National Memorial is a designation in the United States for a protected area that memorializes a historic person or event.[1] National memorials are authorized by the United States Congress. The memorial need not be located on a site directly related to the subject[1] and many, such as the Lincoln Memorial, do not have the word "national" in their titles.
There are 29 national memorials that are owned and administered by the National Park Service as official units. Five more are administered by other organizations but receive assistence from the NPS and are considered affiliated areas of the National Park Service. The earliest and perhaps most recognizable National Memorial is the uniquely designated Washington Monument, which was completed in 1884 and transferred to the NPS in 1933. The most recently created national memorial is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, dedicated in 2011. National memorials are located in fourteen states and the District of Columbia. Washington, DC, has the most, with ten, followed by Pennsylvania and New York, each with three. The affiliated areas are in a further three states and the Northern Mariana Islands.
Nine national memorials commemorate US presidents, four commemorate wars, and seven commemorate other historic figures. As with all historic areas within the National Park System, national memorials are automatically listed on the National Register of Historic Places; however, some memorials that are affiliated areas are not listed on the Register.
Occasionally, a private organization will erect a memorial and use the word "national" in the name, without Congressional authorization. While these are intended to be national in scope, they are not "National Memorials", in the sense that they have the recognition of the American people, through its government. One example is the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.
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Name | Photo | Location | Date Formed[2][34] | Area[2] | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
American Memorial Park | Northern Mariana Islands | [35] | |||
Benjamin Franklin | Pennsylvania | [36] | |||
Father Marquette | Michigan | [37] | |||
Oklahoma City | Oklahoma | [38] | |||
Red Hill Patrick Henry | Virginia | [39] |