Category: National Parks Service

Saint Croix Island International Historic Site – Calais, Maine

Beaches, Canada, Historic Markers, Historic Sites, Maine, Museums, National Parks Service, New Brunswick, New England, North America, Rivers, State Parks, Statue / Sculpture, United States

Saint Croix Island International Historic Site in Calais was my “hometown” national park unit. My parents had their retirement home very near to this park and as a National Park fan I used to come here very often. Saint Croix Island sits in the middle of the river between Maine and New Brunswick. In 1604, a French settlement began on the island, three years before English settlements in Jamestown. Saint Croix Island’s settlement was soon abandoned, following a terrible winter. When I visited the park years ago there was little more than a boat ramp and information placard at the site. Today there are extensive informative displays accompanied by statues representing various historical figures. There are rest room facilities and a fully staffed visitor center. There is no access to the island itself to protect its archeological and natural elements but the mainland area is well worth the visit. The neighboring shore in New Brunswick, Canada also has a park and display. It is great seeing small parks like this being properly represented.

Arlington National Cemetery – Arlington, Virginia

Architecture, Cemetery, Historic Sites, Memorials, National Parks Service, North America, Statue / Sculpture, United States, Virginia

Arlington National Cemetery is a United States military cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.. Its 639 acres are the burial grounds of American military and political figures, including many killed in the nation’s conflicts beginning with the American Civil War and those reinterred from earlier conflicts. The United States Department of the Army, a component of the United States Department of Defense (DoD), manages the cemetery. Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial is administered by the National Park Service.

Grave of John F. Kennedy

Quartermaster General of the Union Army Montgomery C. Meigs so upset with the death of his son buried him on the front lawn of Robert E. Lee’s home so it could never again be used as a residence.

Equestrian statue of British General John Dill

Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial – Arlington, Virginia

Architecture, Cemetery, Historic Sites, Memorials, National Parks Service, North America, United States, Virginia

Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, formerly named the Custis-Lee Mansion, is a Greek Revival style mansion located in Arlington County, Virginia that was once the home of Confederate Army General Robert E. Lee. It overlooks the Potomac River and the National Mall in Washington, D.C. During the American Civil War, the grounds of the mansion were selected as the site of Arlington National Cemetery, in part to ensure that Lee would never again be able to return to his home. The United States has since designated the mansion as a National Memorial. Although the United States Department of the Army controls Arlington National Cemetery, the National Park Service, a component of the United States Department of the Interior, administers Arlington House.

Jefferson Memorial – Washington, D.C.

Architecture, Memorials, National Parks Service, North America, Statue / Sculpture, United States, Washington DC

The Jefferson Memorial in Washington’s West Potomac Park is in memory of Thomas Jefferson the principle author of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States. The Jefferson Memorial features multiple Jefferson quotes designed to capture Jefferson’s ideology and philosophy, known as Jeffersonian democracy, The building is of neo-classical style reminiscent of his own Monticello. The bronze statue statue of Jefferson was developed by sculptor Rudulph Evans.

First glimpse of the memorial from Alex’s tour bus

Statue of Jefferson with the dome