National Historical Parks

There are 49 National Historical Parks. Fact Box Adams Massachusetts Established 1998 9 acres Consists of the John Adams and John Quincy Adams birthplaces, The Old House at Peace field, and the 12,000 volume Stone Library. Includes a visitor center with a bookstore and movie theater. Fact Box Abraham Lincoln Birthplace Kentucky Established 1916 345 acres Visitation- 221,111 Consists of two separate units- the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace Unit and the Abraham Lincoln Boyhood Home Unit. The Abraham Lincoln Birthplace Unit has a Memorial Building with a replica cabin inside, and the Sinking Spring, the water source for the Lincoln family. At the currently-closed Boyhood Home Unit, one can hike trails and see Knob Creek, a water source for the Lincoln family. Fact Box Appomattox Courthouse Virginia Established 1966 1,800 acres Appomattox Court House NHP includes a historic village, and a visitor center with exhibits and a theaters. Walking tours are available.  Fact Box Boston National Historical Park Massachusetts Established 1974 43 acres Boston National Historical Park preserves many sites important in the American Revolution- Faneuil Hall, the Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Paul Revere House, and the Old North Church in Downtown Boston, and the Charlestown Navy Yard, Bunker Hill Monument, and USS Constitution in Charlestown. Also part of the park is Dorchester Heights in South Boston. Most of the sites are connected by the Freedom Trail. Visitors centers are at Faneuil Hall and the Charlestown Navy Yard. Fact Box Cedar Creek and Belle Grove Virginia Established 2002 3,712 acres This park in Virginia consists of the Belle Grove Plantation and the Cedar Creek Battlefield. Guided tours of the plantation are available.  Fact Box Chaco Culture New Mexico Established 1980 33,978 acres Designated a World Heritage Site in 1987, Chaco Culture NHP preserves the densest and most exceptional concentration of pueblos, or communities of Native Americans, in the American Southwest. These nearly 1000 year-old treasures can be seen through the 9-mile Canyon Loop Road as well as backcountry trails which lead visitors to more remote sites.  Fact Box Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Maryland and West Virginia Established 1938 19,586 acres This Historical Park preserves the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, nicknamed the "Grand Old Ditch", where from 1831 to 1924, coal, lumber, and crops were transported along. Nearly 5 million people annually come to the park to experience the many recreational activities are available in the park, including sightseeing, hiking, biking, boating , camping, horseback riding, and fishing. Fact Box Colonial National Historical Park Virginia Includes Colonial Parkway, Yorktown, Jamestown, and Cape Henry Established 1930 9,349 acres This park protects four different sites related to colonial times and early American History- the Historic Jamestown settlement, the Yorktown Battlefield, Green Spring Plantation, and Cape Henry Memorial. Jamestown and Yorktown are connected by the scenic 23-mile Colonial Parkway, which also passes through Colonial Williamsburg, which is not a part of the park. Fact Box Cumberland Gap Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia Established 1940 20,508 acres The name of this park comes from the narrow mountain pass which was used by frontiersman such as Daniel Boone to journey into the western frontiers of Kentucky and Tennessee. The park has over 80 miles of trails, camping, lots of wildlife, and spectacular overlooks such as the Pinnacles Overlook. Fact Box First State Dover, New Castle, and Wilmington, Delaware Established 2013 One of the newest NPS units, First State National Historical Park protects seven different sites related to the colonial history of Delaware- Beaver Valley, Fort Christina, Old Swedes Church, New Castle Court House, Dover Green Historic District, John Dickinson Plantation, and the Ryves Holt House.  Fact Box Dayton Aviation Heritage Ohio Established 1992 86 acres Dayton Aviation NHP protects five different sites in Dayton, Ohio which tell the stories of the Wright Brothers as well as African-American writer Paul Lawrence Dunbar. These sites are the Paul Lawrence Dunbar House, Hawthorne Hill (Orville Wright's residence), the Wright Brothers Aviation Center, Huffman Prairie Flying Field, and the Wright Cycle Company Complex. Fact Box George Rogers Clark Indiana Established 1966 24 acres This park memorializes Revolutionary War general George Rogers Clark, who scored a big victory over the British near Vincennes, Indiana, where it is located. The main attraction in the park is a circular granite building which is a memorial to George Rogers Clark. The park visitor center has informational exhibits and a movie about the great Revolutionary War general. Fact Box Harpers Ferry West Virginia Established 1944 2,287 acres This park located in three states preserves the historic town of Harpers Ferry, where in the 1800s abolitionist John Brown raided the federal armory with the hopes of causing a slave rebellion. While it was unsuccessful, it played a major role in the start of the Civil War.  