WIXLIB

simply enjoy the two acres that buffer thehouse and the nature drawn to it frombustling Cambridge. Not only do rangersprovide insights to Longfellow, but they alsotouch on General George Washington, whostayed in Longfellow’s home during the Siegeof Boston in 1775-1776.At Faneuil Hall you can imagine the scenewhere Samuel Adams and others decried thetaxes England was levying on the colonies.Any visit to Boston must include a visit toBoston National Historical Park. Boston, afterall, was the backdrop for the first battle of theRevolutionary War. Time in downtown Boston iswell spent following the red-brick Freedom Trailthat leads you past 16 nationally historic sites– meeting houses, cemeteries, even the OldNorth Church where Paul Revere placed twolanterns to warn of an impending British attack.North of Boston lies Saugus Iron WorksNational Historic Site, where iron-making inthe United States was brought to life, andSalem Maritime National Historic Site, whichin its day was a bustling seaport that sawRevolutionary War privateers come and goalong with merchants who traveled to the FarEast for goods.Salem Maritime National Historic SitewrongphophowrongtotoAlso worthy of a visit while in Boston is theBunker Hill Monument, which tells the story ofthe first major battle of the Revolutionary War.

Minute Man National Historical Parkwhat will you see?With the Atlantic Ocean so close, is it anysurprise the National Park System extendsinto the water? And what you’ll find atBoston Harbor Islands National RecreationArea will likely surprise you.True, there are tide pools to explore, dunesto walk, and even some pretty good fishing.wrong photoBut that’s only the most obvious. While themain battlegrounds of the Civil War werefar to the south in Virginia, Pennsylvania,Tennessee, and the Carolinas, on GeorgesIsland you’ll find a Civil War-era fort. Theisland initially was using for farmingbut, in 1825 the government acquiredit for defense purposes and built FortWarren, which also held its fair share ofConfederate prisoners. To this day thefort supposedly is haunted by the ghostof a prisoner’s wife who, legend has it, washanged for aiding his escape.Throughout Boston Harbor IslandsNational Recreation Area you’ll find 39islands, each with its own personality.Some are little bigger than rocky outcropsthat birds rest on. Others, such as GrapeIsland, have trails, campsites, and awonderfully abundant collection of wildberries.Boston Harbor IslandsNational Recreation AreaNATIONALPARKS.ORG 11

2Images of the American frontier in the 18th century mixwith beach-combing in the Atlantic and presidential historyat National Park System sites in New York. Also foundhere is a small chapel where women first gathered to talkabout expanding their rights in the United States, as well asbattlefields that witnessed impressive American victoriesover the British during the Revolutionary War.

IN THE AREA Upstate New York during theRevolutionary War was a frontier wildernessthat challenged tactics. The Colonial Armywas stretched both by the expanse of landas well as the superior numbers of theBritish forces. But twice in a handful ofmonths smaller Colonial forces repelledlarger British armies. what not to missThe battle commemorated by today’sSaratoga National Historical Park ended withBritish surrender, a feat that helped convincethe Colonials that they could indeed succeedin gaining independence. A few monthsprior to that victory, Colonial forces at FortStanwix held off a superior British contingentand in the process helped thwart plans todivide and conquer the colonies. Today thestory of that battle is told at Fort StanwixNational Monument.Eleanor Roosevelt NHSTour home and gardens, explore thewalkways and trails of Eleanor Roosevelt’shome.Presidential history is spread across NewYork State. Sagamore Hill National HistoricSite on Long Island marks the last homeof Theodore Roosevelt, the country’s 26thSaratoga NationalHistorical ParkNEW YORKAppalachian NST(See West Virginia)Fire Island NSTake a tour of the Fire Island Light House,explore a 300-year-old American Hollyforest, enjoy the seashore.Fort Stanwix NMTour the fort, which has been almostentirely reconstructed to its 1777appearance.Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt NHSTour the home and adjacent library andmuseum; visit FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt’sgrave sites.Martin Van Buren NHSPlan to spend an hour and a half touringthe home and gardens of the Nation’seighth President.Sagamore Hill NHSTour the home of Theodore Roosevelt,explore the Old Orchard Museum.Saratoga NHPTake an auto or biking tour of thebattlefield.Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural NHSTheordore Roosevelt was sworn in hereas President on Sept. 14, 1901 after WilliamMcKinley was assassinated.Vanderbilt Mansion NHSTake guided tours of the home, and explorethe formal garden and grounds.Women’s Rights NHPVisit the birthplace of the women’s rightsmovement in the United States. Tour themuseum, historic buildings and homes.NATIONALPARKS.ORG 13

