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50 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S. [Paperback] [Jan 01, 2012] Jan 01, 2012
50 Great American Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S. Paperback Book
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First published June 2, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
August 25, 2018
An interesting book only because when we travel we stop and see anything historical, museums and historical markers along the road. We have been to several of these places in the midwest to western parts of the US.
April 10, 2025
A great read for anyone interested in American history and/or domestic travel.
February 15, 2016
They Got the "One-of-a-Kind" Part Right
This is a wildly idiosyncratic and essentially random collection of some well known and some fairly obscure historic sites. We get Yellowstone National Park, but then we get the Cahokia Mounds and James Naismith's tenure as the only losing basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Each site gets two or three pages and a few small stock photos. The site information essays are just as random, so Gettysburg as the retirement location for Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower gets more ink than the Gettysburg Address.
There was no overarching theme, (geographical or historical or cultural), that I could see in the book's organization. The book is not without its charms and some of the factoids are of passing interest, but overall I didn't quite see the point. The references at the end of each essay to neighboring points of interest and further sources of information might be of interest, but weren't anything special.
(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
This is a wildly idiosyncratic and essentially random collection of some well known and some fairly obscure historic sites. We get Yellowstone National Park, but then we get the Cahokia Mounds and James Naismith's tenure as the only losing basketball coach at the University of Kansas. Each site gets two or three pages and a few small stock photos. The site information essays are just as random, so Gettysburg as the retirement location for Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower gets more ink than the Gettysburg Address.
There was no overarching theme, (geographical or historical or cultural), that I could see in the book's organization. The book is not without its charms and some of the factoids are of passing interest, but overall I didn't quite see the point. The references at the end of each essay to neighboring points of interest and further sources of information might be of interest, but weren't anything special.
(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
March 16, 2020
I enjoyed this read. It was fun to learn about all the different sites across the U.S. and their history. Hearing the background about so many different destinations was really great. I learned a lot. I also enjoyed how each one wasn't super long; each one was a great length. Enough detail but not droning on and on.
I recommend if you are thinking of taking a trip based on history, or if you just want to learn more American history overall. You don't necessarily have to commit to visiting to enjoy this book. Very interesting indeed.
I recommend if you are thinking of taking a trip based on history, or if you just want to learn more American history overall. You don't necessarily have to commit to visiting to enjoy this book. Very interesting indeed.
December 21, 2023
A FANTASTIC book. Must-read for everyone as it covers a wide range of all-encompassing American history. Learned quite a bit!
August 16, 2019
Interesting selections of places - just about everyone will learn something from this book.
March 12, 2016
50 Great American Places by Brent D. Glass is a very highly recommended guide to 50 places that have cultural and historical significance in the USA.
Brent Glass is the director emeritus of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, so this is an expert guiding you to the sites included.
He writes "I envision 50 Great American Places as a contribution to historical literacy. Historical literacy is more than simply knowing the names of leaders or when famous battles were fought. It involves understanding the context of historical events and how events are connected. Above all, history is a resource for understanding our own lives and times. Sustaining a democratic society in America is not possible without citizens who know and love its history. We cannot participate fully in democracy without historical knowledge."
This is a great guide and would be a perfect addition for any excursion planned across the USA. The essays for the 50 places are organized chronologically. All of them are a few pages long but full of pertinent information about and the historical or cultural significance of each place and, sometimes nearby places. Included at the end of the information are websites listed for each site and nearby places of interest. Glass also points out that "The National Park Service (NPS) websites are uniformly reliable and good resources for information about national parks, battlefields, historic sites, memorials, and monuments. The NPS sites also include good maps and updated information about programs and events. Websites generally provide current information about hours of operations, fees, and construction that might limit access to certain sites or collections."
The list of places by state includes the town or city in which the site is located or, in some cases, the nearest town to that site. The site mentioned on this list is the major subject of each essay.
