All U.S. National Historic Landmarks are situated within the 50 states or one of the nation’s overseas territories, except the American Legation in the Moroccan city of Tangier. Morocco and the United States have a long diplomatic history, and the mansion was gifted to the U.S. in 1821. Over the years, it has served many purposes, including a museum, diplomatic residence, training center, and library. The building symbolizes friendship between the two nations.

The official name of this historic landmark, 48GO305, does not exactly roll off the tongue. Instead, it is better known as the Hell Gap Paleoindian Site. The site in Goshen County, Wyoming, received its official designation in 2017 after archaeologists uncovered evidence of nine different Paleoindian habitations here, dating from 13,000 to 8,500 years ago. The discoveries make it one of the most important archaeological sites in the country.

Ivy Green, a home in Tuscumbia, Alabama, was the birthplace of author and activist Helen Keller. Her grandfather built the homestead in 1820, and Keller was born here in 1880. Just 19 months later, illness left Keller both deaf and blind. In 1887 at Ivy Green, her teacher Anne Sullivan famously began teaching Keller to communicate with the outside world. A play about the pair is performed each year at the historic landmark.

The Belle of Louisville has been in operation since 1914 and is the only remaining authentic steamboat from its era. Originally christened the Idlewild, the steamer first hauled freight between Memphis and West Memphis. The ship later traveled the lengths of the Mississippi River before being auctioned in 1962 and renamed the Belle of Louisville. She now carries sightseers along a stretch of the Ohio River.

Their names conjure up images of Wild West shootouts, but the history of Danger Cave and Desolation Canyon extend much further into the past. Desolation Canyon is thought to be one of the most remote parts of the United States. Its 290,000 acres of rugged landscape has little vegetation or wildlife. Meanwhile, on the other side of Utah, Danger Cave is an important archaeological site, with artifacts dating to the Desert Cultures that lived here in 9000 BCE.

President Andrew Jackson was born in the Carolinas, but after marriage, he and his wife settled in the Nashville area. They lived on several properties before he purchased a farm in 1804 that would become the Hermitage. Jackson even resigned from the Tennessee Supreme Court to focus on developing the farm. It suffered heavy fire damage in 1834 but was rebuilt and is now one of Tennessee’s best-preserved historic mansions.

The Wild West era from the early 19th century to the early 20th century is remembered for its lawlessness, but it also marked a time of expansion, growth, and excitement. Efforts have been made to preserve this part of America’s history, with several towns designated National Historic Landmarks. These include the towns of Deadwood, Virginia City, and Tombstone, but Dodge City is not among them.

Many attractions bring visitors to the Jersey Shore, but perhaps the most unusual is a six-story building shaped like an elephant. The eye-catching structure was the brainchild of James Lafferty, a local entrepreneur who thought it might attract people to the region. It was completed in 1881 but was not named Lucy until 1902, when owner Sophie Gertzen turned it into a tavern. In 1970, the owners donated Lucy to a local committee for preservation.

Fort Apache and Fort Bowie are both historic sites within the state of Arizona. Fort Apache was a military outpost until 1922, and after the fort’s closure, it became a boarding school. The current site includes the fort, the former school, and a military cemetery. Fort Bowie was also once a military outpost but was officially closed in 1894, having been all but abandoned several years earlier.

Pelican Island is located in the Indian River Lagoon estuary on the eastern coastline of Florida. Theodore Roosevelt named it the country’s first National Wildlife Refuge in 1903, and in 1963 it was also named a National Historic Landmark. Among the many species living within its boundaries are turtles and many endangered birds.

In 1967, the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in St. Louis, Missouri, was named a National Historic Landmark. The brewery was founded by German immigrant Adolphus Busch in 1852. By 1957, it had become the largest in the world. The landmark designation includes the brewhouse, the administration building, and the stables, which housed the brand’s famous Clydesdale horses.

The iconic Brooklyn Bridge links the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. When it opened in 1883, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world and an engineering marvel. The original construction took 13 years, and the bridge has been reconfigured several times since to allow for different types of traffic. The bridge was called both the New York-Brooklyn Bridge and the East River Bridge until it officially received its current name in 1915.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway bills itself as the racing capital of the world. It opened in 1909 as one of the nation’s earliest purpose-built race tracks and received a National Historic Landmark designation in 1987. The speedway is also the world’s highest-capacity sports venue, capable of seating more than 400,000 spectators. Its track covers 2.5 miles.

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (now a Space Force Station) has been the launch site for many historic events, including astronaut Alan Shepard's departure on the first manned U.S. spaceflight in 1961. Because of its connections with the U.S. space program, parts of Cape Canaveral have been designated a National Historic Landmark. Its name has changed several times; from 1964 to 1974, it was called Cape Kennedy Air Force Station.

Perhaps the United States’ best known architect, Frank Lloyd Wright is responsible for 26 National Historic Landmarks in eight states. Of these, nine properties are in Illinois, and six are in Wisconsin. Other Wright designed-properties with the historic designation are located in California, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York, Oklahoma, and Arizona. The distinctive buildings range from private residences to religious buildings and administrative offices.

The tombs of Presidents Monroe, McKinley, and Lincoln are all National Historic Landmarks. Lincoln is buried in Springfield, Illinois, where his former home is also a historic site. Lincoln lived here from 1844 until 1861, when he became President and moved to Washington, D.C. His boyhood home in Indiana is also a National Historic Landmark. Meanwhile, his birthplace in Kentucky is a National Historic Park.

Tennessee is home to a number of music-related National Historic Landmarks, including Sun Records, Beale Street, the Ryman Auditorium, and Graceland. The latter, located in Memphis, was the residence of the King himself, Elvis Presley. The mansion was built in 1939 and purchased by Presley in 1957. Today, the popular tourist attraction is preserved as it was during Elvis’ lifetime and open to the public as a museum.

A small island visible from the city of San Francisco, Alcatraz Island has served different purposes throughout its history, from a fort to a military prison. However, it is best known as being a maximum security prison from 1934 to 1963. Al Capone was one of the prison’s famous inmates. Today, Alcatraz Island is a popular tourist attraction and can be reached by boat from Fisherman’s Wharf.

More than 2,600 National Historic Landmarks can be found throughout the United States and its territories. New York has the most of any state, with 275 landmarks as of 2022. The majority of these (116) are in New York City. Carnegie Hall, Central Park, and the Empire State Building are just a few of the city’s National Historic Landmarks.

It’s only fitting that the location where the Declaration of Independence was signed is also home to the oldest continually inhabited residential street in the United States. Designated a National Historic Landmark, Elfreth's Alley is a small cobblestone street named for Jeremiah Elfreth, a blacksmith who owned property in the area. The street dates back to Philadelphia's early days in 1703. Thirty-two houses still stand along the alley, with two serving as a museum.

Constructed in under five years during the Great Depression, the Hoover Dam was a marvel of modern engineering when it was completed in 1931. Called the Boulder Dam during the FDR administration, it was renamed the Hoover Dam in 1947, in honor of the President who oversaw its development. The Hoover Dam National Historic Landmark straddles the border between Arizona and Nevada, diverting water from the Colorado River into the Lake Mead reservoir.