List of National Historic Landmarks in Texas Facts for Kids

Texas is home to many amazing places that are super important to American history! These special spots are called National Historic Landmarks (NHLs). They are chosen by the National Park Service because they tell big stories about our country's past.

Texas has 50 of these cool landmarks, plus one that used to be a landmark. You can find them all over the state, in 29 different counties. Nine of them are in Bexar County, which is where San Antonio is!

Awesome Historic Places in Texas

Here's a list of some of the most important historic places in Texas:

Landmark Name	Location	What makes it special?
The Alamo	San Antonio, Bexar County	This was once a Spanish mission and then a fort. It's famous for the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, a key moment in Texas history.
Apollo Mission Control Center	Houston, Harris County	This is where NASA controlled many space missions, including the Apollo moon landings!
Bastrop State Park	Bastrop, Bastrop County	This park was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It shows off their amazing work.
Dealey Plaza Historic District	Dallas, Dallas County	This is the place where President John F. Kennedy was sadly assassinated.
East End Historic District	Galveston, Galveston County	This area of Galveston has many fancy mansions built by important city leaders.
ELISSA (Bark)	Galveston, Galveston County	This is a beautiful tall ship that first sailed in 1877. It's still around today!
Espada Aqueduct	San Antonio, Bexar County	Spanish friars built this aqueduct in 1731 to bring water to farms near Mission San Francisco de la Espada.
Fair Park Texas Centennial Buildings	Dallas, Dallas County	These cool Art Deco buildings are from the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition.
Fort Belknap	Newcastle, Young County	This fort was an important outpost in the 1850s. Now it's a museum.
Fort Brown	Brownsville, Cameron County	This was a U.S. Army military post from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s.
Fort Concho	San Angelo, Tom Green County	The U.S. Army set up this post in 1867. Most of the original fort is still here.
Fort Davis	Fort Davis, Jeff Davis County	From 1854 to 1891, Fort Davis protected travelers and controlled important trails.
Fort Richardson	Jacksboro, Jack County	This Texas frontier fort was built in 1867. It's now a state park.
Fort Sam Houston	San Antonio, Bexar County	This has been a major military base since the 1870s. Even Geronimo was held here!
John Nance Garner House	Uvalde, Uvalde County	This was the home of John Nance Garner, who was Vice President under Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Governor's Mansion	Austin, Travis County	This is the official home of the Texas Governor. It's the first Texas historic landmark.
HA. 19 (Midget Submarine)	Fredericksburg, Gillespie County	This small Japanese submarine was part of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. It was captured.
Hangar 9, Brooks Air Force Base	San Antonio, Bexar County	This is the only hangar left from 16 built at Brooks Air Force Base in 1918.
Harrell site	South Bend, Young County	This is an important archeological site for Plains Indian history.
Highland Park Shopping Village	Highland Park, Dallas County	This was the second shopping mall ever built in the U.S. It opened in 1931 and is still open!
Hueco Tanks	East of El Paso, El Paso County	This is a State Historic Site managed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
J A Ranch	Amarillo, Armstrong County	Founded by John George Adair and Charles Goodnight, this is still one of the biggest ranches in the Texas Panhandle.
Lyndon Baines Johnson Boyhood Home	Johnson City, Blanco County	This was the childhood home of President Lyndon B. Johnson. He lived here until he finished high school.
King Ranch	Kingsville, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, and Willacy Counties	Started in 1853, this is the largest ranch in the United States. It's even bigger than Rhode Island!
Landergin Mesa	Vega, Oldham County	This is a very important archeological site for the Panhandle culture.
USS Lexington	Corpus Christi, Nueces County	This aircraft carrier, called "The Blue Ghost," fought in World War II. Now it's a floating museum.
Lower Pecos Canyonlands Archeological District	Comstock, Val Verde County	This area has many ancient rock art and other archeological sites.
Lubbock Lake Site	Lubbock, Lubbock County	This major archeological site has evidence of human life from 10,000 BC! You can even watch archeologists work here.
Lucas Gusher, Spindletop Oil Field	Beaumont, Jefferson County	In 1901, the first huge oil gusher of the Texas Oil Boom was found here.
Majestic Theatre	San Antonio, Bexar County	Built in 1929, this is the biggest theater in Texas and the second largest in the U.S.
Mission Concepcion	San Antonio, Bexar County	This Spanish mission from 1731 is part of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. It was also a battle site.
Jose Antonio Navarro House Complex	San Antonio, Bexar County	This was the home of José Antonio Navarro, a Tejano leader who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Palmito Ranch Battlefield	Brownsville, Cameron County	This was the site of the very last major battle of the American Civil War in 1865.
Palo Alto Battlefield	Brownsville, Cameron County	This is where the Battle of Palo Alto happened in 1846, starting the Mexican–American War.
Plainview Site	Plainview, Hale County	This is an important archeological site known for special Plainview point spear tips.
Walter C. Porter Farm	Terrell, Kaufman County	This farm was used for important farming experiments in the early 1900s.
Presidio Nuestra Senora De Loreto De La Bahia	Goliad, Goliad County	This was a Spanish fort and chapel from the 1700s. It was also a battle site in 1836.
Randolph Field Historic District	San Antonio, Bexar County	This is the historic center of Randolph Air Force Base, where military pilots trained since the 1920s.
Samuel T. Rayburn House	Bonham, Fannin County	This was the long-time home of Samuel T. Rayburn, a very important Speaker of the House in the U.S. government.
Resaca De La Palma Battlefield	Brownsville, Cameron County	This is where the Battle of Resaca de La Palma was fought early in the Mexican–American War.
Rio Vista Bracero Reception Center	Socorro, El Paso County	This center played a role in the Bracero program, which allowed Mexican farmworkers to work in the U.S.
Roma Historic District	Roma, Starr County	This town along the Rio Grande has many well-preserved buildings from the 1800s.
San Jacinto Battlefield	Houston, Harris County	This is where the Battle of San Jacinto happened, which won Texas its independence from Mexico!
Space Environment Simulation Laboratory, Chambers A and B	Houston, Harris County	This lab has been testing space equipment since 1965, making sure it can handle space conditions.
Spanish Governor's Palace	San Antonio, Bexar County	This old Spanish house was home to important leaders of Spanish Texas. Now it's a museum.
Strand Historic District	Galveston, Galveston County	This is the beautiful Victorian-era downtown area of Galveston.
USS TEXAS	Houston, Harris County	This battleship fought in both World War I and World War II. It was the first U.S. Navy battleship to become a museum!
Texas State Capitol	Austin, Travis County	This amazing building is where the Texas government works. Its construction started in the 1870s.
Trevino-Uribe Rancho	San Ygnacio, Zapata County	This fortified house was built around 1830, soon after San Ygnacio was founded.
Woodland	Huntsville, Walker County	This was the home of Texas hero Sam Houston in the 1840s and 1850s.

Former National Historic Landmark in Texas

Sometimes, a landmark might lose its special status. Here's one example:

Landmark Name	Image	Date of designation	Date of withdrawal	Locality	County	What made it special?
1	USS Cabot (CVL-28)		June 21, 1990	August 7, 2001	Brownsville	Cameron	The Cabot was a light aircraft carrier that fought in many major battles during World War II. A war reporter called her the "Iron Maiden" because she served so bravely without needing repairs. She later served in the Spanish Navy. Sadly, efforts to save her as a museum didn't work out, and she was taken apart for parts in 2000.

List of National Historic Landmarks in Texas facts for kids

Awesome Historic Places in Texas

Former National Historic Landmark in Texas

See also