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National Historic Landmarks Program


National Historic Landmarks are nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States. Today, fewer than 2,500 historic places bear this national distinction. Working with citizens throughout the nation, the National Historic Landmarks Program draws upon the expertise of National Park Service staff who work to nominate new landmarks and provide assistance to existing landmarks.



    • The National Historic Landmarks Program is pleased to announce the designation of 26 National Historic Landmarks.

    • The Landmarks Committee of the National Park System Advisory Board will convene in Washington, DC, on November 7 and 8, 2012, at the General Federation of Women's Clubs Headquarters for the National Historic Landmarks Program fall meeting. For a copy of the draft nominations being considered, and further information about the meeting, please visit our Fall 2012 meeting page.

    • The Intermountain Regional (IMR) Office recently released their Heritage Partnership Program Reports. We invite you to learn about National Historic Landmarks activities in the Intermountain Region.

    • Heavy Metal Rules! The winner of the 13th Annual National Historic Landmark Photo Contest is Don Woods, of North Clarendon, Vermont, whose photograph of Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site was selected from a pool of almost 300 photographs. View the winning entry and honorable mentions in this year's NHL winner's gallery at Flickr. For further information, please visit the National Historic Landmark Photo Contest page

    • The National Historic Landmarks Program is pleased to announce the availability of our latest theme study, Protecting America: Cold War Defensive Sites. A list of all theme studies is available online.

    • The National Historic Landmarks Program is pleased to highlight those NHLs located in the national parks featured in Ken Burns' documentary, The National Parks: America's Best Idea, which premiered September 27, 2009. Check your local PBS station for subsequent showings.

    • National Historic Landmark nominations and accompanying images are now available online through NPS Focus, a database of nominations for National Historic Landmarks, National Register of Historic Places, and National Park Service units. For more recent designations please visit our "Sample Nominations" page.

    • The National Historic Landmarks program and the National Register of Historic Places have recently expanded their photo policy. Please click here for further information.

    • For older news and features please visit our news archive page.