Tag Archives: memorial

Kentucky

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

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Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park

Kentucky

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1916 National Park, 1939 National Historical Park, 1959 National Historic Site, 2009 National Historical Park

345 acres

Website: nps.gov/abli

Overview

In December 1808, Thomas and Nancy Lincoln moved with their infant daughter to a 300-acre farm near Sinking Spring, where soon their son Abraham would be born on February 12.  Two years later they moved to a more fertile farm ten miles northeast on Knob Creek.  The family left for Indiana five years after that, where today you can find Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial.  The original birthplace cabin was dismantled before 1865, but a cabin built nearby using some of the Lincoln logs was purchased three decades later for the purpose of exhibiting a traveling replica.  When that replica cabin was placed inside the Memorial Building in 1911, it was too large for tourists to walk around it, so it was decreased in scale from 16-by-18 feet to 12-by-17 feet.  In 2001, the National Park Service acquired the privately-owned boyhood home reconstruction at Knob Creek Farm, leading to the redesignation back to a National Historical Park.

Highlights

Memorial Building, film, Knob Creek Farm, Overlook Trail

Must-Do Activity

The future U.S. President came from humble beginnings, and here in Kentucky is where his education began.  Even if you are familiar with his life story, it is a good idea to watch the film at the visitor center before climbing the stairs to the scale model of the birth cabin inside the Memorial Building.  A ten-mile drive takes you to the reconstructed Lincoln house at Knob Creek Farm, where you can hike the Overlook Trail if you have time.

Best Trail

Boundary Oak Trail is 0.3 miles and starts near the Memorial Building, while 0.7-mile Big Sink Trail starts from the picnic area on the other side of Highway 31E.  At Knob Creek Farm, Overlook Trail is 3.1 miles out-and-back with 348 feet of cumulative elevation gain. 

Photographic Opportunity

Exactly a century after Abraham’s birthday, President Theodore Roosevelt was on hand for the laying of the cornerstone for a Memorial Building where the Lincoln family cabin once stood. 

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

https://www.nps.gov/abli/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Outside Hodgenville, all roads are paved to the Birthplace Unit of the park and the Boyhood Home Unit at Knob Creek, which is ten miles northeast on U.S. Highway 31E.

Camping

Located 25 miles northeast on Highway 31E, My Old Kentucky Home State Park has a 39-site campground with RV hookups, plus an 18-hole golf course.

Related Sites

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial (Indiana)

Lincoln Home National Historic Site (Illinois)

Lincoln Memorial (District of Columbia)

Nearest National Park

Mammoth Cave

Chestnut tree
Knob Creek Farm
Hodgenville, KY
Hodgenville, KY

Explore More – Why are their exactly 16 steps in each of the four sets of stairs that lead up to Lincoln’s birth cabin Memorial Building?

District of Columbia

Korean War Veterans Memorial

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Korean War Veterans Memorial

District of Columbia

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1995

2.2 acres

Website: nps.gov/kowa

Overview

The Korean War took place from 1950 to 1953 as the first shooting war with Communists during the longer Cold War with China and the Soviet Union.  The walls of the memorial were updated in 2022 to list the names of all 36,634 Americans and 7,174 South Koreans who died under U.S. command.  The memorial is situated on the National Mall near the Reflecting Pool and Lincoln Memorial.  Authorized in 1986, groundbreaking occurred six years later, and it was dedicated on July 27, 1995, the 42nd anniversary of the armistice that ended the war.

Highlights

The Column statues, Mural Wall, Pool of Remembrance, United Nations Wall, Wall of Remembrance

Must-Do Activity

The main memorial forms a triangle intersecting a circle with black granite walls sandblasted with names and 2,500 archival photographic images from the Korean War.  Larger-than-life statues stand over seven feet tall depicting a platoon of 19 soldiers on patrol through rocky terrain.  The shorter United Nations Wall lists the 22 member states that contributed troops or provided medical support.  The shallow Pool of Remembrance is a 30-foot-wide circle surrounded by inscriptions listing the numbers of casualties and the phrase “Freedom Is Not Free.”

Best Trail

There are paved sidewalks through this memorial and around the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial.  You will get plenty of steps in if you traverse the length of the National Mall.

