Virtual Tours & Other Multimedia
Explore national parks and other historic sites without leaving home
HDP's interactive web features provide new ways to visit historic sites across the U.S. (and a few places outside the U.S, too). See places you haven't visited in person. Go behind the scenes in areas that aren't open to the public. Get new vantage points, ranging from panoramic views to detailed 3-D models. Learn about American history by seeing the place where it happened.
The projects on this page include virtual tours, point cloud animations, Sketchfab 3-D models, and other digital content. To create these features, HDP staff members draw on the same professional field work and research that they use to create archival survey documentation destined for the Library of Congress.
Choose a site below to experience and learn more about its history, especially as it relates to architecture, engineering, and cultural landscapes. For more information, check out the archival HABS, HAER, or HALS documentation, too.
For best results, please view these pages using a modern web browser. Legacy browsers such as Internet Explorer will not display some features.
Latest Projects
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Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty National Monument, New York
Recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy, "The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World" was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States in 1886. Heritage Documentation Programs undertook updated digital documentation of the Statue of Liberty in summer 2019.
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Alcatraz Island Citadel
Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California
The current 1912 cellhouse at Alcatraz was constructed directly over the first level of a Civil War-era US Army citadel.
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Fort Jefferson
Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida
Dry Tortugas National Park was established to preserve the rich cultural heritage of Fort Jefferson and submerged resources around the nearby keys. Documentation of Fort Jefferson at Dry Tortugas has been undertaken by Heritage Documentation Programs begining in 2015.
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National Park Service Units
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Arlington Memorial Bridge
George Washington Memorial Parkway, District of Columbia/Virginia
Arlington Memorial Bridge spans the Potomac River between Washington, DC, and Arlington, Virginia. Its monumental architecture symbolically connects North and South. It formerly had a working bascule span.
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Miller Field Seaplane Hangar
Gateway National Recreation Area, New York/New Jersey
Miller Field was the only aerial coast defense station established on the East Coast, and the seaplane hangar, built in 1919 with additions in 1939, played a significant role in the operations of the field.
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Soldiers' National Monument
Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania
The Soldiers' National Monument honors the fallen soldiers of the Battle of Gettysburg. It stands a short distance on the other side of the iron fence from where President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address.
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Ellis Island
Statue of Liberty National Monument, New York/New Jersey
The United States Immigration Station at Ellis Island, established in 1892, was the most prominent federal immigration facility. After a fire destroyed the original wood buildings in 1897, Ellis Island was expanded and improved by a series of landfill projects and monumental new buildings still there today.
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Pu`uhonua O Hōnaunau
Pu`uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park, Hawai'i
Situated on the west coast of the island of Hawaii on Honaunau Bay, Pu'uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park encompasses the best preserved pu'uhonua, or place of refuge, where criminals, defeated warriors, and those who had violated kapu (referring to the ancient Hawaiian code of conduct) could flee and receive absolution from a priest. The Pu'uhonua is still considered a sacred site.
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Fort Tilden
Gateway National Recreation Area, New York/New Jersey
Fort Tilden was established in 1917 as part of a network of coastal fortifications in the New York City area and New Jersey established to protect the New York Harbor, and was staffed by the Coast Artillery Corps.
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César E. Chávez National Monument
Keene, California
César E. Chávez National Monument, known also as Nuestra Señora Reina De La Paz (Our Lady Queen of Peace) or simply La Paz, is a 108-acre site located in Keene, California situated in the Tehachapi Mountains. The site was once the home and workplace of César E. Chávez, who is recognized as the most important Latino leader in the history of the United States during the twentieth century.
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Sitka Totem Trail
Sitka National Historical Park, Alaska
Sitka National Historical Park's unique and remarkable collection of totem poles dates to 1903. The poles have been carefully situated along the Park's Totem Trail, a scenic pedestrian walk through the forested grove located between Sitka Sound and the Indian River.
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Yukon Mining Sites
Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, Alaska
Located in Interior Alaska along the border with Canada, the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve possesses numerous historic sites associated with gold prospectors who operated dredges and utilized other mining processes to recover significant quantities of placer gold from area creeks.
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USS Cairo Ironclad Gunboat
Vicksburg National Military Park, Mississippi
USS Cairo was commissioned in January 1862 for the Union Navy by James Buchanan Eads during the American Civil War. On 12 December 1862, the Cairo was the first ship in history to be sunk by an electrically detonated torpedo in the Yazoo River, north of Vicksburg. The salvaged historic gunboat and its artifacts can now be seen at the Vicksburg National Military Park.
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American Battle Monuments Commission
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Aisne-Marne American Cemetery & Memorial
Belleau, France
Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial is administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Boston architectural firm of Cram & Ferguson designed the chapel, new entrance gates, visitor building, and staff quarters at Aisne-Marne constructed from 1929-33
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Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery & Memorial
Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France
Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial is the largest overseas American cemetery administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). Prominent French-born American architect Paul P. Cret served as consulting architect.
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Flanders Field American Cemetery & Memorial
Waregem, Belgium
Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial is one of eight overseas World War I cemeteries designed and administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC), a federal agency created in 1923. Flanders Field is the only ABMC World War I cemetery in Belgium.
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Santa Susana Field Laboratory
Near Simi Valley, California
The Santa Susana Field Laboratory is a large test facility which once served as a proving grounds for numerous Air Force and NASA rocket engines and components. High up in the rocky terrain of the Simi Hills between Simi Valley and Los Angeles sit the remnants of several unique rocket test stands, silent reminders of an era driven by scientific advancement.
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Space Transportation System
Since 1995, the National Park Service has partnered with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to document many of the historic resources related to our Nation's space program. Recently, they teamed up to record the nation's Space Transportation System, known popularly as the Space Shuttle.
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Thematic Collections
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Damage by Hurricanes Irma and Maria
Florida, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands
Many historic places were damaged or threatened by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. This project looks at what happened to a selection of sites previously surveyed by HABS/HAER/ HALS. The story map was created by Cultural Resources GIS.
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50 Years of the National Historic Preservation Act
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act in 2016, the Heritage Documentation Programs reflect upon over eighty years of documentation. Explore this interactive map to see the range of places documented by HABS, HAER, and HALS.
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HDP Animations of Historic Sites
Heritage Documentation Programs has produced videos fly-through of a number of historic sites recently documented, including the Cabin Camp 1 Dining Hall at Prince William Forest Park and the historic stairs at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
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Parkitecture in Western National Parks
The idea of designing with nature flourished in the National Park Service during the early decades of the 20th century. This exhibit produced in 1999 showcases the rustic designs of National Park Service structures that have been documented by HABS/HAER/HALS.
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Lying Lightly on the Land
Based on HAER documentation, this exhibit produced in the early 1990s traces the history of road development in National Parks. Colorful period postcards depict Yellowstone before the automobile, and eight other National Parks during the golden age of park road development.
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Hispanic Heritage Month
Heritage Documentation Programs pays tribute to the accomplishments of Hispanic Americans by highlighting several HABS/HAER/HALS surveys that are significant to Hispanic Heritage.
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Women's History Month
Heritage Documentation Programs celebrates Women's History Month by highlighting several HABS/HAER/HALS surveys that are significant to Women's History.
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African American History Month
Heritage Documentation Programs celebrates African American Heritage Month by highlighting several HABS/HAER/HALS surveys that are significant to African American Heritage.
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Jewish American Heritage Month
Heritage Documentation Programs celebrates Jewish American Heritage Month by highlighting several HABS/HAER/HALS survys that are significant to Jewish Heritage.
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