Headquarters during the winter of 1779–1780, while the Continental Army was encamped at Jockey Hollow. Natchez Mississippi Natchez National Historical Park commemorates the history of Natchez, Mississippi, and consists of four separate sites. Fort Rosalie is the 18th century site built by the French. It was later renamed Fort Panmure and controlled by Great Britain, Spain, and the United 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 in antebellum Natchez and other exhibits. New Bedford Whaling Massachusetts During the first half of the 19th century, New Bedford, Massachusetts was one of the world's most important whaling ports; at its economic height, New Bedford was the wealthiest city in North America per capita. The park is a historic district administered under a partnership between the National 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. New Orleans Jazz Louisiana Jazz music originated in New Orleans's diverse culture of Creoles, Afro Caribbeans, African Americans, and European Americans. Brass bands, often led by charismatic bandleaders, played at community events and evolved ragtime and dance tunes with improvisation. Perseverance Hall in Louis Armstrong Park was a major social club for mixed race dance events featuring early jazz. Nez Perce Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington The park preserves the traditional aboriginal lands of the Nez Perce people, specifically those related to the Nez Perce War, an 1877 conflict where Chief Joseph attempted to lead the Nez Perce to freedom in Canada, but were attacked by the U. S. Army Cavalry. The park is composed of 38 discontiguous sites which span three main ecoregions, covering a wide range of elevations and climates in the northwestern United States. Ocmulgee Mounds Georgia People of the Mississippian culture built several large earthworks along the Ocmulgee River around 900–1100 CE, including ceremonial temples, platform mounds, and earth 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. Palo Alto Battlefield Texas The Battle of Palo Alto was fought on May 8, 1846, as the first major conflict of the Mexican–American War. After Mexican troops under General Mariano Arista marched on Fort Texas, American General Zachary Taylor's infantry forced them to retreat with an efficient artillery attack. Paterson Great Falls New Jersey As one of the largest waterfalls on the East Coast, the Great Falls of the Passaic River contributed to Paterson's founding in 1792 by Alexander 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. Pecos New Mexico The Pueblo people lived in New Mexico as early as 1000 AD 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 the Pueblo 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 the Glorieta Pass Battlefield. Pullman Illinois This district of Chicago was the first planned industrial community in the United States, built as a company town for the Pullman 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 the American Railway Union forming and boycotting Pullman in the 1894 Pullman Strike over unfair wages and shaping the course of American labor policy. The park also highlights the accomplishments of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, who successfully negotiated unionization for African Americans with Pullman. Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau Hawaii This "place of refuge" provided protection to defeated warriors and those who broke the kapu, or sacred laws of ancient Hawaii. A long masonry wall separates the ceremonial site from the Royal Grounds, which includes the reconstructed Hale o Keawe, a heiau that was a mausoleum for local aliʻi, or high chiefs. The Ala Kahakai National Historic Trail passes through the park, alongside cliffs and volcanic tide pools. Reconstruction Era South Carolina The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloody Civil War, bring the former Confederate states back into the United States, and to counteract the political, social, and economic legacies of slavery. The park includes several buildings related to the lives of emancipated slaves in Beaufort, 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." Rosie the Riveter World War II Home Front California The park preserves and interprets the legacy of the United States home front during World War II, including the Kaiser Richmond Shipyards, the Victory ship SS Red Oak Victory, a tank factory, and other facilities built to support America's entry into World War II. The park focuses on the roles of women and African Americans in the war effort, and is named for Rosie the Riveter, a cultural icon representing the women who worked in factories and shipyards during the war. Saint Gaudens New Hampshire Irish sculptor Augustus 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 the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial and Diana. Saint Gaudens's influence in the art world attracted many artists to Cornish, New Hampshire, with his house serving as the center of the Cornish Art Colony. Ste. Genevieve Missouri The city of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri was the first organized European settlement west of the Mississippi River. The city was founded in 1735 by French Canadian colonists and settlers from east of the river. Notably, the city is home to a National Historic Landmark District which showcases a high concentration of Poteaux sur sol and Poteaux en terre buildings, exemplifying rare examples of well preserved colonial era French architecture. Salt River Bay U. S. Virgin Islands Located on the island of St. Croix, the park contains the only known site where members of the Columbus expedition set foot on what is now United States territory. The park also preserves upland watersheds, mangrove forests, and estuarine and marine environments that support threatened and endangered species. San Antonio Missions Texas The Spanish established several missions along the San 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, and Mission San Francisco de la Espada feature enclosed layouts with decorative elements representing Spanish and Coahuiltecan indigenous motifs. The park is a World Heritage Site. San Francisco Maritime California This maritime museum has a collection of historic vessels built from the 1880s to 1910s including the steam ferry Eureka, the world's largest wooden ship; the square rig sailing ship Balclutha; schooners; and tugboats. San Juan Island Washington With the U. S. and Great Britain engaged in a boundary dispute over the San Juan Islands, the killing of a pig in 1859 led both sides to form military camps on opposite ends of San Juan Island. The bloodless Pig 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. Saratoga New York The Battles of Saratoga were fought on September 19 and October 7 in 1777 as part of the American Revolutionary War. The climax of the Saratoga Campaign, it was a decisive victory for the Americans over Britain and prevented Britain from gaining control of the strategic Hudson River Valley. The park includes the site of surrender between British Army General John Burgoyne and American Army General Horatio Gates. Sitka Alaska The 1804 Battle of Sitka took place between Russian fur trappers and the Tlingit people and resulted in Sitka later becoming the capital of Russian America. The Russian 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 of totem poles. Thomas Edison New Jersey Inventor and industrialist Thomas Edison moved to the Glenmont mansion in 1886 and opened his nearby laboratory complex the next year. His company developed phonographs, batteries, movie cameras, and numerous other products in over 40 years in operation in West Orange. The park has several early cars from Edison's collection and a reproduction of the Black Maria, the first movie studio. Tumacácori Arizona The park protects the ruins of three Spanish Jesuit mission communities: Mission San Cayetano de Tumacácori (at Tumacácori) and Mission Los Santos Ángeles de Guevavi (1691, the two oldest missions in southern Arizona) and Mission San Cayetano de Calabazas (1756). Valley Forge Pennsylvania The Continental Army was encamped at Valley Forge during the winter and spring of 1777–1778, where they were led by General George Washington and trained by Baron von Steuben in preparation for the Revolutionary War. The site is preserved with Washington's Headquarters, reconstructed cabins displaying soldiers' hardship, and the 1917 National Memorial Arch. War in the Pacific Guam This park commemorates the bravery and sacrifice of those who participated in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Park units include the Asan and Agat Invasion Beaches where U. S. troops landed in 1944 after Japanese occupation, the Piti Guns and other Japanese defensive sites, and memorials. Weir FarmConnecticut J. Alden Weir was an impressionist 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 as John Singer Sargent, Albert Pinkham Ryder, and several other notable artists who stayed with the Weirs family throughout their lives. Women's Rights New York In 1848, the Seneca Falls Convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. The convention was America's first women's rights convention, and suffrage advocates such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Frederick Douglass were in attendance. The Declaration 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.