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The US recognizes its heritage -

In 1920, the Preservation Society of Charleston in South Carolina was founded to educate people and make them aware of the importance of preserving heritage sites. Charleston subsequently became the first US city to pass a local zoning ordinance that protected historic buildings. Pictured: an interior room of the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, a Charleston landmark built in 1771 as a commercial exchange and custom house.

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Ocmulgee National Monument, Macon, Georgia -

The zoning ordinance was later used by numerous regions across the US to preserve heritage sites. Later, in 1949, the National Trust for Historic Preservation was founded. Its aim is to empower local conservationists and environmentalists by providing leadership to save and revitalize America's historic places, destinations like the Ocumulgee Mounds, a major earthworks complex built before 1000 CE by the South Appalachian Mississippian culture.

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Ghost Fleet of the Potomac, Mallows Bay, Maryland -

Among the more unusual sites the National Trust preserves is the Ghost Fleet of the Potomac, a collection of some 200 historic shipwrecks spanning over three centuries of American shipbuilding.

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Little Havana, Miami, Florida -

The National Trust's numerous other sites include Little Havana in Miami, Florida, referred to as the state's very own Ellis Island. The colorful and lively neighborhood is symbolic of inclusiveness and the immigration spirit that helped build America into what it is today.

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The Delta Queen, Houma, Louisiana -

The Delta Queen, one of the last surviving traditional steamboats in the United States, was launched in 1929. It's soon to once again ply American waterways after a campaign led by the National Trust prompted legislation to be passed that will enable the vessel to return to an overnight cruise service.

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Historic Neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -

Philadelphia's Old City comprises a dense cluster of famous streets and landmarks, places like Elfreth's Alley (pictured), which dates back to 1703. The area is collectively known as the Historic Neighborhoods of Philadelphia.

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President Lincoln's Cottage, Washington, D.C. -

President Abraham Lincoln and his family resided seasonally on the grounds of this property, described as a cottage and built in the Gothic revival style. The building today serves as the Armed Forces Retirement Home.

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Lyndhurst, Tarrytown, New York -

Lyndhurst, one of America's finest Gothic Revival mansions, was designed in 1838 by Alexander Jackson Davis. Former occupants include the 19th-century railroad tycoon Jay Gould.

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Cooper Molera Adobe, Monterey, California -

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is especially known for its remarkable portfolio of historic properties found in locations all across America. These include Cooper Molera Adobe, which dates back to 1827 and a time when Monterey was the capital of Mexico's largest province.

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Acoma Sky City, Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico -

Acoma Sky City is the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States. The adobe houses, plazas, and walkways date back to 1100, though the Acoma have continuously occupied the area for over 2,000 years.

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Woodlawn, Alexandria, Virginia -

A picture of grace and symmetry, Woodlawn was completed in 1805 as the plantation house for George Washington's nephew, Major Lawrence Lewis.

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African Meeting House and Abiel Smith School, Boston, Massachusetts -

Built in 1806 primarily by black construction workers, the African Meeting House hosted many prominent abolitionists, including William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass. The school, meanwhile, was the nation's first building designed for the sole purpose of housing a black public school.

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Belle Grove, Middletown, Virginia -

Nestling in the tranquil Shenandoah Valley south of Middletown, Virginia, Belle Grove was completed in 1797. It's especially known as serving as the headquarters of Union general Philip Sheridan during the 1864 Battle of Cedar Creek.

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Hotel de Paris Museum, Georgetown, Colorado -

One of the Old West's most colorful and distinctive gathering places, the Hotel de Paris opened its doors in 1875. Among its more notable guests was the aforementioned railroad speculator Jay Gould and the English explorer and naturalist, Isabella Bird—the first woman to be elected as a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

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Chesterwood, Stockbridge, Massachusetts -

Chesterwood was the summer estate and studio of the influential American sculptor Daniel Chester French, responsible for, among other public works, the huge statue of Abraham Lincoln that stands, or rather sits, in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., dedicated in 1922.

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Cliveden, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -

Besides its noteworthy Georgian architecture, Cliveden is famous as the site of the Revolutionary Battle of Germantown in 1777. The property was built as a country house for Philadelphia attorney Benjamin Chew and his family.

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Decatur House, Washington, D.C. -

A noted example of Federal-style architecture, Decatur House is one of the oldest surviving homes in the nation's capital. It features a preserved slave quarters—one of the few remaining urban examples still in existence.

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Farnsworth House, Plano, Illinois -

Named for prominent Chicago nephrologist, musician, and poet Dr. Edith Farnsworth, this iconic masterpiece of the International Style of architecture was completed in 1951 as a weekend retreat for its illustrious owner.

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Filoli, Woodside, California -

Located in Woodside, about 40 km (25 miles) south of San Francisco, Filoli was built between 1915 and 1917 for William Bowers Bourn II, owner of one of California's richest gold mines. The property is considered one of the finest remaining country estates of the 20th century.

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The Glass House, New Canaan, Connecticut -

A cherished Connecticut visitor attraction (and one of the nation's greatest modern architectural landmarks), the Glass House was designed by famed architect Philip Johnson as his own residence and completed in 1949. The exterior walls are made of glass with no interior walls, a radical departure from houses of the era.

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Kykuit, Tarrytown, New York -

Business magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller was the first owner of Kykuit, an extraordinary late 19th-century Beaux Arts-style mansion set in elaborate gardens created in the Italian style. It's jointly owned by the National Trust and operated by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

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Lower East Side Tenement Museum, New York City, New York -

One of the National Trust's most absorbing properties is the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. It tells one of America's most important stories: how immigrants became American, and how America became a nation. It's located on the city's Orchard Street and appears more or less as it did in the late 1880s.

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Pope-Leighey House, Alexandria, Virginia -

Deigned by Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the world's most distinguished and influential architects, Pope-Leighey House features many innovative features, things like a cantilevered roof, that can be viewed as an origin of ideas that have influenced modern American homes.

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The President Woodrow Wilson House, Washington, D.C. -

President and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson lived here after leaving the White House in 1921. The property was built in 1915 and retains all its original interior furnishings.

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Touro Synagogue, Newport, Rhode Island -

Touro Synagogue, dedicated in 1763, is the oldest synagogue building in the United States. Since the late 19th century, the congregants have been primarily Ashkenazi.

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Brucemore, Cedar Rapids, Iowa -

A fine example of a Queen Anne-style mansion, Brucemore was built between 1884 and 1886. The property was owned by a succession of prominent Iowa families— industrialists, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists—who used the estate as a center for culture and the arts.

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James Madison's Montpelier, Virginia -

Founding Father and fourth president of the United States James Madison lived at this sprawling property, which the National Trust spent many years renovating and refurbishing to its original 1820 character after it was bequeathed to the organization by the du Pont family.

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Jamestown, Jamestown, Virginia -

Established in 1607, the original site of the first permanent English settlement in North America, this historic National Trust site is today under threat from sea level rise, storms, and recurrent flooding. The Jamestown Rediscovery Foundation is currently implementing climate change mitigation plans.

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Olivewood Cemetery, Houston, Texas -

Dating back to 1875, Olivewood Cemetery is the final resting place of many notable figures in Houston's early African-American community and of formerly enslaved Africans. It's one of America's most endangered historic places due to neglect and inappropriate development.

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Camp Naco, Naco, Arizona -

The neglected Camp Naco stands as a reminder of the contribution made by the Buffalo Soldiers and other black regiments who served in the then-segregated US Army in the years following the Civil War. It's another site the National Trust has cited as under threat.

Sources: (Preservation Society of Charleston) (National Trust for Historic Preservation) (National Register of Historic Places)

See also: American landmarks—how many do you know?

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