This feature class (CR or Cultural Resources point) describes properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places, classified as historic buildings, and depicted as points. The National Register of Historic Places requires the submission a single coordinate pair for properties under 10 acres. Resources are identified as one of the following feature types: buildings, districts, objects, sites, and structures. A building, such as a house, barn, church, hotel, or similar construction, is created principally to shelter any form of human activity. A building may also be used to refer to a historically and functionally related unit, such as a courthouse and jail or a house and barn. Buildings include: houses, barns, stables, sheds, garages, courthouses, city halls, social halls, commercial buildings, libraries, factories, mills, train depots, stationary mobile homes, hotels, theaters, schools, stores and churches. A district possesses a significant concentration, linkage, or continuity of sites, buildings, structures, or objects united historically or aesthetically by plan or physical development. Districts include: college campuses, central business districts, residential areas, commercial areas, large forts, industrial complexes, civic centers, rural villages, canal systems, collections of habitation and limited activity sites, irrigation systems, large farms, ranches, estates, plantations, transportation networks and large landscaped parks. An object is a feature that is primarily artistic in nature or is relatively small in scale and simply constructed. Although an object may be, by nature or design moveable, an object is associated with a specific setting or environment. Objects include: sculpture, monuments, boundary markers, statuary and fountains. A site is the location of a significant event, a prehistoric or historic occupation or activities, or a building or structure, whether standing, ruined or vanished, where the location itself possess historic, cultural or archaeological value regardless of the value of any existing structure. Sites include: habitation sites, rock shelters, village sites, ceremonial sites, petroglyphs, gardens, grounds, battlefields, ruins of historic buildings and structures, campsites, areas of land, shipwrecks, cemeteries, designed landscapes, archaeological sites and landscapes having cultural significance. A structure is a building whose functional construction is made usually for purposes other than creating human shelter. Structures include: bridges, tunnels, gold dredges, fire towers, canals, turbines, dams, power plants, corncribs, silos, roadways, shot towers, windmills, grain elevators, kilns, mounds, cairns, palisade fortifications, earthworks, railroad grades, systems of roadways and paths, boats and ships, railroad locomotives and cars, telescopes, carousels, bandstands, gazebos and aircraft. Attribute data in this dataset are intentionally limited to those necessary for spatial data maintenance and feature level metadata necessary to document the lineage of the geography itself. 

The National Register of Historic Places is the official Federal list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering and culture. The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 authorized the National Register of Historic Places, expanding Federal recognition to historic properties of local and State significance. The National Park Service in the US Department of the Interior administers both programs. The National Historic Preservation Act authorizes State and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers (SHPOs/THPOs) in each Tribe, State and Territory of the United States to nominate properties to the National Register of Historic Places and to carry out other preservation activities. Federal Preservation Officers (FPOs) have been designated in Federal agencies to nominate Federal properties and to fulfill other responsibilities under the Act. Properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places possess historic significance and integrity and take the form of either a building, site, structure, object or district. Properties listed on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places must receive consideration based on the National Historic Preservation Act prior to any undertaking involving Federal monies. Additionally, properties listed on or eligible for the National Register may receive grants, tax credits and other benefits based on their status under the National Historic Preservation Act.

Since its inception in 1966, more than 88,000 properties have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and cataloged in the National Register Information System. Together these records hold information on more than 1.4 million individual resources--buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects--and therefore provide a link to the country's heritage at the national, state, and local levels.  This dataset represents the historic buildings delineated as points (under 10 acres), stored in the National Register Information System.

Data covers resources listed on the National Register of Historic Places between 1966 and the date of publication.

This dataset represents the unrestricted historic sites delineated as points, listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  Some properties are listed on the National Register of Historic Places with locations restricted for public release.  Restricted data is not included in this dataset and must be requested in writing to the National Park Service, National Register program.

Locational accuracy varies depending upon how the locational data was originally recorded. The National Register of Historic Places requires the submission of a single coordinate pair for properties under 10 acres and a set of coordinate pairs representing a general bounding area for properties over 10 acres. Coordinate pairs are not checked for accuracy. Datum information is not collected related to the coordinate pairs. Users should consult the feature level metadata attributes to determine the appropriateness of the data for specific tasks. Release of locational information for cultural resources are subject to the provisions of Section 304 of the National Historic Preservation Act as Amended and Section (9)(a)(2) of the Archeological Resources Protection Act as Amended.

Historic buildings are resources such as a house, barn, church, hotel or similar construction principally created to shelter any form of human activity.  Historic buildings may also refer to a historically and functionally related unit, such as a courthouse and jail or a house and barn.  These may be locations of a house, barn, stable, shed, garage, courthouse, city hall, social hall, commercial building, library, factory, mill, train depot, stationary mobile home, hotel, theater, school, store or church.  The attributes associated with the geography in this dataset represent the National Park Service cultural resource spatial data transfer standards and document the lineage of the geography itself.  No attributes describing the buildings or features themselves is included in this dataset.  Descriptive information is intended to link to the geography via the National Register reference number.

Historic buildings are a resource created principally to shelter any form of human activity, such as a house.  These resources would include features such as:  farmhouses, homesites, mansions, churches, museums (if the building is historic), courthouses, offices, prisons, train depots, etc.  Historic buildings most often function primarily as dwellings.  The point may represent the center of the building, an entrance, etc., while the polygon may represent the building footprint.

National Register of Historic Places

Any records indicated with a restriction level other than "Unrestricted" must not be shared or distributed in any manner or format and the user must inform a point of contact immediately.

Users should consult the feature level metadata attributes to determine the appropriateness of the data for specific tasks. Release of locational information for cultural resources are subject to the provisions of Section 304 of the National Historic Preservation Act as Amended and Section (9)(a)(2) of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act as Amended.

There are no limitations on the use of the metadata