Earning a spot on America’s National Register of Historic Places is a badge of honour. There are more than 90,000 individual sites on the list, most of which are houses, churches, bridges or other buildings attached to a historical figure. But there are also a number of unusual places that have made it onto the register. Ranging from the oddball to the truly unique, these attractions go beyond your typical presidential birthplace or historic residence.
The world’s largest catsup (or ketchup) bottle doesn’t feature a Heinz label, but is a monument to Brooks Catsup, which was originally produced in Collinsville (and is now made in Canada). The tower was built in 1949 to supply water to the Brooks plant. The tower fell into disrepair but was restored in the 1990s and is now considered a premium example of an American roadside attraction. Despite the rumours, it (probably) isn’t actually filled with ketchup.
The administration building at the Randolph Air Force Base wasn’t necessarily intended to mimic India’s most famous landmark. But, after being built in 1931, it quickly earned the nickname “Taj Mahal” because of its striking architecture. The tall white tower isn’t purely ornamental – it was designed to house a functional water tank.
The 29 columns at Windsor Ruins look like they could date back to Roman times, but they’re actually the remains of a plantation that burned down in 1890. The original house was built in 1861 – it was one of the largest private homes in Mississippi and was also a station used by the Confederate Army during the Civil War. The columns have deteriorated over the years and stabilisation works are currently underway to ensure that none of them topple over.
This cute little gas station in Washington isn’t just a perfect example of 1920s novelty architecture, it’s also a joking reference to a long-forgotten scandal involving a disgraced politician and an oil field called Teapot Dome. It’s no longer a functional service station, but it's the pride and joy of the town of Zillah, which now owns the refurbished building.
One of the most famous signs in America, the iconic “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” has sat on the southern end of Las Vegas Boulevard (AKA the Las Vegas strip) since 1959. The sign, designed by graphic designer Betty Willis, originally had a “middle of nowhere” feel to it, but the city has since grown up around it. A parking lot and walkway have also been installed to make it safer for tourists to take photos of themselves in front of the sign.
Dallas’s Dealey Plaza would be a landmark under any circumstances – the urban space marks the site of some of the first buildings in Dallas and the plaza itself was constructed in 1940. But it’s also the site of one of the most dramatic and tragic moments in US history: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The President was shot from the Texas Book Depository building on the plaza as his motorcade rolled through the street below.
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The town of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky was founded circa 1813 and locals claim that it hasn’t changed a whole lot since. The town’s general store opened in 1831 and has survived not only the passage of time, but substantial flooding courtesy of the Ohio River. Yet, it still remains, selling locally made candy and jam, soaps, crafts and antiques. There’s also a museum in the town, detailing the history of this quirky little community.
Yachts are a common sight in affluent Newport Beach, but this vintage former US Navy vessel is special. After the ship was retired from military service it became a private yacht, eventually owned by movie star John Wayne, who spent considerable time on board. The boat was also a bit of a movie star itself, appearing in the 1968 movie Skidoo. Today it’s available for private dinner cruises and cocktail parties.
As one of the most well-known pieces of commuter infrastructure in the country, the Holland Tunnel, which connects Jersey City and Manhattan, might seem like an odd addition to the National Register. But the tunnel’s historic value lies in its longevity (it was built in the 1920s) and the scope of the project. Constructing a tunnel under the Hudson River was no small feat at the time, but as the world’s first mechanically ventilated tunnel, it was really an incredible achievement in engineering.
Sometimes tipped as the “Eight Wonder of the World,” Houston’s Astrodome is historically significant as the world’s first multipurpose domed sports stadium. Completed in 1965, the venue set the standard for modern sports facilities with its ability to host football and baseball games, rodeo competitions, concerts and other events. Eventually, though, the stadium started to wear and was replaced by the NRG Stadium in 2002. Houston has plans to redevelop the old ‘Dome so that it will live on.
This sandstone cliff in Wyoming gets its name from the soft surface of the rock wall that actually acted as a register for travellers passing through. It served as a navigational point and resting spot for settlers travelling the Oregon Trail in the mid-19th century. While there to get a night’s sleep or pasture their animals, pioneers would carve their names and the date into the rock. A private farmer took over the land in the 1880s and preserved the cliff and its “register”.
Donner Memorial State Park is home to the Donner Camp, the site where the famed Donner Party were stranded in 1846/47 while migrating through the Sierra Nevada mountains. There is a memorial statue that honours not only the Donners (many of whom perished) but other pioneers and indigenous peoples who settled in the western part of the country. Today the camp site is part of a beautiful state park, popular with hikers and campers.
There’s a romantic appeal to the Pony Express, America’s horse-run pre-telegraph communications system, which only ran for a mere 18 months in the mid-19th century. This building in Missouri, also known as Pike’s Peak Stables, was where the horses lived and slept when they weren’t on their way to California to deliver the mail. The original wooden building was replaced by brick in 1888, but some of the original structure was reused. Today it stands as a museum and memorial.
Also known as the Women’s Titanic Memorial, this statue looks suspiciously like Kate Winslet standing at the bow of the movie version of the famous ship, which hit an iceberg and sank in 1912. But it was actually unveiled in 1931, long before the film’s release. Designed by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and funded by donations by women across the US, the statue is meant to honour the men who gave up spots on lifeboats for women and children.