ALABAMA Huntsville/Saturn V Rocket
ARIZONA Tucson/Mission San Xavier del Bac
ARKANSAS Little Rock/Little Rock Central High School
CALIFORNIA Burbank/Warner Bros. Studio La Jolla/Salk Institute Palo Alto/Silicon Valley San Francisco/El Presidio at the Golden Gate
COLORADO Cortez/Mesa Verde
CONNECTICUT Hartford/Nook Farm
DELAWARE New Castle/New Castle Court House Museum
FLORIDA Orlando/EPCOT Celebration Maitland/Research Studio
GEORGIA Atlanta/Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site
HAWAII Honolulu/Pearl Harbor
IDAHO Jerome/Minidoka
ILLINOIS Collinsville/Cahokia Mounds Chicago/World’s Columbian Exposition
INDIANA New Harmony
KANSAS Lawrence/Allen Field House Manhattan/Kansas State University
LOUISIANA New Orleans/Jazz National Historical Park
MARYLAND Baltimore/B&O Railroad Museum
MASSACHUSETTS Boston/Freedom Trail Salem/Witch Trials Memorial
MICHIGAN Dearborn/Ford River Rouge Complex
MINNESOTA Edina/Southdale Center Bloomington/Mall of America
MISSOURI St. Louis/Gateway Arch
MONTANA Crow Agency/Little Bighorn Battlefield
NEBRASKA Red Cloud/Willa Cather Foundation
NEVADA Boulder City/Hoover Dam
NEW JERSEY West Orange/Edison’s Laboratory
NEW MEXICO Santa Fe/Palace of the Governors
NEW YORK New York/Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty New York/Grand Central Terminal Seneca Falls/Women’s Rights National Historical Park
NORTH CAROLINA Asheville/Biltmore House Kill Devil Hills/Wright Brothers National Memorial
OHIO Hudson/Village Green
OKLAHOMA Claremore/Will Rogers Highway
PENNSYLVANIA Gettysburg/Gettysburg National Military Park Philadelphia/Liberty Bell Pittsburgh/Forks of the Ohio
RHODE ISLAND Pawtucket/Slater Mill
SOUTH CAROLINA Charleston/Fort Sumter National Monument
SOUTH DAKOTA Pine Ridge/Wounded Knee Memorial
TENNESSEE Nashville/Ryman Auditorium
TEXAS San Antonio/The Alamo
UTAH Salt Lake City/Temple Square
VIRGINIA Charlottesville/Monticello Yorktown/Virginia Peninsula
WASHINGTON Richland/Hanford B Reactor
WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Mall WISCONSIN Spring Green/Taliesin
WYOMING Yellowstone National Park
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Simon & Schuster for review purposes.
May 6, 2016
I received this book free through Goodreads in exchange for a review.
50 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S. is a quick interesting read about places of importance in the United States. There are 50 chapters in the book, all very short, one on each of the places.
The places in this book range from the well-known to the lesser known. There is something of interest for pretty much anyone: early-American history, western American history, industrial and/or technological history, etc.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It's just the kind of thing I like: snippets about a number of different places; giving just enough information to keep you interested, but if you're not it's done pretty quick. I liked learning about different places I was not aware of at all or places where I only knew a little about. There were a few places in the book that I knew quite a bit about, but that was very welcome too.
I did have a few issues with this book. Firstly, while this is titled "50 Great American Places" I felt that some of the choices have been done to death over the years. As much as I love Monticello or Salem, these are things that are touched on in every book and it seems that other choices may have worked better here.
Secondly, I had an issue with a word choice of Glass's that popped up a few times. In the chapters about Edison (NJ) and Ford Rouge (MI), Glass states that Henry Ford recreated Edison's Menlo Park lab in Greenfield Village. While I can see this word being appropriate, I feel it gives the wrong impression of what Ford did. As someone who worked at Greenfield Village for two years and lived in the area nearly my entire life, I would characterize what Ford did differently than "recreate". Ford moved entire buildings to Greenfield Village, marking the boards so they were put back together in the exact same position. With Menlo Park (the building mentioned in the book a few times), Henry Ford even brought in boxcar loads of New Jersey soil to put the building on because Edison said Menlo Park would never leave New Jersey soil. So while recreate may be a decent choice of word, I feel like there are better words Glass could have used. Because of this, it does make me wonder what other things in the book could be misunderstood because of iffy word choices.
