National Register Research

National Register of Historic Places database

Since its inception in 1966, more than 80,000 properties have been listed in the National Register. Together these records hold information on more than 1.4 million individual resources--buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects--and therefore provide a link to the country's heritage at the national, state, and local levels.

The Documentation consists of

• National Register registration form, which provides a physical description of the place, information about its history and significance, and a bibliography.
• Photographs
• Maps (We are plotting our properties into Google Earth layers)
  
  Examine sample National Register nominations by looking at our Sample Nominations page or a highlighted property in our weekly list.

Research our Collection:

• We are currently digitizing our records and have put many of them online in our database at: http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/
• Our older database, the NRIS, is still online at: http://www.nr.nps.gov/. The NRIS is good for looking at MPS covers.
• Visit our archives. Open Monday through Friday 9:00am to noon . For security reasons, an appointment is necessary to access our building. To schedule an appointment please contact Ricah Marquez: 202-354-2226 or e-mail
• Many State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) have digitized their files and put them online. The depth of information available varies from state to state, but ranges from basic locational information to searchable databases with downloadable narrative descriptions and photos. You can check their websites to see if they have the information you need. List of SHPOs extended information.
• Request copies of individual nominations either via e-mail please include your mailing address and the property name, county, and state. or postal mail:
  National Register of Historic Places
  National Park Service
  1839 C St., NW (MS 2280)
  Washington, DC 20240
  
  Please note, due to irradiation of USPS mail in Washington, DC, we recommend sending official correspondence to us by direct or overnight mail at the following address:
  
  1201 Eye St., NW
  8th Floor (MS 2280)
  Washington, DC 20005