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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.



    • You can now view the Spring 2013 NPSAB Landmarks Committee Meeting online! The Landmarks Committee of the National Park System Advisory Board convened in Washington, DC, on April 9, 2013, at the National Park Service for the spring meeting of the National Historic Landmarks Program. For a copy of the draft nominations considered, and further information about the meeting, please visit our Spring 2013 meeting page.

    • The 14th Annual National Historic Landmark Photo Contest is now accepting entries. You can submit ten photographs of National Historic Landmark properties until July 9 at midnight (EST). For more information please visit the official 2013 National Historic Landmark Photo Contest page or visit our 2013 NHL Photo Contest Group page on Flickr.

    • Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Director of the National Park Service Jonathan B. Jarvis announced today the designation of 13 new National Historic Landmarks. Please click here for the full press release. You can read the NHL nominations for the designated properties at this link.

    • 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.