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Map of Homestead National Historical Park in Nebraska. The upside-down T-shaped park is outlined in green, and the surrounding areas fade beyond the park border.

Extended Description

Homestead National Historical Park is located between Country Roads 89 to the west and 75 to the east, both of which run north-south and are unpaved. State Route 4 runs diagonally through part of the park. The western half of the park is mostly covered by woodlands around Cub Creek. The eastern half of the park is mostly covered by tallgrass prairie.

There are two entrances to the park. One entrance is the Heritage Center, which has parking and a picnic area, in the lower right corner of the park. The Palmer-Epard Cabin is to the south, and the Freeman Graves are north of the center.

Two trails begin at the Freeman Graves. The Upland Prairie Loop Trail heads south, runs along the Osage Orange Hedgerow that makes up the southern border of the park. It leads to the Cottonwood Loop Trail, which creates a circuit against the wooded areas of the park. The Grain Growers Highway Trail heads northwest from the Freeman Graves and eventually splits and turns into the Farm Loop Trail in the northeast area of the park and the Woodland Loop Trail in the northwest area.

The Education Center is at the top left corner of the vertical leg of the park off State Route 4, and it has parking and a picnic area. About halfway down that leg of the park but still on the left edge of this section is the Approximate site of squatter’s cabin, 1862. Back to the northern corner, a trail heading east from the Education Center passes a Native Plants Exhibit as it leads to the Site of original Freeman homestead cabin, 1865-1890 about halfway up the right edge of the vertical leg. Two more sites are across the middle of the park where the vertical leg of the T meets the horizontal bar. The site of Freeman brick house, 1876-1916 is on the Woodland Loop Trail, and Prairie Plaza is on the Grain Growers Highway Trail.

Another green-outlined rectangle is at the intersection of State Route 4 and County Road 89, near the top left corner of the map. A site here is labeled Freeman School and has parking. The school is connected with the main park area by the Freeman School Trail along State Route 4.

Legend

A scale on the left side of the map measures 250 meters and 250 feet.

Below the scale is a legend that reads as follows:

Solid gray line for Unpaved Roads and

Dashed black line for Trails.

To the right of the legend, two symbols represent Parking and Picnic Areas.