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is probably best known for its connection to the Olympics (it hosted events in 1932 and 1984 and is scheduled for another go in 2028). But it was conceived as a tribute to veterans of the First World War. It’s been the site of many major events over the last 100 years: in addition to the Olympics, Charles Lindbergh put on an air show in 1927, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech here in 1964, and it was home to the first Super Bowl in 1967.
It’s impossible to put something as nebulous as “jazz” on the National Register, so instead we have this national park that celebrates the heart and soul of New Orleans. Located in the famous Tremé neighbourhood, Jazz National Historic Park includes listed buildings like Perseverance Hall, an old Masonic temple that hosted unsegregated dances during the early days of jazz music.
The Bell Witch is actually a ghost of an angry neighbour that reportedly haunted the Bell family farm in Tennessee in the early 1800s, paying particular attention to the family’s young daughter. President Andrew Jackson even claims to have witnessed the witch’s wrath while visiting the property. Today the site consists of a replica of the family cabin, as well as a nearby cave where the witch is believed to hide when she’s not out creating havoc.
Seven Wigwam Village motel sites were built along various highways in the first half of the 20th century. All three of the surviving motels are on the National Register, but this one in Kentucky is the oldest. Built in 1937, each room is in the shape of a tipi, which is actually different in shape to a wigwam. Wigwam Village #2 is still open for visitors and each room is furnished with retro cane furniture.
This charming little “fantasy park” was created by George Phar Legler, who dreamed of building a Spiritualist-informed space to entertain children. A believer in fairies and other sprites, Legler began work on Valley of the Moon in 1923 and he lived on the property until his death in 1982. By that point a group of volunteers had already set to running and restoring the park as a non-profit and it continues to be open to visitors to this day.
A 1970s apartment block doesn’t seem like a likely entry on the National Register, but Minneapolis’s Riverside Plaza is included as an example of Brutalist architecture and one of urban America’s most ambitious public housing projects. Originally known as Cedar Square West, the six-building complex boasts 1,303 units. The buildings underwent a renovation in the early 2010s and continue to act as functioning apartment buildings that are home to thousands of people.
A classic tiki-style restaurant, this business near Fort Lauderdale opened in 1956 and is one of the last mid-century Polynesian-themed establishments in America. Tourists and locals flocked to the Mai-Kai because of its kitschy decor, tropical-inspired food and Polynesian floor shows. The restaurant is currently closed due to repair damage from a burst pipe, but the family that has owned it since the 1950s hopes to get it back up and running soon.
It’s not often that you’ll see a Victorian-style house built in the middle of the ocean, but this strange structure sits a full 11 miles (18km) off the coast of Delaware. Completed in 1886, the Fourteen Foot Bank Light is the first lighthouse of its kind, built with a pneumatic caisson (a kind of watertight box). The lighthouse is still in operation, but it’s now automated with no keeper living in the three-storey house on top of the base.
One of the oldest entries on the National Register, the Rock Eagle Mound is believed to have been built by indigenous peoples for ceremonial purposes some 2,000 years ago. The giant mound of quartz stones is shaped to resemble a bird in flight. While it may look quite flat from an aerial view, the breast of the bird is actually about 8-foot (2.4m) high. It is one of only two effigy mounds to have been found east of the Mississippi River.
Incredible ancient ruins in the USA you might not know exist
This unusual-looking barn was built by the Odar family in 1898 and has curved walls designed to protect it from tornadoes. The loft was a popular spot for turn-of-the-century dances and by the 1930s it became a known landmark on Route 66. By the 1980s the barn was in rough shape, but a restoration project got it looking shiny and new again. It now operates as a museum and events space.
Considered a sacred place by both the Cherokee and Muscogee Creek peoples, this archeological site features several tall mounds and a village site thought to have been home to thousands from around AD 1000 to 1550. The site is full of precious artefacts, many of which visitors can see in the onsite museum. The park also features a nature trail and interpretive signage.
America is home to diverse and beautiful plant species, many of which are celebrated at this facility, which was established by Congress in 1927. The Arboretum continues to be a vital research centre, and the striking Corinthian columns within its bounds (pictured) are of great historical significance too. They formed part of the US Capitol building until the 1950s.
Another natural landmark that helped point pioneer migrants in the right direction, Chimney Rock was a beacon for travellers on the Oregon, California and Mormon trails. In fact, it’s mentioned repeatedly in the diaries of pioneers headed westward. Today the rock remains as it always has – surrounded by plains without any modern developments in sight.
Billed as the world’s steepest vehicular inclined plane, this stretch of train track goes straight up a hill from the valley that contains the town of Johnstown. Johnstown was quite famously devastated by a flood in 1889 and the tracks were built to transport inhabitants to a new, safer community higher up the valley. The incline did its job again in 1936 when another flood struck and the train brought 4,000 people upwards to dry land.
A real deal old school soda shop and candy store, Wilton Candy Kitchen first opened in the mid-19th century. The Nopoulos family made it what it is, running it from 1910 to 2016 as a beautiful example of a small town confectionery. New owners are keeping the legacy alive, offering visitors a glimpse of American treats of the past.
Perhaps the most whimsical listing on the National Register, Lucy the Elephant is a six-storey elephant-shaped building that has sat just southwest of Atlantic City since the 1880s. She was built as a tourist attraction and still is one today, but over the years the structure has also been used as office space, a restaurant and a tavern. The elephant was almost torn down in the 1960s, but locals realised her historic value and fought to have her saved and restored.
Now check out more unusual things you'll find on a road trip through the USA