For our cover story of this issue, we asked a handful of National Trust Advisors about places in the United States where you can see firsthand the benefits of historic preservation. Their answers ranged from a house where President Lincoln lived to a mining town and even an entire group of islands.
At President Lincoln’s Cottage in Washington, D.C., for example, history becomes a platform for civic reflection and youth leadership. This National Trust Historic Site, according to advisor Linda Dishman, puts into perspective how Lincoln understood the full cost of the Civil War and provides meaningful context to a history that most Americans believe they already know.
And in Butte, Montana, a once-booming mining town is drawing new energy from its diverse cultural heritage and proud industrial history. Here, preservation supports tourism as well as a community’s effort to define its future by listening to echoes of its past.
A visit to the United States Virgin Islands demonstrates how historic preservation is safeguarding centuries of layered history—from Indigenous heritage and African craftsmanship to towns older than the U.S. Ongoing restoration in towns like Christiansted, Frederiksted, Charlotte Amalie, and Cruz Bay preserves historic architecture while also connecting locals and vacationers alike to the islands’ complex historical depth.
