Welcome to the Historical Marker Database

Marker of the Week

Pittsburgh's Lost Cyclist Baldwin, Pennsylvania

This week in 1892 Frank Lenz set out westward to circumnavigate the world on a bicycle, publishing reports along the way for a cycling magazine. His last dispatch was some two years later from Tabriz in the Ottoman Empire, with his next stop to be Erzurum in today's Turkey. Regional Editor Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia, filed this entry in 2021.
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Take a Tour of the Database

Click on the star button ★ in the menu above. Repeat. Every time you click, you will be shown a different marker at random.

More Than 171 Thousand!

HMdb MARKER COUNT

171547

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 earlier today at 11:41 PM ET.

Historical Marker Facts

How many historical markers are there in the United States? We’ve found 147,958 so far. Adding more daily.

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

How many historical markers are there in Canada? We’ve found 2,844 so far. We’re always looking for more.

    More facts and figuresAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasBritish ColumbiaCaliforniaCiudad de MéxicoColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaEnglandFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew BrunswickNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNewfoundland and LabradorNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaNorthern IrelandNova ScotiaOhioOklahomaOntarioOregonPennsylvaniaPrince Edward IslandPuerto RicoQuébecQuintana RooRhode IslandScotlandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirgin IslandsVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

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Markers Recently Added

May 17 •	"Hail to the Sunrise" Charlemont, Massachusetts
•	North Adams Civil War Soldiers Monument North Adams, Massachusetts
•	Williamstown Civil War Soldiers Monument Williamstown, Massachusetts
•	Old Town Hall Pittsfield, Massachusetts
•	Old Post Office Bennington, Vermont
•	Tannery Brook Woodstock, New York
•	Yoshino Cherry Tree Fort Wayne, Indiana
•	Fire Station #3 Fort Wayne, Indiana
•	Fort Wayne Printing Building Fort Wayne, Indiana
•	Schmitz Block Fort Wayne, Indiana
•	The Transfer Corner Fort Wayne, Indiana
•	Columbia Street Fort Wayne, Indiana
•	Fort Wayne Historic District Fort Wayne, Indiana
•	The Concrete Restoration Walls Fort Wayne, Indiana
•	Shanty Town And The Great Depression Fort Wayne, Indiana
•	and more ...

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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 and maps.

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.

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