Honolulu, Hawaii

One City, Three Strategies:  Here's the Reader's Digest version of Honolulu Harbor's history laid our for pedestrians enjoying a waterfront stroll.  Maybe they've just been to the maritime museum or maybe they've just disembarked from a cruise ship.  [2011]

Honolulu, Hawaii

One City, Three Strategies:  Too bad historical markers can't talk ,because anyone reading this one might not know how to pronounce the name of the spring that attracted settlement to this site.  Yes, the narrative tells you all about the spring.  So, why is there a picture of a church in the oval?  [2011]

Honolulu, Hawaii

One City, Three Strategies:  Waikiki Beach has a unique history, and a unique geometry.  What could be more appropriate for an archipelago of historical markers than a surfboard?  Prince Jonah Kuhio was destined for royal leadership until the monarchy fell in 1893.  [2011]

London, England

London's Blue Plaques:  The blue plaque has turned brown as the private sector enters the historical marker arena.  The H. G. Wells Society has ideas of its own for littering the landscape with literary history here on Bond Street.  [2011]

London, England

London's Blue Plaques:  But, it's not blue!  Imitation is the mark of a successful innovation.  The City of Westminster apparently has some history to commemorate on its own.  Now, we have a local government authority filling in the gaps left by English Heritage.  [2011]

London, England

London's Blue Plaques:  What's different about this blue plaque?  It pre-dates the role of English Heritage; it was authorized by the Greater London Council, which was dissolved in 1986.  Anything that survives a governmental re-organization has to be considered successful.  [2011]

London, England

London's Blue Plaques:   Can you find the blue plaque?  Yet another one on Fitzrovia Square.  In fact, find any square in London and you will find a collection of blue plaques.  This one marks the residence of Charles Eastlake, first director of the National Gallery.  [2011]

London, England

London's Blue Plaques:  For a century and half, London has been comemorating important people and events by placing plaques on the sides of buildings.  Today, the program is run by English Heritage.  Fitzrovia Square has a fine collection.  Here's two on one building.  How historical is that?  [2011]

Brentwood, Tennessee

Under Local Authority:  It's a long and peripatetic history as outlined by the Brentwood Historical Commission and the Pep Club!  Historical markers are meant to pump up the masses and make them proud of superlative achievements like being the largest church in the Tennessee Conference.  [2010]

Venice, Florida

Under Local Authority:   Living in a planned community seems to be a point of pride, especially when it was planned by a "well-known city planner."  And, thankfully, the county historical commission has explained the name Venice.  That name alone should attract the cognoscenti.  [2009]

Brunswick, Georgia

Under Local Authority:   It's not just about Confederate history.  Read the first and last paragraphs. 
A woman is named in the first paragraph, and an African-American school dominates the last paragraph.  Did you ever think of historical markers as barometers of change?  [2010]

Jacksonville, Alabama

Under Local Authority:  Even if you are not interested in the Forney family, their demographics stand in stark contrast with 21st century norms.  Nine children?  The five sons became Confederate officers.  Now you know why the local historians sponsored a maker.  [2007]

Brunswick, Georgia

Under No Authority:  An exposition without footnotes or source statements?  Just downloaded from the Internet, I guess.  If you don't like what you read, there is no one to hold responsible.  I you do like what you read, no one gets the credit.  [2009]

New Orleans, Louisiana

Under Whose Authority?   Here, under the authority of the state government, a historical marker is erected with the sponsorship of a clearly anti-Corps 'dot org.'  So much for the objectivity of state authority.  Let's keep historians in the loop and cut lose any organization with an agenda.  [2011]

Hanover Court House, Virginia

Under Whose Authority?  In Virginia, the private sector blazed the trail of historical preservation.  APVA stands for the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and it was the nationwide leader as well.  Here, the authority is not the state, but the APVA.  [2011]

Midway, Georgia

Under Whose Authority?  In Georgia, the National Society of the Daughters of the American Colonists has taken charge of deciding what is important to commemorate on the landscape.  How might a private organization such as this make different decisions on the delivery of historical content?  [2010]

Jekyll Island, Georgia

Under Whose Authority?   Do you see historical markers as 'pure public goods'?  Only governments are wise enough to be fair to all groups and avoid extremist views when deciding what to commemorate and how to commemorate it.  Right?  Or could the private sector do a better job?  [2009]

