10 Unsung National Monuments/Memorials to Visit This Labor Day

Location: Kill Devil Hills, N.C.

On the Outer Banks of North Carolina, tucked away from the cottages, drive-thru beer stores, and fudge shops of the nearby vacation towns is the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Looking at all of the attractions that are there today, it’s hard to believe that the Wright Brothers chose Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina as the place where they would pioneer aviation because of its seclusion. Of course, back in 1900, the Outer Banks was the farthest thing from the modern beach getaway it is today. Back then the OBX was the perfect place to work out the mysteries of flight.

The Wright Brothers National Memorial is one of the more engaging national memorials. You can walk the path that the Wrights took on their flight, view replicas of the brothers’ hangar and living quarters, and take a look at actual tools and designs Orville and Wilbur used in their work. Once you’ve taken in the sights of the memorial, head a few miles south to Jockey’s Ridge State Park, where the barren dunes provide a little taste of what it would have been like for the brothers to be alone on the Outer Banks with their dreams of flight.

Location: Scotts Bluff, Neb.

In western Nebraska a rock formation juts up over 800 feet into the air, dominating the landscape. Though today we appreciate the monument for the change in scenery it provides, in the 19th century, the Bluff was an important landmark for travelers of the Oregon and Mormon Trails. Scotts Bluff was unseen by non-indigenous eyes until 1812, when fur traders happened upon it. Due to the War of 1812, the Bluff largely stayed a secret until more fur traders passed through in the 1820s. In 1823 the Bluff was named for Hiram Scott, a well-known fur trader who had died in the area. By the 1830s, Scotts Bluff had become a landmark—many pioneers passed through Scotts Bluff on their way to a better life in the west. Today, the Oregon Trail Museum and Visitors Center commemorates Scotts Bluff’s place in America’s westward expansion.

Location: Brunswick, Ga.

Most Americans who were raised on history textbooks are familiar with the famous forts of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. There are, however, a number of forts that still exist from a time before America that you don’t often hear about. After founding the colony of Georgia in 1733, James Oglethorpe built Fort Frederica to defend against Spanish encroachment on the colonies. Prior to the establishment of Georgia, the Spanish and British governments referred to the space between South Carolina (British) and Florida (Spanish) as “debatable land.” On several occasions, that debate got heated. Fort Frederica only saw action on two occasions, both in 1742, at the Battle of Bloody Marsh and the Battle of Gully Hole Creek. After these skirmishes, the Spanish no longer had designs on Georgia, and the garrison at Fort Frederica was abandoned by the early 1760s.

Location: St. Augustine, Fla.

Another preserved fort that’s older than the United States can be found in St. Augustine, Florida. Ground was broken on Castillo De San Marcos in 1672, and for a while the fort helped the Spanish defend Florida. In 1763, the British gained control of Florida and Castillo De San Marcos with it. The Brits rather uncreatively rechristened the place Fort St. Mark. In 1783, the fort returned to Spanish hands, before falling under the ownership of the United States in 1819. Shortly thereafter, the fort underwent another name change, and became Fort Marion. Finally, in 1942, the fort became Castillo De San Marcos once again thanks to an Act of Congress. In total, Castillo De San Marcos has been held by four different governments, and possession of the fort has changed hands a half dozen times. In addition to seeing action in conflicts between Spain and Britain, the fort also fell under Confederate control during the Civil War and acted as a military prison during the Second Seminole War.

Location: Pinal County, Ariz.

A number of national monuments in the Southwestern United States commemorate a time many centuries before the United States came to be. The ruins at Casa Grande date back to the pueblo dwelling indigenous peoples who populated the southwest prior to 1450. The adobe structures at Casa Grande extend up to four stories high and contain surprisingly advanced touches, like a ball court. In addition to these adobe dwellings, the people of the Sonoran Desert also employed large-scale irrigation and sophisticated trading relationships. Casa Grande has been officially preserved by the U.S. government since 1892, and became the first U.S. prehistoric and cultural reserve in 1918.

Location: Crook County, Wyo.

Many areas that are designated national monuments are preserved not for their historical significance, but rather for their geographical beauty. Devil’s Tower in Wyoming is one such case. Though the summit of Devil’s Tower is 5,000 feet (far less than many peaks in the United States) its unique appearance and the fact that it towers over the surrounding landscape make it one of the most unique natural sights in America. Though geologists are in agreement that Devil’s Tower is a thing of geological beauty, there is active debate as to its origin. Two popular theories are that the tower is a laccolith, “a large mass of igneous rock which is intruded through sedimentary rock beds without reaching the surface, but makes a rounded bulge in the sedimentary layers above” or that it is a volcanic plug, “a volcanic landform created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano.”

Location: Kern County, Calif.

Few places are as appropriate to visit on Labor Day as the Cesar Chavez memorial. The Cesar E. Chavez National Monument is one of America’s newest designated historical sites, as it only just received status as a National Monument in 2012. Chavez, a legendary Latino civil rights activist and labor organizer, lived on and was ultimately buried on the site. By the late ’70s, Chavez spoke on behalf of 50,000 field workers in California and Florida. Though anti-union tactics brought that number down to 15,000 by the mid ’80s, Chavez’s mark on the farm workers, the U.S. labor movement, and the Latino community is indelible. Though the park is still being developed as the newly minted monument expands its services, guests can take in presentations in the monuments visitors center, and tour the memorial garden where Chavez was buried.

Location: New York City

When you think about immigration monuments in New York City, you likely think first of Lady Liberty. Though the Statue of Liberty is certainly glorious, the Tenement Museum offers a more intimate sense of how American immigrants lived during the massive population influx between the Civil War and World War II. The Tenement Museum is housed at 97 Orchard Street in a building that was once home to 22 apartments and a saloon. It is estimated that the building was host to 7,000 tenants from over 20 nations between 1863 and 1935. In 1935, the building was largely abandoned, which made it the perfect location for the Tenement Museum when building began in 1988.

Location: Sharpsburg, Md.

When it comes to Civil War battlefields, it doesn’t just begin and end with Gettysburg. There are a number of historical sites from the War Between the States—north and south of the Mason-Dixon—that are worth a visit. The Battle of Antietam (also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg) was the single bloodiest day of fighting in American military history. The dead, missing, and wounded totaled almost 23,000. It is a surreal feeling walking through the beautiful fields and gently rolling hills of Northern Virginia; it’s odd to consider that one of America’s most pleasant landscapes was the site of so much grisly violence. Though there is plenty to be learned in the Battlefield Visitor’s Center and at the Pry Field Hospital Museum, the most powerful moments of visiting a battlefield come when you walk the grounds where the battle took place. Once you’ve read about the events of the battle, walking the Sunken Road and Burnside Bride are experiences that will stick with you for some time.

Location: Crazy Horse, S.D.

Unlike the rest of the memorials and monuments on this list, the Crazy Horse Memorial isn’t technically a national monument. One reason for this is that it isn’t finished yet. The story of the Crazy Horse Memorial is one of the most complicated and interesting among American memorials. The white model in the foreground illustrates what the monument will hopefully come to be, but if you examine the monument’s progress in the background, you’ll note that only Crazy Horse’s head is fully realized. If and when it is completed, the Crazy Horse Memorial, which is located less than 20 miles from Mount Rushmore, could become the largest sculpture in the world.