National Trust for Historic Preservation

06/19/2026

To commemorate Juneteenth and African American Music Appreciation Month, the National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund has curated a playlist of some trailblazing Black artists from throughout history.

From folk music to jazz, R&B, Hip-Hop, and others, Black artists have and continue to shape American and global music culture.

Some of the artists featured on the playlist, including John and Alice Coltrane, Muddy Waters, Nina Simone, and Louis Armstrong are all connected to Action Fund grantee sites that are actively being preserved today.

Listen now https://ow.ly/6wav50Z7cFZ

Pictured: Louis Armstrong playing trumpet
Photo by Jack Bradley

06/19/2026

Though Route 66 crosses only a small portion of Texas, the state delivered some of the most memorable roadside experiences of the Centennial Caravan. From Glenrio and Adrian to McLean, Groom, Shamrock, and Amarillo, participants encountered landscapes and landmarks that embody the spirit of adventure long associated with the Mother Road.

Stops at the Midpoint Café, Cadillac Ranch, and Slug Bug Ranch showcased the creativity and sense of place that continue to make Route 66 a destination for travelers from around the world.

The Caravan also highlighted the importance of preserving both famous landmarks and lesser-known historic resources. Visits to National Trust-supported sites including the Big Texan Steak Ranch, the Jericho Gap, and the U-Drop Inn demonstrated how preservation can protect the stories that define Route 66.

From transportation history and roadside architecture to local businesses that have welcomed travelers for generations, these places illustrate that even a relatively short stretch of Route 66 contributes to the story of the road's impact on American culture.

Help protect this unique historic asset in the Texas Panhandle!

Contact your members of Congress and ask them to support the bill (H.R. 5470 and S. 2887) designating the Route 66 National Historic Trail and help ensure its passage this year: https://ow.ly/koY250ZetyL

06/18/2026

Take a weekend, or even a week, to wind along scenic byways from Maryland to Missouri. Visit wineries and Colonial-era architecture, explore historic waterways, or tour Marfa, Texas, a hub of contemporary art.

All featured in the latest issue of Preservation magazine:

Take a weekend, or even a week, to wind along scenic byways from Maryland to Missouri. Visit wineries and Colonial-era architecture, explore historic waterways, or tour Marfa, Texas, a hub of contemporary art.

06/17/2026

The World Cup is in full swing, and while the world is watching, a lucky few get to experience the matches and energy in person. Whether attending the festivities or just finding yourself in the vicinity of celebration, we pulled together a list of places in the United States that you should explore over the course of the tournament.

These sites are pulled from our list of Historic Hotels of America, Backing Historic Small Restaurant grantees, National Trust Historic Sites, Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios program, and Main Street programs.

Explore the guide:

Explore places to stay, eat and visit at each World Cup host city.

06/16/2026

New Mexico's stretch of the Route 66 Centennial Caravan revealed the extraordinary cultural diversity and historical depth that make the state such an important part of the Mother Road’s story.

From Gallup and Laguna Pueblo to Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Santa Rosa, and Tucumcari, participants encountered natural landscapes and built environments shaped by time.

The journey demonstrated that Route 66 is not only a transportation corridor, but also a pathway through centuries of cultural exchange and community life.

National Trust-supported landmarks such as the Blue Swallow Motel, Microsoft Icon Corridor, and the Odeon Theatre exemplified how historic preservation helps safeguard the distinctive character of Route 66 communities while supporting economic revitalization and tourism.

Together, these sites and the people who steward them show how New Mexico continues to play a vital role in protecting the legacy of the Mother Road for future generations.

You can help preserve the legendary locations that make New Mexico a vital part of the Route 66 experience.

Contact your members of Congress and ask them to support the bill (H.R. 5470 and S. 2887) designating the Route 66 National Historic Trail and help ensure its passage this year!

https://ow.ly/6Qyg50ZcuTM

06/16/2026

As the capital of the United States, Washington, D.C. is home to civic spaces that have defined that nation’s founding principles.

The final site in our five-part series is the nation’s overarching symbol of democracy.

𝗨.𝗦. 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗹 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴:

When Pierre L’Enfant laid out his vision for Washington D.C. in 1791, he placed the building he called Congress House on a commanding rise above the Potomac River, visible from nearly every approach. The placement said everything—that the will of people was paramount.

The winning design by Dr. William Thornton envisioned a building that projected permanence and democratic ideals in equal measure. Construction began in September 1793.

Taking decades to complete, the Capitol also faced near destruction along the way. While many of the principal rooms were damaged when British forces burned the city in 1814, it was due to the then Architect of the Capitol Benjamin Latrobe’s use of fireproof building material and a rain shower that much of the main structure survived. Re-built after the war, over time the Capitol building expanded to accommodate the additional Senators and Representatives of a growing nation.

Like the White House, the early Capitol was constructed using a mix of free and enslaved laborers and skilled artisans. Among those whose contributions deserve to be remembered is skilled artisan Philip Reed, a man enslaved by Clark Mills whose foundry cast the 19-foot-tall Statue of Freedom by Thomas Crawford, that stands above the Capitol dome. Reed likely played a critical role in completing this symbol that welcomes visitors to the Capitol Building to this day.

Since 1800, the Capitol has been the arena where the nation’s laws have been debated, written, challenged, and changed. This is the sole branch that can make new or change existing laws and holds the all-important power of the purse.

Today, with its high position rising above the National Mall, the Capitol Building is the visible symbol of the legislative branch’s preeminent role in civic life. With the Washington and Lincoln Memorials in its direct line of sight, the White House visible along Pennsylvania Avenue, and the Supreme Court nearby, the work that happens within the U.S. Capitol is predicated on a solemn responsibility to the American public.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/RRg850ZceCi

06/15/2026

From mountain passes and desert expanses to trading posts, roadside attractions, and historic downtowns, Arizona illustrated why Route 66 continues to capture the imagination of travelers around the world.

Traveling through Oatman, Sitgreaves Pass, Kingman, Seligman, Winslow, Holbrook, and Flagstaff, participants of the Route 66 Centennial Caravan experienced a landscape where the history of the Mother Road remains vividly present.

The Caravan also highlighted several important preservation success stories. Visits to National Trust grantee sites, including Scoops on 66, the Osterman Shell Station, Delgadillo’s Snow Cap, and the Ash Fork Route 66 Museum, highlight how community stewardship can help protect the places that define Route 66’s character.

Throughout Arizona, participants witnessed the powerful connection between preservation, local economies, and cultural identity.

With deep sadness, we also said goodbye to Dr. T Lindsay Baker of Texas, the Route 66 Centennial Caravan’s official Texas state representative who joined the Caravan in a 1930 Model A. He passed away on June 11.

Dr Baker was a historian of the American West, a long-time supporter of the National Trust, and a dedicated preservationist who shared his enthusiasm and knowledge with communities across the country.

Our deepest condolences go out to Dr Baker’s family, friends, and all those affected by this loss.

06/14/2026

TIME asked 25 architects, urban planners, thinkers, and others to nominate a building or monument that says something special about the nation as it approaches its semiquincentennial.

Included on the list are examples of historic preservation and adaptive reuse; projects that honor the nation’s past while looking to the future:

Ken Burns, Richard Meier, Janette Sadik-Khan, and 22 others on the structures that define the nation on its 250th birthday.

06/13/2026

Help shape the future of Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia.

Known as “Freedom’s Fortress,” the site marks both the origins of slavery from the 1619 arrival of the first enslaved Africans to its ending with the thousands of enslaved people who secured their freedom there during the Civil War.

Today, it’s Virginia’s only UNESCO Site of Memory.

Now, you can help shape its future!

The Fort Monroe Authority is gathering public input to help shape how future generations experience, understand, and connect with this nationally significant site.

The survey closes on June 30, share your thoughts now:

The Fort Monroe Authority is gathering public input to help shape how future generations experience, understand, and connect with this nationally significant site. Please take a few minutes to make your voice heard. The survey closes on June 30.

06/12/2026

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is proud to join the Trust for Public Land in celebrating the introduction of bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the African American Civil Rights Network.

By renewing this important program, Congress can help ensure that historic sites, museums, research programs, and educational initiatives across the country continue to preserve and uplift the stories of the people and communities who advanced equality and justice.

Our partnership reflects a shared belief that protecting these places helps connect Americans to our history, strengthens communities, and keeps these powerful stories accessible for generations to come.

Read our statement:

Renewing the African American Civil Rights Network Act (AACRN) would ensure continued preservation and public engagement with the people, places, and stories that shaped the Civil Rights Movement.