Fredericksburg, Virginia

Under Whose Authority?  There's the state seal and the Commonwealth's motto:  "Thus Unto Tyrants."  We erect historical markers to remember the past.  But, what about the "tyrrany of the past"?  Wouldn't we be better off to just forget what went before?  Wouldn't that be liberating?  [2010]

Guilford, Connecticut

Under Whose Authority?  This marker wears the stylized seal of the State of Connecticut as if it were a crown.  The seal also appears on the state flag.  Most historical marker programs have at least one element that gives them visual and authoritative unity.  [2008]

Bayview, Maryland

Commemorating Covered Bridges:  Where you find falls on a river, you are likely to find mills.  Where you find mills, you are likely to find covered bridges.  A bridge built next to a mill enabled the miller to expand his trade area by providing access from the opposite shore.  [2008]

Mount Jackson, Virginia

Commemorating Covered Bridges:  There are only eight covered bridges left in Virginia.  Meems Bottom is probably the most famous, simply because of its accessibility.  Can you see the covered bridge across the field?  [2011]

Landrum, South Carolina

Commemorating Covered Bridges:  Here is the last covered bridge in South Carolina.  Sorry, the last extant covered bridge in South Carolina.  Every word should count on a historical marker.  Does 'extant' add even a shade of meaning to the text?  Does anyone ever use the word 'extant'?  [2006]

Miami, Ohio

Commemorating Covered Bridges:  Perhaps every covered bridge should have its own historical marker.  Only a few do.  This marker appears on the landscape because of a four-way public-private endeavor to assure that it is valued as a historical resource.  Can you find the four-way names?  [2010]

Wahoo, Nebraska

Centered or Justified? Here's a composition that every English teacher could love: four full paragraphs, each one nicely indented and fully justified.  It's really the equivalent of four markers in one. That's the county court house in the background, of course.  [2009]

Middle Spring, Pennsylvania

Centered or Justified? Full justification has been chosen for this marker's text.  Over time, narratives have become longer and longer.  This one is short.  It connects the church to local history, but does little to illuminate links to migrations that were transforming the nation when this church was founded.  [1971]

Danville, Vermont

Centered or Justified?  Every line is centered, rather non-conventional for narrative text.  Do you like it?  Most markers offer block-form presentation.  Contents?  Excellent by my standards.  And now I understand why there's a Caledonia State Park in Pennsylvania.  [2009]

Windmill Point, Virginia

Maintenance Needed:  Here's the new marker for Windmill Point.  Lots more words.  What do you think?  It appeared in 1998.  [2011]

Windmill Point, Virginia

Maintenance Needed:  What's needed is replacement, not maintenance.  These words remind us of the vulnerability of the Chesapeake Bay; the next stop for the British troops was Washington, D.C.  What do you think of these 30 words?  If you wrote the text for a new marker, what would it say?  [1994]

New Orleans, Louisiana

Maintenance Needed:  Something momentous happened here on the edge of the French Quarter, but no one will ever know what it was.  The marker is gone, so history retreats to the dusty archives.  [2011]

Midway, Georgia

Maintenance Needed:  You've got to stand up to the enemy!  In this case, the enemy isn't the British or General Sherman.  It's a ravenous bush.  Please cut it down, soft-hearted sir.  Then, get thee to the rust frontier.  [2010]

Lone Tree, South Dakota

Maintenance Needed:    Here on the prairie, a single tree can make a difference, as it did to a teacher and her charges.  As memories fade, historical markers are supposed to keep them alive.  Without maintenance, though, historical markers fade, too.  [2007]

Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

Maintenance Needed:  Geography is hard on history.  In other words:  nature takes its toll on historical markers.  That's especially true here on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  And, yet, it was geography that made this place right for the Wrights.  [2006]

Isle of Wight County, Virginia

It's All About Hue:  No hue here.  The world is presented in wight and black.  Think you are on an island?  Not even close.  That geographical contradiction is the untold story behind this marker.  Anyone else think they were going to read about the history of a radio station?  Z-243.  [2005]

Darien, Georgia

It's All About Hue:  No hue here.  The world is presented in black-and-white.  The only way to tell Darien's story is by recounting its economic geography, which is what this marker does so well.  [2010]

