Symbols & Monuments

Ellis Island sits in New York Harbor and was one of the busiest immigration processing centers from 1892 to 1954. During this time, more than 12 million immigrants came through Ellis Island in search of a better life. Not all of them were allowed to enter the country though. Fun…

On February 19, 1942, little more than two months after the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor and the United States’ entrance into World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order # 9066, which called for Japanese American citizens living in the western states and Hawaii to be moved…

On December 7, 1941 the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service launched a surprise military attack by air on a U.S. naval base in Honolulu, Hawaii. The damage was terrible and the U.S. declared war on Japan the next day, launching the country into World War II. Fun Facts The United…

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the United States. Fun Facts Situated in the French Quarters of New Orleans, this cathedral was built in 1718 when New Orleans belonged to France. It was named for Louis IX of France. The original…

Maybe you think of Egypt when you think of buildings shaped like pyramids. But a more modern pyramid can be found in San Francisco. Fun Facts John R. Beckett, CEO of Transamerica, wanted a building that would not block light to the street. He hired architect William Pereira to design…

After Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, many people felt a memorial should be made in his honor. Getting it built took more than 50 years. Fun Facts The first memorial was built in 1868, three years after Lincoln’s death. Later, Clark Mills proposed a design for a larger memorial but it was…

The Fisher Building, designed by Albert Kahn, was completed in 1928. It’s often called “Detroit’s largest work of art” because of its art deco style, lavish interiors, and marble finishes. Fun Facts The Fisher Building sits in the New Center area of Detroit and rises 30 stories. Joseph National Finch,…

The Griffith Observatory sits in the hills above Los Angeles with a view of the ocean, Hollywood, and downtown L.A. When it opened in 1896, it was only the third planetarium in the country. Fun Facts The observatory is in Griffith Park, a 3,015 acre public park. It was commissioned…

During the early days of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, converts experienced intense religious persecution from many people. They fled west after the governor of Missouri issued an extermination order, their leader Joseph Smith was killed, and their temple in Nauvoo, Illinois was burnt by mobs.…

In the Four Corners region of southern Colorado lies Mesa Verde National Park, home to the cliff dwellings of an ancient people. Imagine a huge complex of rooms carved out of sandstone and glued together with adobe mortar. Fun Facts Mesa Verde National Park was established in 1906 by President…