Nationally significant sites take their place in history

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Nationally significant sites take their place in history

Article by: Los Angeles Times
Updated: October 20, 2012 - 6:42 PM

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The historic Pillsbury A Mill is a National Historic Landmark.

Photo: Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune

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A New York grave site, a Kansas battlefield, the Ohio home of an Alcoholics Anonymous founder and Los Angeles' downtown federal courthouse are among the newest national historic landmarks. In all, 27 sites received the largely honorary designation from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

Salazar said that each of the landmarks "represents a thread in the great tapestry that tells the story of our beautiful land, our diverse culture and our nation's rich heritage."

National historic landmarks are "nationally significant historic places" designated by the Interior secretary "because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States," according to the National Park Service. There are 2,527 national historic landmarks today. Other new landmarks include:

Adm. David Farragut burial site: The park service said the New York City grave site is the "only known property directly associated with the officer who is universally recognized as one of the most accomplished officers in American naval history." Farragut is known to many for his famous Civil War cry, "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" The park service said the designation also would mark the contributions of Latinos. Farragut was the son of a Spanish immigrant.

Black Jack Battlefield: The site in Douglas County, Kan., was the setting for what the park service called "the nation's first true open military conflict over the issue of slavery, fought between opposing pro- and antislavery militias."

Humpback Bridge, Va.: Built in 1857, the bridge in Alleghany County was described by the park service as "among the most historically significant and intact examples of a 19th-century covered bridge surviving in the United States."

Poston Elementary School, Unit 1, Colorado River Relocation Center: The school in Parker, Ariz., was part of "the second of 10 relocation centers established for the confinement of Japanese Americans during World War II."

Dr. Bob's Home: The home in Akron, Ohio, is associated with Robert Holbrook Smith (Dr. Bob) who, along with William Griffith (Bill W.), co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous.

San Francisco Courthouse: The James R. Browning U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco, built as the U.S. Courthouse and Post Office at the turn of the 20th century, was described by the park service as a "nationally significant as a superlative Beaux-Arts public building."

Cesar Chavez's retreat in Keene, Ca., recently declared a national monument by President Obama, also was designated a landmark.

A full list is at www.startribune.com/a1829.

LOS ANGELES TIMES