Despite those two issues, I did enjoy the book and would recommend it for anyone looking for a book of places in the U.S. to visit as long as they don't have other guide books. I think it would be a good first book, but with so much overlap, if you have other similar books or know a lot about American history, this book may not be for you.
50 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S. is a quick interesting read about places of importance in the United States. There are 50 chapters in the book, all very short, one on each of the places.
The places in this book range from the well-known to the lesser known. There is something of interest for pretty much anyone: early-American history, western American history, industrial and/or technological history, etc.
Overall I really enjoyed this book. It's just the kind of thing I like: snippets about a number of different places; giving just enough information to keep you interested, but if you're not it's done pretty quick. I liked learning about different places I was not aware of at all or places where I only knew a little about. There were a few places in the book that I knew quite a bit about, but that was very welcome too.
I did have a few issues with this book. Firstly, while this is titled "50 Great American Places" I felt that some of the choices have been done to death over the years. As much as I love Monticello or Salem, these are things that are touched on in every book and it seems that other choices may have worked better here.
Secondly, I had an issue with a word choice of Glass's that popped up a few times. In the chapters about Edison (NJ) and Ford Rouge (MI), Glass states that Henry Ford recreated Edison's Menlo Park lab in Greenfield Village. While I can see this word being appropriate, I feel it gives the wrong impression of what Ford did. As someone who worked at Greenfield Village for two years and lived in the area nearly my entire life, I would characterize what Ford did differently than "recreate". Ford moved entire buildings to Greenfield Village, marking the boards so they were put back together in the exact same position. With Menlo Park (the building mentioned in the book a few times), Henry Ford even brought in boxcar loads of New Jersey soil to put the building on because Edison said Menlo Park would never leave New Jersey soil. So while recreate may be a decent choice of word, I feel like there are better words Glass could have used. Because of this, it does make me wonder what other things in the book could be misunderstood because of iffy word choices.
Despite those two issues, I did enjoy the book and would recommend it for anyone looking for a book of places in the U.S. to visit as long as they don't have other guide books. I think it would be a good first book, but with so much overlap, if you have other similar books or know a lot about American history, this book may not be for you.
July 21, 2017
Apparently in Minnesota, which is home to
- the location of the headwaters of the Mississippi River,
- Minnehaha Falls which are the subject of Longfellow's "The Song of Hiawatha",
- St. Paul’s Cathedral, one of the best examples of Beaux-Arts architecture and a landmark on the National Register of Historic Buildings,
- the Stone Arch Bridge which is recognized as a National Civil Engineering Landmark
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness which has a dozen hiking trails and more than 2,000 designated campsites. Black bears, bobcats, deer, wolves and Canada lynx all live in the park, which is over a million acres in size.
- the Minnesota State Fair, the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance (with carved butter busts)
- Itasca State Park with a 2,000-acre Wilderness Sanctuary, which is one of Minnesota’s SEVEN National Natural Landmarks,
to name a few sites,
the two "essential historic sites" the authors came up with are both shopping malls: Southdale Center in Edina, and the Mall of America.
In Maryland, home to
- the Edgar Allen Poe House and Museum,
- Fort McHenry, a National Historic Shrine, which battle-flag inspired Francis Scott Key to pen The Star-Spangled Banner,
- the home of Frederick Douglass,
- Pimlico, site of Preakness Stakes, second jewel of horse racing’s famed Triple Crown
the authors came up with B&O Railroad Museum (that choice meets my approval) and "Baltimore".
Nothing specific. Apparently people needing a guidebook to tell them where to go don't need more details than the name of a city.
- the location of the headwaters of the Mississippi River,
- Minnehaha Falls which are the subject of Longfellow's "The Song of Hiawatha",
- St. Paul’s Cathedral, one of the best examples of Beaux-Arts architecture and a landmark on the National Register of Historic Buildings,
- the Stone Arch Bridge which is recognized as a National Civil Engineering Landmark
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness which has a dozen hiking trails and more than 2,000 designated campsites. Black bears, bobcats, deer, wolves and Canada lynx all live in the park, which is over a million acres in size.