president. During his time in office the homeserved as Roosevelt’s summer White House.On the opposite side of the state, in Buffalo,you can find the Theodore Roosevelt InauguralNational Historic Site, where Roosevelt wassworn into office following the assassinationof President William McKinley.Another Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt,also called New York State home. Today youcan tour his Hudson River estate, the Homeof Franklin D. Roosevelt National HistoricSite, and visit the FDR President Library andMuseum. For FDR, escaping Washington, D.C.,helped ease the presidential pressures on hisshoulders. “All that is within me cries out to goback to my home on the Hudson River,” he said.Vanderbuilt Mansion National Historic SiteThe home of Martin Van Buren, the country’seighth president and the first born under theAmerican flag, also is a national historic site. Itwas from this estate, Lindenwald near Albany,that Van Buren organized two presidentialbids, one successful, one not.Beyond battles and politics, the National ParkService manages a sea-front playground at FireIsland National Seashore on Long Island whereyou can stroll beaches, hike through maritimeforests, and find a wilderness made up of sanddunes where you can pitch your tent.

Fire Island National Seashorewhat will you see?Keeping up with Teddy Roosevelt has notbeen easy for the National Park Service,but if you follow his footsteps you canlearn much about the man and thecountry. In New York State alone there arethree NPS sites that honor Roosevelt – hisbirthplace in New York City, where he wassworn into office in Buffalo, and his homeon Long Island where he would spend thesummers of his presidency.A national park also is named afterRoosevelt, in North Dakota. There on thebadlands a young Roosevelt solidified hisconnection with the landscape and firedhis love for conservation. As the country’s26th president, Roosevelt set aside anestimated 230 million acres in the formof national forests, national parks, andnational wildlife refuges.“The conservation of natural resourcesis the fundamental problem,”Roosevelttold those attending the Deep WaterwayConvention in Tennessee in 1907.“ Unlesswe solve that problem it will avail us littleto solve all others.”Sagamore Hill NHSNATIONALPARKS.ORG 15

2aNew York City’s reputation as “the center of it all” doesn’tdisappoint when it comes to our national parks. Visit thesite where President Theodore Roosevelt was born, wherePresident George Washington was sworn in and werePresident and General Ulysses S. Grant was laid to rest.Have an outdoor adventure on a kayak at Gateway NRA thatwill make you forget the subways and skyscrapers. Explorethe African presence in early New York at the African BurialGround NM and through a 90 minute walking tour. There isliterally something for everyone in our New York City parks!

IN THE AREA For many immigrants to theUnited States, New York was the first city theysaw as their ships arrived in New York Harborand headed to Ellis Island. There, as they wereprocessed, they could gaze up at Lady Liberty,a statue that since 1886 has been a shiningsymbol of freedom and prosperity for thosewho wanted to call America home. Today youcan tour both Ellis Island and the Statue ofLiberty, including its crown, at Statue of LibertyNational Monument.Statue of LibertyNational MonumentAcross the harbor in the city you can find manystories that fill a rich chapter of America’shistory. At Theodore Roosevelt BirthplaceNational Historic Site you can see where thefuture president was born and reared. Notfar from this brownstone stands Federal Hall,a national memorial that preserves the sitewhere George Washington was sworn in as thenation’s first president as well as where thefirst Congress and Supreme Court, as well asthe Executive Branch, first worked. what not to missNEW YORK CITYAfrican Burial Ground NMThe memorial honors the estimated 15,000Africans buried at the site during the 17thand 18th centuries.Castle Clinton NMTake a guided tour of this fort built in theearly 1800s. Make it part of your visit to EllisIsland and the Statue of Liberty.Federal Hall N MEMThe site of George Washington’s swearing inas the first President, and the signing of theBill of Rights.Gateway NRAExplore the wildlife refuge, holly forest,ocean dunes and coastal uplands.General Grant N MEMTour the museum and memorial popularlyknown as Grant’s Tomb with great views ofthe Hudson River.Govenors Island NMPark is currently under development. Callthe park to make tour reservations.Hamilton Grange N MEMTemporarily closed until 2010.Saint Paul’s Church NHSTour a 5-acre burial ground dating to 1665,take a Church Tower Walk Apr.-Oct, Fri. 3pmStatue of Liberty NM and Ellis Island NMTake the Ferry to Liberty and Ellis Islands.Tour the museums and enjoy Lady Liberty!Stonewall NMA new national park unit located inChristopher Park, part of New York City'sHistoric Greenwich Village.Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace NHSHouse tours take about 30 minutes and starton the hour. Last tour at 4:00 pm.NATIONALPARKS.ORG 17