Fact Box Hopewell Culture Ohio Established 1923 1,170 acres Hopewell Culture National Historical Park is composed of six separate earthwork sites from the Hopewell Culture, Native Americans who settled along rivers in the northeastern and midwestern United States from 200 BC to 500 CE.  Fact Box Independence Pennsylvania Established 1948 55 acres Independence NHP preserves several sites associated with the American Revolution and the nation's founding history. The centerpiece of the park, Independence Hall, was designated a World Heritage Site in 1979. The other buildings in the park include the National Constitution Center, Free Quaker Meeting House, President's House Site, the Declaration House, Liberty Bell Center, Franklin Court, the Market Street Houses, Carpenter's Hall, City Tavern, and St Joseph's Church. Fact Box Jean Lafitte Louisiana Established 1907 20,020 acres Jean Lafitte National Historical Park is made up of six sites scattered across south Louisiana. The 23,000-acre Barataria Preserve is a Louisiana wetland, the Chalmette Battlefield is the site of the Battle of New Orleans from the War of 1812, and adjacent to it is the Chalmette Cemetery. A trio of cultural centers make up the rest of the six sites- the Acadian Cultural Center, Prairie Acadian Cultural Center, and the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center. Anything from cooking lessons to crafts to jam sessions with local musicians are offered at these centers. Fact Box Kalaupapa Hawaii Established 1980 10,779 acres This National Historical Park in Hawaii preserves the place where 8,000 people with Hansen's Disease (leprosy) were forcibly sent from 1865 to the 1940s. Kalaupapa is only accessible via private tour.  Fact Box Kaloko-Honokohau Hawaii Established 1978 1,161 acres The north end of this park on the big island of Hawaii is the site of fishponds used in ancient Hawaii, while the southern end is an ancient settlement with petroglyphs, fishponds, house site platforms, stone slides, and religious sites. Canoeing, snorkeling, and hiking along the ocean are among the activities available in and around the park. Fact Box Keweenaw Michigan Established 1992 1,869 acres Keweenaw National Historical Park is made up of two units, the Calumet Unit and the Quincy Unit. The park consists of several sites related to the history of copper mining in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Among them are historic downtown Calumet, the Quincy Mine, and the towns of Hancock, Houghton, Laurium, and Lake Linden. Fact Box Klondike Gold Rush Alaska, Washington Established 1976 13,191 acres Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park offers many ways to experience gold rush history and enjoy the beauty of Alaska. Hiking trails, museums, and historic towns are among the attractions in the park. The Pioneer Square National Historic District in Seattle, Washington is also part of the park. Fact Box Lewis and Clark Oregon and Washington Established 1958 3,303 acres Lewis and Clark NHP is composed of several sites in Washington and Oregon which commemorate the Lewis and Clark Expedition: Fort Clatsop, the winter encampment for the Corps of Discovery from 1805-1806 is the main site. The other sites are Clark's Dismal Nitch, Fort to Sea Trail, Middle Village- Station Camp, Salt Works, and Netul Landing. Five state parks (3 in Oregon, 2 in Washington) are also part of the park. Fact Box Lowell National Historical Park Massachusetts Established 1978 141 acres This park is located in the middle of downtown Lowell, and preserves several sites related to the era of textile manufacturing in the city during the Industrial Revolution. Included in the park are a visitor center, museum, canals, railroads, and historic textile mills. Fact Box Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Vermont Established 1992 643 acres The centerpiece of this historical park is the historic Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller mansions and its surrounding gardens. The visitor center is located inside the Carriage Barn, which was built in 1895. Fact Box Minute Man Massachusetts Established 1959 967 acres Minute Man NHP preserves the sites of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the Revolutionary War. Visitors can see a historic tavern, homes of authors, and the North Bridge, where the "shot heard around the world" was fired. National Historical Parks (continued)