National Parks that focus on the accomplishments of Great Americans
The National Park Service (NPS) contains 417 units throughout the country in the form of National Parks, National Monuments, National Historic Sites, and other various categories of parks. Several of these sites administered by the NPS celebrate African-American history within the United States.
The LSN Social Studies Department will be featuring all of the units of the NPS that are devoted to African-American history. Please explore these jewels of our National Park Service:
African Burial Ground National Monument
c/o Federal Hall National Monument
26 Wall Street
New York, NY 10005
This is the oldest and largest known excavated burial ground in North America for both free and enslaved Africans. According to the NPS, this site “honors both the spirit of those buried here and those who fought for the respectful protection of this site for this and future generations. It is located just two blocks for the New York City Hall and was added to the NPS in 2006 by President George W. Bush. It is .35 acres and officially located at 290 Broadway in New York City.
Booker T. Washington National Monument
12130 Booker T. Washington Highway
Hardy, VA 23101
This 207 acre site in western Virginia preserves part of the tobacco farm that was the birthplace of the great educator Booker T. Washington. It became a National Monument in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It features the history of Booker T. Washington as well as information about life on a slave plantation.
Brown vs. Board of Education National Historic Site
1515 SE Monroe Street
Topeka, KS 66612
This park consists of the Monroe Elementary School building in Topeka, KS. This 1.85 acre site depicts the history of segregation of schools throughout the United States and details the story of Linda Brown, a young girl required to attend an all-black school. The main feature of the park is the landmark Supreme Court case “Brown v Board of Education” in 1954 that led to overturning “Plessy v Ferguson” and opened the doors to the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th Century and the beginning of desegregation. The National Historic Site was established in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush.
Camp Nelson National Monument
6614 Old Danville Road, Loop 2
Nicholasville, KY 40356
This park consists of the Monroe Elementary School building in Topeka, KS. This 1.85 acre site depicts the history of segregation of schools throughout the United States and details the story of Linda Brown, a young girl required to attend an all-black school. The main feature of the park is the landmark Supreme Court case “Brown v Board of Education” in 1954 that led to overturning “Plessy v Ferguson” and opened the doors to the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th Century and the beginning of desegregation. The National Historic Site was established in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush.
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
1411 W Street SE
Washington, DC 20020
This is the home of the great Abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass in the Anacostia neighborhood of Southeast Washington, DC. The home sets on a nine-acre property and features information about the life and accomplishments of Douglass during the 19th Century. The site is featured on the 2017 “American the Beautiful Quarters” series by the US Mint. The park is only a 10-minute walk from the DC Metro subway system. The National Historic Site was established by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.
Freedom Riders National Monument
c/o Anniston City Hall
1128 Gurnee Avenue
Anniston, AL 36201
This National Monument is one of the newest additions to the NPS and was established in January of 2017 by President Barack Obama. The monument is still in development and much of it is still closed to visitors. It features a Greyhound bus station in the city of Anniston as well as a section site six mile outside of town where a segregationist mob burned a bus carrying African-Americans. It is estimated that the monument, when completed, will encompass seven acres of the NPS.
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park
4068 Golden Hill Road
Church Creek, MD 21622
This 480 acre site lies within the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on the eastern shore of Maryland. It was created in 2013 by President Barack Obama and commemorates the life and accomplishments of Harriet Tubman. It is also a part of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Scenic Byway that is administered by the State of Maryland.
Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site
c/o National Capital Parks-East
1900 Anacostia Drive, SE
Washington, DC 20020
This is the home of Dr. Carter Woodson between 1922 and 1950. It was here that Dr. Woodson operated the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History. He also had two publications that operated out of this house. In the 2000, it was listed as one of America's most endangered historic places, but due to the efforts of many community leaders, activists, and Congress, it was made a National Historic Site in 2006 during the presidency of George W. Bush.
George Washington Carver National Monument
5646 Carver Road
Diamond, MO 64840
This was the first national park to celebrate an African-American. It is located outside of Springfield, Missouri in the small town of Diamond. It has his original home, a one-mile nature trail, and a museum dedicated to the accomplishments of this great scientist. The Carver Family Cemetery is also located here.
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site
c/o National Capital Parks-East
1900 Anacostia Drive, SE
Washington, DC 20020
Located in the Logan Circle Historic District of Washington, DC, this national historic site is the home of Mary McLeod Bethune. It is home to the National Archives for Black Women's history. The house was also the headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women. It became part of the National Park Service in 1994 during the presidency of Bill Clinton.
