Historical Landmarks

By Kristyne McDaniel

It is very common for landmarks around the world to be defined by their historical significance.  The Parthenon in Greece is known throughout the world both for its religious significance as a temple to ancient Greek gods, but also as a birthplace of modern democracy.

In the United States, though the Statue of Liberty is well-known for the political thoughts the statue is meant to represent, it is also a historical landmark, signifying the once close relationship between the United States and France and the shared democratic ideals of the two nations. The Statue was a gift from the French to commemorate the centennial of the United States.

Other historical landmarks within the United States include everything from monuments to American history to places of historic significance. For example, Independence Hall in Philadelphia is a national landmark because it was the site of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the home of the Liberty Bell. The Old North Church in Boston is a historical landmark because of its role in the American Revolution and because Henry Wadsworth Longfellow immortalized in the poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride”.

Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado is a historic landmark because the cliff dwellings as fairly unique within the country. They represent a physical and visual piece of history that cannot easily be had in other parts of the country.

Another less famous historic landmark that is a natural site is Cave-In-Rock, Illinois, on the Ohio River.  The limestone cave is a natural formation of the rock and the river, but is a historic landmark because it was used as a haven for pirates, counterfeiters and murderous gangs during the country’s westward expansion.

Other landmarks of historic significance vary by state and country. Within the United States, there is Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan, the Abraham Lincoln Museum and home in Springfield, Illinois, and the Gateway Arch and Museum of Westward Expansion in St. Louis, Missouri, among hundreds of others.

Many states have historic landmarks that are important both to the state’s history and to the nation’s, ranging from sites in Leadville, Colorado, related to “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” to sites in New Orleans related to the Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau and the American Revolutionary and Civil wars.