Featured Historic Properties for Preservation Month 2011

South San Francisco Opera House, San Francisco, California
Now known as the Bay View Opera House, this opera house was built in 1888. the building served as a public social hall for gatherings, cultural events and entertainment. The Opera House was the first cultural building constructed in the neighborhood and served for decades as the chief social center of the Bayview-Hunters Point district, regularly hosting dances, fairs, political rallies, and charity benefits.

San Timoteo Canyon Schoolhouse, Redlands, Riverside County, California
Follow the history of this rural one room schoolhouse from its construction in the 1890s to its rehabilitation in 2008 to become a county interpretive center.

Past Highlights:

A. Quinn Jones House, Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida
The house of this extraordinary man has been renovated and turned into a community center. Quinn was a teacher to his community and so much more. Read about his life, his career, and the communities he touched.

Moon-Randolph Ranch, Missoula County, Montana
The story of this ranch parallels the story of Montana. Read how Ray and Luella Moon established a "claim shack" and what happened to the ranch through generations. The Moon-Randolph Ranch will continue to tell the story of Montana because the City of Missoula acquired the ranch, and it is currently used for living history activities.

Downtown Churches Historic District, Sheboygan, Sheyboygan County, Wisconsin
The Downtown Churches Historic District is a well defined cluster of religious buildings. The four congregations located in the district represent four distinct faiths, each with a medium-sized, well-designed, and well-maintained church building. 

Marie Webster House, Marion, IN
Marie Webster made quilts during the first half of the 20th century, and represents a shift from the traditional designs to modern designs inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement. She also wrote the path breaking book  Quilts: Their Story and How to Make Them, which was the first book solely dedicated to the history of the quilt.

Woodlawn -- Alexandria, VA
Explore the former home of George Washington's adopted daughter, a National Trust for Historic Preservation property since 1951.

Henry Whitfield House -- Guilford, CT
Tour this 1639 Colonial Revival building, still in existence due to New England preservation efforts.

Quincy Homestead, Quincy, Massachusetts
(1686-1904): The Quincy Homestead is a remarkable example of New England architecture and its transformations from the late seventeenth century to the late nineteenth century.

The Hermitage Plantation, Davidson County, TN
The Hermitage Plantation, located 12 miles east of Nashville at Hermitage, Tennessee, was the home of Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States and victor of the Battle of New Orleans (1815), from 1804 until his death in 1845.

The Savannah National Historic Landmark District, Savannah GA
The Savannah National Historic Landmark District consists of the pre-Civil War section of Savannah and is significant for its city plan and remarkable architecture.

The Subway Terminal Building in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Now called the Metro 17, the building won a 2006 Preservation Award from the Los Angeles Conservancy for its role in the revitalization of downtown L.A. The estimated rehabilitation costs for this project were $55,175,744.

Newport Historic District -- Rhode Island
Newport’s era of greatest prosperity was from 1740 to 1775, and numerous surviving structures date from those golden years. The prosperity was undermined by the American Revolution and the British army...

The Brick House -- in the Newport Historic District The Brick Market, Newport , begun in 1761, was designed by Peter Harrison.

Moscow Downtown Historic District -- Idaho
Moscow is a community of about 22,000 people located in northern Idaho’s panhandle.

Teaching with Historic Places

National Historic Preservation Act Lesson Plan
In partnership with the History Channel, the Teaching with Historic Places program created a lesson plan highlighting the National Historic Preservation Act.

Federal Courthouses and Post Offices: Symbols of Pride and Permanence in American Communities
Learn how buildings restored and maintained by the U.S. General Services Administration illustrate the federal role in communities. Also research the process of nominating a building to the National Register of Historic Places, as well as ways in which buildings are designated at the state and local levels. Debate the value of documenting and officially recognizing historic places. (Colorado, Kentucky, and Oregon)

Glen Echo Park: Center for Education and Recreation
Trace the evolution of this Maryland site from a chapter of the Chautauqua movement to a national park. Also create a history of a popular gathering place in your community, and locate successful examples of adaptive reuse. (Maryland)

Teaching with Historic Places Preservation Month Feature Page

Online Travel Itineraries

Preserve America is a White House initiative that encourages and supports community efforts to preserve and enjoy our priceless cultural and natural heritage. Many Preserve America Communities are highlighted in the National Register of Historic Places' Discover Our Shared Heritage travel itinerary series.

American Presidents:
From George Washington's precedent-setting refusal to seek a third term to the present day, the presidents of the United States who led the nation, growing it from an infant republic to a global superpower, have all left their mark. This travel itinerary aids visitors in exploring the lives and contributions of 43 American Presidents.

Pierre and Fort Pierre, South Dakota:
Learn about, visit, and explore the authentic historic places that illustrate the history and development of Pierre and Fort Pierre, South Dakota from its earliest settlement to modern times.

Veterans Affairs National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers:
Learn about, visit, and explore the historic places that illustrate the history and development of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers from its earliest conception to the use of the branches as modern Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers.

Route 66
U.S. Highway 66 -- popularly known as Route 66 or the Mother Road -- holds a special place in American consciousness and evokes images of simpler times, mom and pop businesses, and the icons of a mobile nation on the road. This travel itinerary aids the public to visit the historic places that recall those images and experiences that are reminders of our past and evidence of the influence of the automobile.

Travel Itinerary Homepage (over 50 itineraries throughout the country).

Preservation Activities These are just a few of the events announced on the National Trust's Calendar of Events

For many more activities visit the National Trust's Calendar of Events

Preservation Links

National Park Service Preservation Month
Preserve America
National Trust for Historic Preservation
State Historic Preservation Offices Nationwide
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Preservation Action
National Alliance of Preservation Commissions
Association for Preservation Technology
National Center for Preservation Technology and Training -- NPS
National Maritime Initiative -- NPS
National Historic Landmarks -- NPS
Heritage Preservation Services -- NPS
Historic American Building Survey/ Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscape Survey (HABS/HAER/HALS) -- NPS
Museum Management -- NPS
History Division -- NPS
Archaeology -- NPS
Ethnography -- NPS