Nicodemus National Historic Site
304 Washington Avenue
Nicodemus, KS 67625
This site in rural western Kansas is the last remaining remnants of a town established by African-Americans during the Reconstruction Period. The site contains the original township hall, two churches, a schoolhouse and a hotel. Nicodemus was established in 1877. The town was established as a National Historic Site in 1996 by President Bill Clinton.
Reconstruction Era National Historical Park
PO Box 1719
Beaufort, SC 29901
This National Monument is one of the newest additions to the NPS and was established in January of 2017 by President Barack Obama. The monument is still in development and much of it is still closed to visitors. It will feature a Gullah cultural heritage center, historic schoolhouse, historic firehouse, a Civil War Union Army encampment, and a historic church. There is also the site of the reading of the Emancipation Proclamation to over 3,000 former slaves. is the first National Monument dedicated to the Reconstruction Era of American history.
Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site
1616 Chappie James Avenue
Tuskegee, AL 36083
This site commemorates the African-American airmen of World War II at Moton Field. Black airmen, who had previously been barred from flying trained at this site until political pressure to allow them to fly. It was the only facility of its kind in America. It became a National Historic Site in 1998 by President Bill Clinton. In 2021, it will be featured on the "American the Beautiful" quarter series.
Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
1510 Fifth Avenue North
Birmingham, AL 35203
This is one of the newest National Monuments in the United States, designated by President Barack Obama in 2017. The part is under development and is located within the Birmingham Civil Rights District. Temporary administration of the park is currently out of Atlanta, Georgia and will be developed over the next several years.
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
2120 West Daisy Gatson Bates Drive
Little Rock, AR 72202
This high school was one of the largest in the United States when it was constructed in 1927. It is still used as a high school, but it was designated a National Historic Site in 1998 by President Bill Clinton. The visitor's center is located across the street and has exhibits about the events that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement.
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park
450 Auburn Avenue, NE
Atlanta, GA 30312
This national historic site consists of the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Ebenezer Baptist Church, and the grave site of Dr. King. It was a national historic site until January 8, 2018 when it was redesignated to a National Historical Park. There are numerous historical buildings within the park along with the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.
New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park
419 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
This site was designated a National Historical Park in 1994 under President Bill Clinton. It is located in the Treme District of New Orleans. The park is the celebration of the origins of jazz music in the United States.
Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
3215 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23223
This park was designated a National Historic Site in 1978 under President Jimmy Carter. It is the home of the first African-American woman to own a bank in the United States. The actual property is located at 110 1/2 East Leigh Street in Richmond, Virginia.
Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
7002 US Highway 80 West
Haynesville, AL 36040
This national historic trail was established in 1996 under President Bill Clinton. It is a 54-mile round of the civil rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. It follow US Highway 80 and contains the Lowndes Interpretive Center near the halfway point of the highway trail.
Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site
1212 West Montgomery Road
Tuskegee Institute, AL 36088
Parts of the university campus were designated a National Historic Site in 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The major attractions on the campus for visitors is the grave of Booker T. Washington, grave of George Washington Carver, the George Washington Carver Museum, the Booker T. Washington monument, and The Oaks (home of Dr. Washington).
Boston African American National Historic Site
15 State Street, Ninth Floor
Boston, MA 02109
Established by President Jimmy Carter in 1980, this park contains 15 pre-Civil War buildings relating to the history of African-Americans in Boston. This includes the oldest standing black church in the United States. These buildings are also a part of the Black Heritage Trail, a 1.6 mile route in Boston.
Harriet Tubman National Historical Park
PO Box 769
Auburn, NY 13021
This historical park is located in various parts of Auburn, New York. The major attraction is the Harriet Tubman home, located at 180 South Street Road.
Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument
PO Box 428
Wilberforce, OH 45384
This site was designated a National Monument in 2013 by President Barack Obama. It is named for Charles Young, the third graduate of West Point and the first black US National Park superintendent. Young was also a teacher at the local college.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
1964 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20024
This four-acre site on the Tidal Basin in the heart of Washington, DC is the site of one of the newest memorials in the nation. It is on a sightline with the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial. It is the first memorial to an African-American in Washington, DC. The most prominent feature is the "Stone of Hope" with King being carved out of granite.
African American Civil War Memorial
1925 Vermont Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20001
This statute commemorates the over 200,000 African-American soldiers that served in the military during the Civil War.