Just beyond Federal Hall to the south standsCastle Clinton National Memorial in honor ofa fort built to defend New York City during theWar of 1812. Not a single cannon shot was firedfrom Castle Clinton in the city’s defense, but asthe years went on the fort served as home to arestaurant, opera house, and even immigrantprocessing center in the days before EllisIsland took over that task.Long before Teddy Roosevelt was able tocall New York City home another stalwart ofAmerican politics did the same. AlexanderHamilton, the country’s first treasury secretaryand one of the Founding Fathers, had his“country home” built on Manhattan Islandwrong photoFederal Hall National Memorialbefore it became overly urban. Today it isknown as Hamilton Grange National Memorial,taking its name from the Hamilton family’sancestral home in Scotland.Until 1991, no one knew the ground chosenfor a federal office building had long servedanother, more somber, purpose. But whengroundbreaking commenced, the workerssoon discovered the burial grounds of AfricanAmericans. For roughly a century, from the1690s into the 1790s, the nearly 7 acres of landin today’s New York City had been used to buryboth freed and enslaved African-Americans.Today you can learn more of this story at theAfrican Burial Ground National Monument.

Ellis Island National Monumentwhat will you see?As urbanized as New York City and thenearby shoulder of New Jersey might be,there’s a wonderful place for area residentsand visitors to head to escape the heat andhumidity of summer. That place is GatewayNational Recreation Area, a sprawling pieceof the National Park System that treasuresJamaica Bay GatewayNational Recreation Areaboth Atlantic Ocean beachfront as well astraces of America’s military history in oldFort Hancock.Split into three units – the Jamaica Bay Unit,Sandy Hook Unit, and Staten Island Unit –Gateway NRA fills the recreational needs ofmillions in the greater New York-New Jerseymetropolitan area.Along with beaches Jamaica Bay alsoprotects a wildlife refuge, while the SandyHook Unit holds the country’s oldestoperating lighthouse as well as somewonderful beaches of its own along withFort Hancock. On the Staten Island Unit youcan find places to fish and sail, to fly modelplanes and even plant a garden.NATIONALPARKS.ORG 19

3From the battles that led to the formation of the UnitedStates through the industrialization of the late 1800sand into the early 1900s, the history of this country canbe traced through the National Park System landscapesin Pennsylvania and New Jersey. One of the bloodiestbattles in a war that almost tore the nation apart also ismemorialized here, at Gettysburg National Military Park.Recreation isn’t overlooked, either, as evidenced by twostretches of river as well as a national recreation areapopular with both hikers and boaters.

