US National Parks: A Look at History

The National Park Service was established in 1916 to take care of the nation’s many parks. While most people only think of the 63 National Parks, the agency cares for other parks as well. The National Parks such as Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and Glacier focus on nature. These parks preserve the land, plants and animals that provide unique landscapes. On the other hand US National Historical Parks seek to preserve important historical locations throughout the nation. Currently the National Park Service oversees 61 National Historical Parks in the USA.

The major National Parks tend to be in the western United States. California, Alaska, and Utah alone account for about a third of the National Parks. On the other hand many of the National Historical Parks are on the East Coast as much of the nation’s early history occurred there.

A unique feature of the National Historical parks is that a park may be spread across different locations. I recently wrote about the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. We visited Fort Clatsop near Astoria. However, the park also includes salt mines in Seaside, Oregon, and two section across the Columbia River in Washington. Another example is the Manhattan Project National Park which has locations in Hanford, Washington, Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

We have had the opportunity to visit a few of the 61 parks so this blog is to share some thoughts and impressions about those we have had a chance to visit. The first two are in Massachusetts.

Anyone who has studied American history knows that Boston was a major player in the events leading up to the Revolutionary War. The Boston National Historical Park links together many of the significant and well known places in the Boston area. The Freedom Trail is a means of connecting many of these locations. Available maps will guide you along the trail and indicate the important and significant places visitors want to see. The map is easy to follow.

We toured Boston in 2012 and enjoyed seeing the places we had read about. I particularly liked seeing the Old North Church where Paul Revere hung the lantern, Paul Revere’s home, and the various cemeteries along the way with the graves of some of the founding fathers. It was unique to see an old cemetery right in the middle of a bustling downtown with modern buildings around it.

Outside of Boston is the Minute Man National Historical Park which commemorates the first battle of the Revolutionary War. Besides the well known Minute Man statute, there are a number of other things to see and do. One can cross the Old North Bridge in Concord where the famous first shots were fired. The Battle Road trail is a five mile trail that follows the road the British and Americans traveled as they fought each other. Along the way are various historical sites and buildings to see. We did not walk the entire five miles, but did walk part of the trail. It is a good historical experience.

Further south in Virginia lies the Colonial National Historical Park. This park is in two main sections, Yorktown and Jamestown. Yorktown, a prominent Virginia port city, ended up destroyed in one of the last battles of the American Revolution. Jamestown goes back even further in history as the first settlement in Virginia to survive starting in 1607. Sadly the introduction of slaves to the colony came early on in 1619.

I had the opportunity to visit the Jamestown section in 2010 when I was asked to be a chaperone for the spring eighth grade trip to Washington DC at my school. Jamestown was our first stop, but for some reason I only have photos of a blacksmith shop from there. I remember there was a replica boat at the dock which the kids enjoyed exploring.

Traveling farther south along the Atlantic coast brings us to Charleston, South Carolina and Fort Sumter which along with Fort Moultrie make another National Historical Park. We only visited Fort Sumter on our visit to the area in 2011. When we visited, this was designated as a National Monument, but in 2019 it was changed to a National Historical Park.

Fort Sumter, of course, was the location of the first battle of the Civil War. The fort was originally built to protect the city of Charleston. Since it is on an island, we had to take a boat out to the fort. There is a fee for the ride as the boat is not operated by the Park Service. Once at the park, visitors will see some old cannons as well as some of the original walls which were severely damaged during the Civil War. There are a number of displays and information boards to help visitors learn about the history.

In 2011 we visited Texas for the first time. There are two Historical National Parks in Texas that we visited. The first was the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. When we were in Austin, we visited Johnson’s Library, an interesting review of history. While driving toward our next stop of Fredricksburg, we saw a sign for the Johnson Settlement, part of the Johnson Historical Park. There are some different parts to the park. The biggest part is the LBJ Ranch which we didn’t visit. The settlement is the place where President Johnson’s grandfather and great-uncle built their cattle business. The old cabin is there along with an old well. Nearby is LBJ’s childhood home which has furnishings from the 1920’s. It gives some interesting insight into LBJ and his development.

A few days later we were in San Antonio. You might thing that the Alamo would be a National Historical Park, but the state of Texas owns and runs that historical place. However there are four missions in the area that create the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. The first one we visited was Mission Concepción, dedicated in 1755. Over 250 years later the major structure of the church still stands. I like the two bell towers. They seem so solid.

The second mission we visited was Mission San José. What is unique about this location is that the entire compound is here not just the church building. There is information here about the life of the mission as well as artifacts. Unfortunately when we visited, workers were restoring the church so we were unable to go inside it.

In terms of the church building, I think my favorite was the Mission Espada. The front looks like a face to me. It’s full name is Mission San Francisco de la Espada. It is the oldest mission in Texas founded in 1690 by the Franciscans who wanted to teach the Native Americans Spanish ways. Near the mission the residents built an aqueduct to bring water from the San Antonio River to the nearby farmland.

The final mission is San Juan Capistrano normally called Mission San Juan. Founded in 1716, this mission became known for its agricultural prowess. It became a regional supplier of produce for the other missions as well as settlements. When we visited in 2011, the facade of the church looked rather sad. A picture on the current website indicates that the church has been through a restoration since our visit.

Spanish missionaries established missions throughout the Southwest. Another mission that is now a National Historical Park is Tumacácori in southern Arizona near Tubac. The mission church was not in the best condition when we were there in 2012, especially the interior. However, it was interesting to see some of the old details in the church. In some places we could see the shadows of previous paintings on the walls.

Behind the church was the cemetery where the graves were marked with simple crosses and piles of rock over the graves. Visitors enter the site through the Visitor Center which has a small museum with artifacts from the area. The church was quite picturesque on the outside, and I enjoyed taking photographs here.

The final National Historical Park I want to mention is in Hawaii. Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park is on the big island of Hawaii. We visited this park in 2017. It is a rather unusual park related to Hawaiian history. Apparently it was a place of refuge for those who might have broken a law. It reminds me somewhat of the Cities of Refuge designated in the Old Testament.

There are some unique structures and features at the park. There is a fish pond, wooden statues that represent some of the gods, and a representation of a holy structure. The park is right on the coast and the volcanic rock is a part of what the park is about.

US National Historical Parks offer an opportunity to learn more about the history of the United States. The various parks we visited made a point to inform about the various people groups that make up this great country. The parks remind us of the struggles of many of those who became a part of our country. I hope you take the opportunity to visit any National Historical Parks near your next vacation destination.

Is there a National Historical Park near you that you have visited, or one you enjoyed on your travels? I’d love to hear about other National Historical Parks as there are many I have yet to visit. Be sure to share your experiences in the comment section below. You can also sign up to receive this blog by email each week. It’s free, and no awkward ads will attack you; I promise.

Credits: Photos of me at Fort Sumter taken by Silvette Lee