Welcome to the Historical Marker Database

Marker of the Week

Cal 100 Yountville, California

On August 28, 1999, a dedication ceremony was held in Yountville, Napa County, to honor the men of the California 100, a group of volunteers who fought with the 2nd Massachusetts Volunteer Cavalry during the Civil War. The dedication was organized by Company A reenactors and Sam Brannan Chapter #1004 of E Clampus Vitus. This tribute commemorated the patriotic spirit of the Californians who joined the Union Army to serve in the East instead of staying in the West. Contributing Correspondent Loren Wilson of Sebastopol, California filed this entry in 2012.
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Approaching 244 Thousand!

HMdb MARKER COUNT

243857

Hundreds added monthly. ...▼One of our correspondents has stood in front of each historical marker or monument, taken its picture, and entered its location and other information. An editor has reviewed and approved each entry. For some very few entries without photos, their location was carefully researched.

No other national historical marker list can make this claim, and a number of them borrow information from us, some without permission.

The latest entry was published yesterday.

We’ll mail you a 10x3 magnetic bumper sticker free of charge. Email the publisher with your postal mailing address.

Historical Marker Facts

These counts are as of last night and also include war memorials.

How many historical markers are there in the United States? We’ve found 221,242 so far. Adding more daily.

What state has the most historical markers? We’ve found the most in New York.   Texas, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and California round out the top five.

How many historical markers are there in Canada? We’ve found 6,689 so far. We’re always looking for more.

    More facts and figuresAguascalientesAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasBritish ColumbiaCaliforniaCampecheChiapasCiudad de MéxicoColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaDistrito NacionalEnglandEstado de MexicoFloridaGeorgiaGuanajuatoGuatemalaHawaiiHidalgoIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaJaliscoKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMichoacánMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaMorelosNebraskaNevadaNew BrunswickNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNewfoundland and LabradorNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaNorthern IrelandNova ScotiaNuevo LeónOhioOklahomaOntarioOregonPennsylvaniaPrince Edward IslandPueblaPuerto RicoQuébecQuerétaroQuetzaltenangoQuintana RooRhode IslandSacatepéquezSan Luis PotosíSan SalvadorScotlandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVeracruzVermontVirgin IslandsVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyomingYucatán

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Tag Pages to Create Lists

When you are signed in, you will see these small buttons ➀ ➁ ➂ ➃ ➄ on marker pages and search results. Click on them to tag that marker. Return to the My Markers page to see what you've tagged and to create lists, maps, and spreadsheets.

To get started, click on My Markers to sign in. First time users can register from there. Tag and map your next weekend outing!

History Happened Here

National and global events all happened some­where, and historical markers mark the place where many occurred. But the richness of history is in its local details, details that can be insignificant on the global stage: the home of an in­di­vi­dual who made a dif­fe­rence; a natural feature, building, byway; or just some­thing in­te­res­ting that happened nearby. History is not just about the high and mighty.
 
Markers tell stories and point out facts. There is one at the site the northernmost battle of the U.S. Civil War and another at the southernmost point in the United States (can you guess where?). There is one next to a 17th century Japanese stone lantern symbolizing 20th century peace, and another one less than 20 miles away reminding us of the Nike missile sites that were built the same year the lantern was dedicated. They tell of battles, massacres and hangings; of hu­ma­ni­ta­rians, educators, and a beloved stagecoach horse; of mountains, lakes, rivers, bridges, roads, and other natural and man-made wonders.
 
There are countless thousands of great stories marked by markers—and some boring ones too. Some markers simply recite facts while others are insightful, obscure, cryptic, patriotic, fas­ci­na­ting, sad, funny, or just downright bizarre. Many of those markers are on these pages, others are waiting for you to discover and add them to this database.
 
So hit the road and experience history first-hand yourself. History happened nearby.

Suggestions? Problems?

We want to hear from you. Send a note to the editors.

Are You A Marker Hunter?

Do you collect historical markers? Would you like to start? If you’re a collector, or want to get started, consider uploading your discoveries to this site. What do you get in return? We’ll credit each sub­mis­sion by publishing your name and town on that page, unless, of course, you wish to remain anonymous. We’ve got ways for you to track your progress, and leaderboards to compete with other marker hunters.

It’s easy to add your markers!  Check marker submission guidelines, then click Add A Marker to get started. Adding photos, links and commentary is just as easy: go the marker's page and click on the links at the top or bottom of the page.

There are other ways to hunt

What can you do when your neck of the woods gets picked out and there are no more markers to add to the data­base? Are your marker hunting days over?

No, no they’re not. All you need to do is start hunting for im­prove­ments. Take a look at existing database entries from your area and make them better. Become a database Improver!

First, rummage through the Want List. There’s a link there that pulls up editor wants for markers near you. But you don’t have to wait for editors to put a want on the want list. Take a look at our entries for markers near you, or near where you are going to be, and see if you can improve them.

• Visit and take some fresh photos and add them if you think they’re better than what we have
• take photos of what the marker is talking about if that is appropriate and possible
• see if you can find vintage public domain photos online and add them with proper attribution
• chat up your historical society to see if they would have vintage photos that they would let you rephotograph and post
• see if you can find additional information online that adds to what the marker says and add a link or two
• add a commentary of your own summarizing research you’ve completed
• copy relevant paragraphs from books whose copyright have expired and add them as commentaries
• clarify obscure terms, acronyms and abbreviations by defining them in a commentary
• add anything else on the topic you think readers of the page will appreciate knowing.

Editors will review what you’ve added. If it improves the page, they’ll publish it.

There are leader­boards to rank con­tri­bu­tors that improve the database on the Counts and Stats page. Can you chart on one of them?

Middle School History Project

Teachers! Are you looking for a history project idea that will actively involve your students and their parents? Take a look at this historical marker passport project used by teachers in the Wilson NY School District for 7th and 8th grade students. Download the customizable two-page Microsoft Word document by clicking here.

Attention Historical Societies

Do we have entries for all of the historical markers in your area? Here is a suggestion for an article for your next newsletter that may get your membership to help fill in the gaps.