Gettysburg National Military Park what not to missPENNSYLVANIAAllegheny Portage Railroad NHSGreat for cross-country sking or hiking. Go inApr. and May for wildflowers; Oct. for foliage.Appalachian NST(See West Virginia)Delaware NSROne of the last free-flowing rivers on theEast Coast; its home to many threatenedand endangered plants and animals.Delaware Water Gap NRABoating, canoeing, cross-country skiing,fishing, hiking and more. Enjoy a guided hike.IN THE AREA That there is more Americanhistory found in the eastern half of the UnitedStates than the western half only makessense when you realize how long the Easthas been settled. When you look at NationalPark Service maps of Pennsylvania and NewJersey, you come to realize how very richthose states are in history.Fort Necessity National Battlefield insouthwestern Pennsylvania tells the storyof one chapter of the French and IndianWar. It was here in 1754, in what then wasthe country’s frontier, that a young GeorgeWashington encountered the first majorconflict of his military career. Fast-forward to1777 and an older, more tactically skilled Gen.Washington coaxed his Continental Armythrough a grueling winter at Valley Forge,now a national military park, and led themon to ultimate victory over the British in thecountry’s bid for independence.At aptly named Independence Hall NationalHistorical Park in Philadelphia you can see wherethe young nation’s patriots gathered to chartboth the break with Great Britain and the newcountry’s future. The coming industrializationof the nation is reflected at a tiny farm in centralPennsylvania. There, at Hopewell FurnaceNational Historic Site, the story is told of howiron was made in the 1770s.Edgar Allan Poe NHSExplore the life and work of Edgar AllenPoe. Visit in April for Poetry Month.Eisenhower NHSTour the home, farm and cattle barns. VisitApr.-Oct. when all the buildings are open.Flight 93 N MEMView the crash site and temporarymemorial.Fort Necessity NBEnjoy the historic tavern, grave site andglen, as well as the reconstructed fort.Friendship Hill NHSSite preserves the home of Albert Gallatin,Secretary of Treasury under PresidentsJefferson and Madison.Gettysburg NMPInterpretive talks on the battle, cemeteryand the Gettysburg address run mid-Juneto mid-Aug.Hopewell Furnace NHSThe 19th century iron plantation is hometo a blast furnace, ironmaster’s mansionand more.Independence NHPThe Liberty Bell is housed here, alongwith Independence Hall, where both theDeclaration of Independence and theConstitution were drafted.NATIONALPARKS.ORG 21

More chapters that help tell the story ofthe nation’s growing industrialization arescattered through these two states. AtSteamtown National Historic Site in Scranton,Pennsylvania, the history of the steamlocomotive plays out, while in New Jersey youcan visit the Edison National Historical Parkthat has risen up around the laboratory andestate of Thomas Edison, inventor of the lightbulb, the phonograph, and so much more.Independence Hall National Historical ParkHistory aside, these two states are richwith natural resources. That’s evident atplaces such as Delaware Water Gap NationalRecreation Area, where you can float 40 milesdown the Delaware River or walk along asection of the Appalachian National ScenicTrail. Not quite so obvious is the Great EggHarbor National Scenic and Recreational Riverin south New Jersey. Fed by 17 tributaries, theriver runs nearly 130 miles before flowing intothe Atlantic Ocean at Great Egg Harbor.

what not to missPENNSYLVANIA (CONT.)NEW JERSEYJohnstown Flood N MEMHike the grounds and tour the visitor centerwhich tells the story of the flood.Gateway NRA(See New York City)Steamtown NHSRide the steam railroad train; tour themuseum, train and locomotive.Thaddeus Kosciuszko N MEMThe site commemorates the house wherethe Polish-born hero rented a room.Upper Delaware SRRGreat for eagle watching, fishing, kayaking andboating on the 73 mi. stretch of open river.Valley Forge NHPDon’t miss Washington Chapel Memorial,special programs on Washington’s birthday.Great Egg Harbor SRRHawks “funnel” into Cape May each fall,making this the best spot on the East Coastfor raptors.Morristown NHPDisplays at the Jockey Hollow Visitor Centerand Washington’s Headquarters recreatesettings from the Revolutionary War.Paterson Great Falls NHPOne of the nation’s largest and mostspectacular waterfalls.Thomas Edison NHPTour the lab complex and 16 acreGlenmont Estate.what will you see?Railroad buffs won’t be disappointed invisiting this region of the National ParkSystem. Steamtown National HistoricSite in northeastern Pennsylvania tracesthe history of the big, powerful steamlocomotives that helped move people andfreight across the country. Here, in additionto locomotives, you can check out a varietyof passenger coach cars, a Baltimoreand Ohio Railroad business car completeSteamtown National Historic Sitewith kitchen and sleeping quarters, evena Louisville and Nashville Railroad postoffice car. There’s also part of an historicroundhouse you can explore.Some of the e

Map: Sections Overview 2 Section 1 4 Section 1a 8 Section 2 12 Section 2a 16 Section 3 20 Section 4 24 . Desert Island with its rocky shores, babbling . You can find the roof of Acadia National Park atop Cadillac Mountain, a 1,532-foot-tall granite hump that is t