Visiting historic sites often helps one better understand the history that happened there. Direct physical experiences with places that are deemed historically important provide an additional layer of knowledge that one cannot obtain just through reading or other forms of media.

Since 1935, the Department of the Interior—and later the National Park Service specifically—has been listing historic places deemed to be important to the history of the United States.

According to the National Park Service, National Historic Landmarks (NHL) are "nationally significant historic places designated by the Secretary of the Interior because they possess exceptional value or quality in illustrating or interpreting the heritage of the United States." There are more than 2,500 NHLs across the United States. Kentucky contains more than thirty of them.

In keeping with the National Park Service's definition, the commonwealth's NHLs often convey those things that are quintessentially Kentucky. The state has NHLs that relate to its history in horse racing, distilleries, and frontier heritage. Some of Kentucky's NHLs are well known, like Churchill Downs and the Perryville Battlefield, while others are not so famous, such as the Pine Mountain Settlement School and the Whitney M. Young Birthplace.

Regardless of their fame, or lack thereof, the state's NHLs offer opportunities to learn about the commonwealth's past and draw inspiration for the future. Many of Kentucky's NHLs are represented on the state's highway markers. We hope you will use this app to learn more about these special Kentucky treasures.