Documenting Africanisms
on the American Landscape
Through its cultural resources programs, the
National Park Service has identified and formally
recognized many historic places associated with
African cultural heritage. African-related historic
properties have been listed in the National Register
of Historic Places, designated as National Historic
Landmarks, documented through the Historic
American Buildings Survey/Historic American
Engineering Record, and addressed in conferences,
such as “Places of Cultural Memory: African
Reflections on the American Landscape.” This
chapter provides a preliminary list of such historic
places and summarizes their connection to
African culture.
The properties that have been recognized by NPS cultural
resources programs include those that:
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Congo Square
are representative of ethnic heritage, as in the case of
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homes in the Smoketown Historic District
embody distinctive characteristics, such as the shotgun
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significant contributions to the broad patterns of our
history, such as the Stono River Slave Rebellion Site, and
are associated with events and persons that have made
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prehistory or history, such as the African Burial Ground.
The list suggests the types of historic places that communities
might consider for formal documentation and recognition.
may yield or are likely to yield information important in