What We Do

History is not the past for the National Park Service; it is our everyday and our future!

The National Park Service preserves and protects historic places across the United States for future generations. Within the National Park Service, many people work in historic preservation: archeologists, architects, curators, historians, landscape architects, and other cultural resource professionals. The National Park Service carries out historic preservation both within and outside the National Park System:

• Designation of historic sites (includes federally, state, and privately owned properties), including those on the National Register of Historic Places
• Documentation (includes written, photographic, and technical documentation, as well as oral histories
• Physical preservation (includes stabilization, rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction)
• We also preserve thousands of museum objects in museum collections across the country.

Visit our pages below to find out more!

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  In their own words

  Oral Histories

  Documenting the past in the words and eyewitness accounts of those that were there.

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  Objects that tell stories

  Museum Collections

  Explore the virtual collections of the National Park Service that relate to World War II.

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  Hands on History!

  Historic Preservation

  Keeping structures and landscapes preserved for future generations takes time, money, community support, and dedication.

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  Explore World War II Heritage Cities

  Explore the designated World War II Heritage Cities and learn more about the U.S. Home Front