- the Minnesota State Fair, the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance (with carved butter busts)
- Itasca State Park with a 2,000-acre Wilderness Sanctuary, which is one of Minnesota’s SEVEN National Natural Landmarks,
to name a few sites,
the two "essential historic sites" the authors came up with are both shopping malls: Southdale Center in Edina, and the Mall of America.
In Maryland, home to
- the Edgar Allen Poe House and Museum,
- Fort McHenry, a National Historic Shrine, which battle-flag inspired Francis Scott Key to pen The Star-Spangled Banner,
- the home of Frederick Douglass,
- Pimlico, site of Preakness Stakes, second jewel of horse racing’s famed Triple Crown
the authors came up with B&O Railroad Museum (that choice meets my approval) and "Baltimore".
Nothing specific. Apparently people needing a guidebook to tell them where to go don't need more details than the name of a city.
February 20, 2016
I would recommend this book to visitors to the US or Americans who are planning a trip to an unfamiliar region. Otherwise, the book didn't seem very cohesive and I struggled to pick out any themes from Glass' histories about each place -- I understand that he is a public historian and probably more comfortable with place and present than narrative and past, but it read a bit like a list of interesting historic places; again, this is probably enough for the less-informed or less-traveled reader, but I kept thinking, "Yes, and...?" Several selections I would consider well-known, but there were also good picks of off-the-beaten-path sites (Willa Cather's NE and the Minidoka internment camp in ID were inspired choices). I liked Glass' inclusion of "nearby places" at the end of each section to encourage further research/trip planning.
October 21, 2015
Disappointing for me because I expected beautiful pictures to accompany the well written factual descriptions. Literally one, sometime two, small pictures on the "cover" page for each of the 50.
February 7, 2018
A historical travel guide of 50 places in the USA. The author provides a historical background on each site followed by a modern viewpoint. Each chapter focuses on a single location and they fly by quickly. The author provides references at the end of each chapter for further research into the historic site. The sites are not connected by any particular theme and the chapters vary in quality. This book is better for skimming instead of a straight through read. Overall, this is a decent travel book to seek out the more obscure historical sites in American History.
The spoiler has a list of the different places
The spoiler has a list of the different places
March 24, 2024
I think the "great" in this title may be somewhat subjective. Yes, some of these places would be of interest to a good amount of people, but others might only appeal to a few select.
What is appealing about this book is how each chapter outlined a place, gave a brief history of it, included website information, and included some other surrounding sites to see or visit while there.
The chapters/places are as follows:
What is appealing about this book is how each chapter outlined a place, gave a brief history of it, included website information, and included some other surrounding sites to see or visit while there.
The chapters/places are as follows:
December 18, 2018
This is the kind of book you skim, reading bits and pieces here and there, and barely glancing at the rest. It's not that the writing is terrible; it's just a little boring. Some of these "great American places" I'd never heard of, and I'm glad I got to read a little essay about rather than waste the time on anything more. Some I'd never heard of, and for good reason. My interests are varied but do not include communal living in Indiana. Nor do I intend to visit the forks of the Ohio River. You have to treat this one as you would a "Top 1000 Books to Read Before you Die:" you aren't actually going to read all those books, and you won't want to read ABOUT all of them either. Unless you want to bank the knowledge for trivia night, quite a few locations aren't really that interesting to read about. The Hudson village green among them.
August 5, 2017
Yep, this is one of *those* nonfiction books that you feared growing up that just spouts facts at you without successfully integrating them into some kind of actually engaging narrative. Sure, it's very informative and made me add some spots to my "road trip" Pinterest board, and there are some facts Glass pulls out that made me stop and think, but much of the time this book wasn't very engaging and let's be real-- it suited my purposes b/c I needed a book that was available and that I could drop in a hot second when one of the other books I had on hold became available.
February 27, 2018
I really enjoyed this book, and if you have an interest in history, and/or in the historical sites in the United States, you will too. The book highlights 50 historical sites in the US, briefly (3-5 pages) telling the story behind each of them. Some of them are well known (such as the National Mall or the Brooklyn Bridge), and some were unfamiliar to me. The book is almost the story of the United States, as told through these historic sites. I enjoyed reading and learning about the various sites, and the book whet my appetite to go and visit more of these sites!
