6 Underrated Historic Sites in the U.S., According to Park Rangers

Monocacy National Battlefield | Frederick, Maryland

Brian Robinson, a ranger at the Monocacy National Battlefield in Frederick, Maryland, may be biased, but his site tops his list of underrated historic sites in the country. Known as “the battle that saved Washington,” the site marks the location of the 1864 Civil War battle, during a time when Lee’s Confederates entered into Maryland and caught Union forces largely off guard. While it tends to be overshadowed by popular destinations like Gettysburg and Antietam, Monocacy is worth a visit not only for its dramatic war history, but for its stunning landscape, great hiking, and more.

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San Antonio Missions National Historical Park | San Antonio, Texas

“Most people have heard or seen the Alamo, originally called Mission San Antonio de Valero, but not everyone has heard of the other missions,” says Chantelle Ruidant-Hansen with the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in San Antonio, Texas. This lesser-known national historic site comprises the other four Spanish colonial mission sites: Mission Concepción, Mission San José, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada. Together, the five make up the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in Texas. The park also protects cultural landscape features, Ruidant-Hansen notes, such as the oldest Spanish colonial aqueduct in the country, and the only remaining Spanish colonial ranching site, Rancho de las Cabras.

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Frederick Douglass National Historic Site | Washington, D.C.

A visit to Washington, D.C., presents endless historic sites and important places to visit. But according to program manager Vincent Vaise, the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site is one of  the most overlooked. “It feels like Mr. Douglass just stepped out of the room,” Vaise says. “Ninety percent of the items were in the space at the time Douglass was, so it really bridges the past with the present.” A runaway slave and abolitionist, Douglass is widely accepted as the founder of the U.S. Civil Rights movement. Start your visit by watching the short film in the park’s auditorium, then take a guided tour of Douglass’s house, restored to how it would have looked in 1895. Inside, it’s furnished with original objects that once belonged to Douglass. “Every object tells a story,” says Vaise, whose favorite is one of Douglass’s pens. “There are chew marks on it and everything.”

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Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site | Washington, D.C.

While in the capital, Vaise also recommends visiting the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site. The first African American honored in the National Statuary Hall Collection, Bethune overcame extreme poverty in the south during Reconstruction and went on to become a major Civil Rights leader. At the Council House, learn about her work and legacy as the founder of the National Council of Negro Women and the development of a quality school for African American girls, now known as Bethune-Cookman University. “Like Douglass, she’s another American hero emerging in popularity,” said Vaise. “She was a powerful force for international women’s rights.” The site’s location in Logan Square, Vaise adds, gives visitors a “quintessentially DC experience.”

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American Civil War Museum | Richmond, Virginia

In Richmond, Virginia, the American Civil War Museum is a lesser-known site for those who love digging into U.S. military history, according to Robinson. Located in the heart of the former Confederate capital city, the site takes you on a journey from the first shots fired, to Reconstruction and beyond. Robinson also notes that the location of the museum itself, on the site of the historic Tredegar Iron Works, makes it even more intriguing. Cannons made at Tredegar made up the first shots of the Civil War at Fort Sumter, and the company produced more than half of the cannons used by the Confederate army.

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Fort Mose State Historic Site | St. Augustine, Florida

Laying claim as the oldest city in the U.S., St. Augustine, Florida, draws thousands of visitors annually to see the city’s famed Spanish colonial architecture, the Castillo de San Marcos fortress, and more. But for a more under-the-radar find, Robinson suggests checking out the Fort Mose State Historic Site, a lesser-celebrated site that tells the story of the first legally sanctioned free African settlement. Visitors also like the park for its birding, wildlife sightings, canoeing, and kayaking.

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