Photographic Opportunity

The 19 stainless steel statues designed by Frank Gaylord are known as The Column, composed of 14 U.S. Army soldiers, three Marines, one Navy Corpsman, and one Air Force Forward Air Observer. 

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Hours

Open 24 hours

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Traffic can be slow and parking expensive in Washington, D.C., so consider taking the Metro to Smithsonian Station on the National Mall or the Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter stop on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Camping

There are National Park Service campgrounds in Maryland’s Greenbelt Park and Virginia’s Prince William Forest Park.

Related Sites

World War I Memorial (District of Columbia)

World War II Memorial (District of Columbia)

Vietnam Veterans Memorial (District of Columbia)

Nearest National Park

Shenandoah

Explore More – When the 19 soldier statues are reflected on the granite walls there are 38 soldiers, why is the number 38 significant to the Korean War?

District of Columbia

World War I Memorial

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World War I Memorial

District of Columbia

Managed by National Park Service

Established 2021

1.76 acres

Website: https://www.nps.gov/nama/planyourvisit/national-world-war-i-memorial.htm

Overview

In 1931, the District of Columbia War Memorial was erected on the National Mall where the white rotunda still stands near the Washington Monument (see photos below).  The World War I Memorial near the White House was first approved by Congress in 1957 to honor John J. Pershing, General of the Armies during World War I (a rank only George Washington shares).  A scant 24 years later, Pershing Park on Pennsylvania Avenue NW was finally dedicated and a statue was added after another two years.  On April 16, 2021, the World War I Memorial officially opened and three years later, the58-foot-long A Soldier’s Journey sculpture by Sabin Howard was installed.  In Kansas City, Missouri, the National World War I Museum and Memorial opened in 1926 as the Liberty Memorial, and Congress designated it as the country’s official war memorial in 2014.

Highlights

Reflecting pool, Pershing sculpture, A Soldier’s Journey sculpture, 5 p.m. “Taps”

Must-Do Activity

World War I Memorial is considered part of both Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site and the National Mall and Memorial Parks, as well as being listed as one of the 433 official National Park Service (NPS) sites.  It does not take long to read the plaques and see the sculptures, so try to aim to be there for the 5 p.m. daily playing of “Taps” by a soldier in a World War I-era uniform.  Nearby, the Old Post Office Tower on Pennsylvania Avenue NW was completed in 1899 and reaching the top requires two free elevator rides from NPS rangers.  It provides a great view from the third highest point in the city (and hopefully it reopens soon after the new hotel owners closed it to the public on October 1, 2025).  Further east down the road, the free U.S. Navy Memorial Visitor Center is also worth a visit.

Best Trail

There is no trail here, but there is always plenty of walking done when visiting the many memorials in Washington, D.C.

Photographic Opportunity

A Soldier’s Journey is the 25-ton bronze bas-relief that was officially unveiled during the “First Illumination” ceremony on September 13, 2024.

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Hours

Open 24 hours

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Traffic can be slow and parking expensive in Washington, D.C., so consider taking the Metro to Smithsonian Station on the National Mall or the Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter stop on Pennsylvania Avenue. 

Camping

There are National Park Service campgrounds in Maryland’s Greenbelt Park and Virginia’s Prince William Forest Park.

Related Sites

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (Tennessee-Georgia)

World War II Memorial (District of Columbia)

Vietnam Veterans Memorial (District of Columbia)

Nearest National Park

Shenandoah

Old Post Office Tower
Old Post Office Tower
View from the Old Post Office Tower
U.S. Navy Memorial Visitor Center
District of Columbia War Memorial on the National Mall

Explore More – Why did I include Civil War-era Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park as a related site for the World War I Memorial?

California

Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial

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Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial

California

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1992

5 acres

Website: nps.gov/poch

Overview

On July 17, 1944 at 10:18 p.m., a massive explosion at a U.S. Navy facility rocked the San Francisco Bay area.  The blast started at a pier where munitions were being loaded onto two ships and killed 320 men.  The majority of the dead were African American sailors who were segregated at the time and not allowed to serve in combat roles or as officers.  After refusing to return to unsafe working conditions, 206 sailors were convicted after a summary courts-martial, and the “Port Chicago 50” were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for mutiny.  After receiving negative publicity, the Navy actually became the first of the military branches to integrate during World War II, well before President Truman required it in 1948.  On January 6, 1946, the Navy released 47 of the 50 men being held and in 2024, the Navy posthumously exonerated all 256 men and vacated any remaining dishonorable discharges. 