June 18, 2019
This is an interesting little book. Glass lists 50 Essential Historic Sites to visit. Some I have heard of, some not. I read through the book, but realistically this book would be better served as a reference book to consult if you are going to be near one of these places. Seeking them out to visit is more my style, but there is not a discernible organization to the book. Although, just now I am wondering if it is chronological? Which also doesn’t really help me.
Regardless, I love seeking out historical sites to visit, and this is a book that encourages that so I enjoyed reading it.
Regardless, I love seeking out historical sites to visit, and this is a book that encourages that so I enjoyed reading it.
September 2, 2019
An interesting view of American History--through the lens of "Great" (not necessarily most historic) places. If you're the kind of road tripper who likes to stop at historical markers and take a slight detour to see area museums, then you will enjoy this. I was disappointed by the lack of photos and maps. After each essay, I actually went to Google Maps to see these places in their geographic area--plus Google will give you full color photos. Don't count on it as a travel guide--more like a place to get ideas for the next family "U.S. History" road trip.
September 15, 2023
"A one-of-a-kind guide to fifty of the most important cultural and historic sites in the United States guaranteed to fascinate, educate, and entertain—selected and described by the former director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
From Massachusetts to Florida to Washington to California, 50 Great American Places takes you on a journey through our nation’s history."
I have been to most of these places and the book gives the history and importance of each site.
From Massachusetts to Florida to Washington to California, 50 Great American Places takes you on a journey through our nation’s history."
I have been to most of these places and the book gives the history and importance of each site.
February 6, 2017
A fascinating inside look at 50 different historical places within the US. I appreciated the author's variety of people and places and his in-depth discussions on why he felt each place deserved recognition. Some places I recognized or had been to myself, which was always fun, like Temple Square, the National Mall, the World's Colombian Exposition of 1892 (holla at DEVIL AND THE WHITE CITY), Monticello, Jamestown, Colonial Willamsburg, and the Hoover Dam. Others I had never heard of, which was even more exciting because I have a whole bunch of new places to add to my to-visit list like the Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA, or the Biltmore House in North Carolina, or the Presido at the Golden Gate, or the White Dove of the Desert Cathedral in Arizona. SO MANY COOL PLACES. And really, it's not just places, but people too and events.
Let me know if you want to go on an extended roadtrip so we can see some of these places. I promise, I'm very fun to travel with.
Let me know if you want to go on an extended roadtrip so we can see some of these places. I promise, I'm very fun to travel with.
August 20, 2019
A fantastic book! I love how he lays it out (once the pattern emerges) and how he discusses so many aspects of history - social, economic, migratory - even though he starts with a place each time. Its fantastoc and I learned a lot. Much of what I learned was a seed from which I want to go discover more. A great read
August 11, 2023
This was…. Difficult to get through. Some of the chapters were super interesting, others felt lackluster and boring. I’m not sure how the historic locations were selected but some just made me scratch my head. Overall, I would say it’s something you could read if you’re interested in US history/geography but there’s probably more interesting books out there.
August 10, 2017
Had Some pretty interesting facts about various places. Definitely didn't have a storytelling approach tbh. It was more of the traditional, date/name/place type of history telling. Would still recommend for history travelers.
June 13, 2019
An fascinating intellectual history of our country! I read this book while I was on a cross-country plane ride. Chronologically organized, this curated and engaging selection of historical sites will inform your visits and inspire you to plan many more.
October 24, 2019
Most of the 50 are pretty well known to people with an interest in history. A few little snippets of history here and there to make them interesting but nor much I didn't already know about. This would be a good companion for some road trippers from other countries perhaps
February 5, 2023
This is was not at all what I was expecting. The locations included in this work are sometimes a stretch. There are much more worthy spots in my humble opinion. I will not be recommending this to fellow travelers.
June 5, 2017
Some interesting facts. Sometimes I was just really bored.
July 24, 2018
Surprised by some choices, but interesting. Each chapter is short, but not a fast read. Kept thinking I would skim some, but then the info would grab me and I'd keep reading. Learned a lot.
August 25, 2019
Enjoyed this and learned a lot of new facts. Definitely added some sites to my travel list and am looking for books on these particular topics that piqued my interest.
February 2, 2021
Interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews