The National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) in the U.S. state of Missouri represent Missouri's history from the Lewis and Clark Expedition, through the American Civil War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Space Age. There are 36 National Historic Landmarks in Missouri.[1] Two sites in Missouri were once a National Historic Landmark but later had their designations withdrawn when they failed to meet the program's criteria for inclusion.[2][3] The NHLs are distributed across fifteen of Missouri's 114 counties and one independent city, with a concentration of fifteen landmarks in the state's only independent city, St. Louis.
The National Park Service (NPS), a branch of the U.S. Department of the Interior, administers the National Historic Landmark program. The NPS is responsible for determining which sites meet the criteria for designation or withdrawal as an NHL as well as identifying potential candidates for the program, through theme studies. The NPS and the National Park System Advisory Board then meet to determine the historical significance of these candidates. The final decision regarding a site's designation as a National Historic Landmark is made by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. However, the owner of a property may object to the designation of that property as an NHL. In such cases, the site is only "eligible for designation." A property eligible for NHL status is also eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).[4][5] Designated National Historic Landmarks are listed on the NRHP, which includes historic properties that the National Park Service has determined to be worthy of preservation. While NHL areas are deemed to carry national historic significance, other NRHP properties may only be significant at local or state levels.[4]
Five historic sites in Missouri are in the U.S. National Park system. These are automatically listed in the NRHP and include one U.S. National Monument, one National Memorial, one National Battlefield, and two National Historic Sites.[6][7]
- ^ National Park Service (June 2011). "National Historic Landmarks Survey: List of National Historic Landmarks by State" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 5, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011..
- ^ "National Historic Landmarks Program: Withdrawal of National Historic Landmark Designation". National Historic Landmarks Program. National Park Service. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
- ^ "Withdrawal of National Historic Landmark Designation". National Historic Landmarks Program. National Park Service. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
- ^ a b "National Historic Landmarks Program: Questions and Answers". National Historic Landmarks Program. National Park Service. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
- ^ "§65.5: Designation of National Historic Landmarks". Title 36, Parts 1 to 199: Parks, Forests, and Public Property. Code of Federal Regulations. United States Government Printing Office. July 1, 2010. p. 374. ISBN 978-0-16-086016-4.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
MONHLlistwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Units in the National Park System" (PDF). National Park Service Office of Public Affairs. U.S. Department of the Interior. July 17, 2008. Retrieved March 12, 2010.