Highlights

Memorial, film, revetment

Must-Do Activity

The memorial is located on an active military base called Military Ocean Terminal Concord on Suisun Bay.  Therefore, all visitors are required to be U.S. Citizens and must make a reservation at least two weeks before their visit by calling or emailing the National Park Service (NPS) to receive a background check.  Tours are given only on Thursdays, Fridays, or Saturdays and meet at John Muir National Historic Site (where you can watch a short film) in Martinez where the group boards government vehicles to drive to the site.  After a thorough search of the vehicle and each visitor getting checked off a list, it is a short drive to the memorial where the NPS ranger explains the history of the site at two locations with time to walk around and take photos (but only of the memorial area).

Best Trail

None

Photographic Opportunity

Shrapnel from the 1944 blast is located at the first stop on the guided tour where historic train cars are parked in a revetment. 

Peak Season

Summer

Hours

Tours are available only on Thursdays, Fridays, or Saturdays when the base is not closed to civilians.

https://www.nps.gov/poch/planyourvisit/hours.htm

Fees

None

Road Conditions

All roads are paved to John Muir National Historic Site where there is a free parking lot.

Camping

There are campgrounds at Mount Diablo State Park and backcountry campsites (permit required) at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Related Sites

Rosie the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park (California)

Muir Woods National Monument (California)

Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site (Alabama)

Nearest National Park

Pinnacles

Revetment
Egret flying
Blast radius

Explore More – What future Supreme Court Justice observed the courts-martial and has a regional park named in his honor near Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial?

District of Columbia

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

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Vietnam Veterans Memorial

District of Columbia

Managed by National Park Service

Established 1982

2 acres

Website: nps.gov/vive

Overview

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund was incorporated as a nonprofit charity in 1979 to build a monument listing all the names of those killed or missing during the Vietnam War.  It was originally the idea of Jan Scruggs, an infantry corporal, and it was important to the veterans that it not make a political statement about the controversial war in Southeast Asia.  Selected from 1,421 design entries, Maya Ying Lin intended her memorial to be a quiet, protected place for reflection.  The polished black marble she chose to inscribe the half-inch-tall names also reflects the surrounding trees and grass in Constitution Gardens adjacent to the National Mall.  The $7-million cost of the memorial was entirely funded by corporate and private donations, including those from 275,000 individual Americans.

Highlights

Memorial wall, Three Soldiers sculpture, Vietnam Women’s Memorial, In Memory plaque

Must-Do Activity

Located near the Lincoln Memorial, the walls of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial stretch 246.75 feet in length, inscribed with 58,256 names listed chronologically by date of casualty.  People come to make rubbings of their loved one’s name and often leave small items at its base.  Added nearby in 1984, a life-size bronze sculpture by Frederick Hart depicts three male soldiers beneath a 60-foot flagpole.  The In Memory plaque was added in 2004 to recognize the many men and women who served and later died from causes related to the war.

Best Trail

There is no trail here, but there is always plenty of walking done when visiting the many memorials on the National Mall.

Photographic Opportunity

Dedicated on November 11, 1993, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial is a bronze sculpture by Glenna Goodacre that depicts three women helping a fallen soldier.  There were also eight yellowwood trees planted to commemorate the eight servicewomen killed in action in Vietnam. 

Peak Season

Spring and fall

Hours

Open 24 hours

Fees

None

Road Conditions

Traffic can be slow and parking expensive in Washington, D.C., so consider taking the Metro to the National Mall. 

Camping

There are National Park Service campgrounds in Maryland’s Greenbelt Park and Virginia’s Prince William Forest Park.

Related Sites

Korean War Veterans Memorial (District of Columbia)

World War II Memorial (District of Columbia)

World War I Memorial (District of Columbia)

Nearest National Park

Shenandoah

Explore More – When her design was selected in 1981, Maya Ying Lin was a 21-year-old student from Athens, Ohio; where was she attending college at the time?