New Orleans, Louisiana

It's All About Hue:  The brown hue is really all about the bird.  Louisiana's official feathered friend is the brown pelican.  Could that be why they chose brown for their historical markers?  Could the brown pelican appear just a tad browner, though?  And, how did an O'Reilly become a Spanish governor?  [2009]

Sarasota, Florida

It's All About Hue:  Here, the hue is green. It seems to fit the wet subtropics.  "Promises broken" is a theme of American history boldly flaunted on this marker.  Compare the geography of Scotland to that of Florida.  In the pre-air-conditioned and pre air-flight past, wouldn't you have returned home?  [2009]

York, Pennsylvania

It's All About Hue:  The navy hue seems to match Pennsylvania's state flag.  The last line is a teaser.  What did Lafayette say about York?  Get rid of that meaningless first sentence in favor of a crumb more from the toast.  [2006]

Toronto, Ontario

It's All About Hue:  The blue hue is rich and royal: a cool color for a cool country.  Just think:  it was right here that the Industrial Revolution found a home in Canada (expansion diffusion) and it was right here that the Toronto Public Library got its start (stimulus diffusion).  [2010] 

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

It's All About the House:  The Rev. Dobbin's House was a home and a school.  Now, it is a museum and a tavern.  If the text were being written today, it would undoubtedly focus on a recent discovery:  the structure was a station on the underground railroad.  [2007]

St. Albans, West Virginia

It's All About the House:   It's a cabin, it's a kitchen, it's a house, it's a museum.  It's important only because it's connected to the Civil War.  What fraction of historical markers in the eastern U.S. would not be there were it not for the conflict that began 150 years ago this spring?  [2010]

Windsor, Vermont

It's All About the House:  It's now called the Constitution House, but it was built as a tavern.  The text says little about the structure, but it does connect the Vermont constitution to the cultural landscape, and that is one of the most important functions of historical markers.  [2009]

Red Cloud, Nebraska

It's All About the House:  The title is 'Cather Childhood Home' and the text is really about the house, not Willa Cather herself.  Does history just unfold in particular places, or do places play an active role in shaping the dramas of life?  Did the house you grew up in have any lasting influence on your life?  [2009]

Dawn, Virginia

Placards Plus:  What defines your home county or city?  Is it a horse?  Caroline County was named after one of the British royals, and now, on its welcome sign, it honors an American royal.  How many other places are defined by quadupedal creatures?  Do you think this is a historical marker?  [2011]

Dawn, Virginia

Placards Plus: How do we keep the memories alive?  By naming roads after the rich and famous.  Secretariat has become a working part of local geography.  Would you agree that this street sign is a historical marker?  [2011]

Dawn, Virginia

Placards Plus:  Secretariat made us all race fans.  He was larger than life and so was his story.  That's why you can't do 'his-story' (or 'hippus-story') justice with a placard alone.  Watch the linguistic landscape of Virginia for evidence that "Secretariat was here."  [2011]

Berlin, Pennsylvania

History as Chronology:  What an impressive resume!  But, what was Mr. Philson's lasting contribution to the town, the state, or the country?  And, under whose authority was this marker erected?  The only thing that interests me is the Whiskey Rebellion.  I'll bet there's an untold story there.  [2010]

Meriden, Connecticut

History as Chronology:  Here's a run-down of Meriden's history: its very own curriculum vita.   Would you hire this town?  I guess there is nothing more objective than chronology stripped of interpretation. Can you identify any maintenance issues in evidence here?  [2009]

Clemson, South Carolina

History as Chronology:  It may have been the home of John C. Calhoun, but the marker isn't about the home at all.  It's about the man, and all it offers is chronology.  It looks like a resume to me.  In fact, you might think he is still looking for a job.  [2005]

Plymouth, Massachusetts

History as Chronology:  Sometimes a single date puts it all in perspective, but that assumes you bring some sense of signficance to the reading experience.  Rarely does chronology alone capture importance.  Remember: history is more than chronology. Don't let the time line take over.  [2008]

Westerly, Rhode Island

Be Thankful for Graphic Elements:  Sometimes, the graphic element rises above the marker itself.  This one is called a silhouette en bas-relief.   As an embellished placard that marks time and place, this one is historical in its own right.  In fact, the cartouche is more interesting than its contents. [2005]