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National Historical Park
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A National Historical Park, National Historic Park, and National Historic Site are designations for protected areas of national historic significance, usually nominated by a governing body overseeing historic resources.
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A National Historical Park, National Historic Park, and National Historic Site are designations for protected areas of national historic significance, usually nominated by a governing body overseeing historic resources. Typically, these will have undergone scholarly research and been deemed to possess important sites or resources that tell significant aspects of a person's history.
United States
In the United States, most National Historical Parks and National Historic Sites are managed by the National Park Service. Some federally–designated sites are privately owned, but are authorized to request assistance from the National Park Service as affiliated areas.
A National Historic Site usually contains a single historical feature directly associated with its subject. Derived from the Historic Sites Act of 1935, a number of Historic Sites were established by United States Secretaries of the Interior, but most have been authorized by acts of Congress. A National Historical Park generally extends beyond single properties or buildings, and its resources include a mix of historic and—sometimes significant—natural features.
As of October 15, 1966, all historic areas, including National Historical Parks and Historic Sites, in the National Park System are automatically listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
There are 41 National Historical Parks measuring 119,049 acres (481.7 kmē). There are 77 National Historic Sites measuring 21,677 acres (87.7 kmē).
In the United States, sites are "historic", while parks are "historical". The National Park Service explains that a site can be intrinsically historic, while a park is a modern legal invention. As such, a park is not itself "historic", but can be called "historical" when it contains historic resources. It is the resources which are historic, not the park.
Canada
By contrast, these semantics didn't affect Canada's designations, where "National Historic Parks" were created nationwide, describing historic properties managed by Parks Canada. In the past, the "national historic park" title was applied to all lands and buildings owned and operated as historic sites within the national park system, regardless of area or complexity of resources. The title was not applied to historic properties within national park boundaries. Those were administered by the park itself, and not counted as separate units of the park system.
The term "National Historic Site" was, in the past, applied to all other sites designated by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada but outside the national park system. Most national historic sites in Canada are privately owned and operated. However, in recent years, the decision was made to abolish the "National Historic Park" title, simplifying the park system's nomenclature. All National Historic Parks became National Historic Sites, sharing the title with those privately owned.
There are some 924 National Historic Sites across Canada, 157 of which are administered by Parks Canada within the national park system. Each is normally marked by a federal plaque, and those in the park system are open to the public, often offering interpretive programs, visitor centers, re-enactments, encampments, restored sites and reconstructions. Even many outside the park system are full-scale attractions, like Fort York National Historic Site in Toronto.
International Historic Sites
Canada and the United States have set aside certain properties deemed to be significant to both countries.
Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park was formally established in 1998, the centennial of the gold rush it commemorates. The park comprises Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Washington and Alaska, and Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site in British Columbia. It was this trail which so many prospectors took to seek their fortunes in the Klondike River district of Yukon.
There is one International Historic Site in the US park system, a unique designation given to Saint Croix Island, Maine, on the New Brunswick border. The title, given to the site of the first permanent French settlement in America, recognizes the influence that has had on both Canada and the United States. The National Park Service does not distinguish among these designations in terms of their preservation or management policies.
Other international sites include: Roosevelt Campobello International Park, the historic New Brunswick retreat of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, administered by a joint commission of Canada and the U.S., and an affiliated unit of both national park systems; the International Peace Garden along the Manitoba/North Dakota border; and Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial in Lake Erie, near the site of a major battle of the War of 1812.
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