In South Philadelphia, a culinary legend stands on a triangular corner. It’s Pat’s King of Steaks, a restaurant that has a strong claim to inventing one of America’s most iconic sandwiches. Across the street sits its rival, Geno’s. Both are giants in the world of cheesesteaks. But only Pat’s has a historical marker.
The owner, Frank Olivieri, has a deep love for his city’s famous 18th-century history—the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and all the rest. But he also feels that more recent history, especially food history, doesn’t get the respect it deserves. He believes that a major culinary invention from 1930 is just as historic as something that happened in the 1700s. So, he took matters into his own hands. He didn’t wait for a government committee to give him a pat on the back. He hired a historian and put up his marker in 2008. It looks just like thousands of other official markers across the country, but it stands as a testament to a surprising truth: the system for creating these signs is a wild, unregulated mix of interests. Anyone with a few thousand dollars and a suitable location can create their piece of public history.
This single story opens up a whole world of questions. If anyone can make a marker, why do communities spend years fundraising and navigating complex bureaucracies to get an “official” one? Who is actually in charge of deciding which stories get told on our streets and which are forgotten? This journey will take us deep into the world of historical markers. We will explore what they are, who puts them up, and why these simple signs often become the center of passionate debates about our shared past and future. We will see how communities are using them to reclaim lost stories and how you can learn to read, understand, and even create a piece of history in your neighborhood.
Table of Contents
What Are Historical Markers and Why Do They Matter?
Before we can understand the controversies and complexities, we need to start with the basics. What exactly is a historical marker, and what purpose does it serve in our modern world? At its heart, a marker is a way for a community to point to a spot and say, “Something important happened here.” It’s a bridge connecting our present to a moment in the past.
Defining the Historical Marker
You’ve probably seen them on road trips or walks through a historic downtown. They are so common that we might not even stop to think about what they are. But markers come in many different shapes and forms, each designed for a specific purpose.
We can group them into three main categories:
- Physical Markers: This is the classic type you see outdoors. They can be metal plaques bolted to the side of a building, large stone monuments with engraved text, or the famous “sign-on-a-stick” design made of cast aluminum that many states use.
- Digital Markers: In our connected age, history isn’t just in physical spaces. Digital markers include online exhibits, virtual tours of historic sites, and interactive websites. A great example is the Historical Marker Database, a volunteer-run project that has cataloged over 185,000 markers across the country.
- Interpretive Markers: These markers go beyond just stating a fact. They aim to teach. They often include extra context, pictures, diagrams, and direct words from people of the time to help you truly understand the story behind the history.
This variety shows that there’s no single way to commemorate the past. The form a marker takes often depends on its purpose and who created it.
| Marker Type | Description | Common Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Markers | Tangible signs, plaques, or monuments placed at a specific location. | Roadside signs, building plaques, cemetery memorials, battlefield monuments. |
| Digital Markers | Online resources that provide historical information, often tied to a physical place. | Virtual tours, interactive maps, online databases (like HMDB.org). |
| Interpretive Markers | Markers that provide deep context and explanation to enhance understanding. | Museum-style panels in parks, signs with photos and diagrams, walking trail guides. |
The Core Function: Why We Erect Markers
So why do communities go to all the trouble? Putting up a marker is about more than just preserving a fact. It’s about expressing what we value. As one public historian noted, the choices we make about what to remember and where to remember it say just as much about the future we want to create as they do about the past.
Markers serve several key roles:
- Education: They are outdoor classrooms, offering small, accessible history lessons to anyone who walks by. They bring history out from behind museum walls and place it in the very spots where it happened.
- Commemoration: They are acts of remembrance. They honor the people, events, and cultures that have shaped a community, helping to preserve a sense of shared identity and heritage.
- Validation: This might be the most important function of all. When a state or official body endorses a marker, it sends a powerful message. It is an official declaration that a certain story matters. For groups whose histories have been ignored or overlooked, getting a marker is a profound form of recognition. It’s a sign that says, “Yes, your history is important. You are a part of this community.” This desire for official validation is why so many groups navigate the difficult application process instead of just putting up their own sign.
This need for validation is the key to understanding the entire historical marker landscape. It transforms a simple sign into a powerful symbol of belonging and significance.
The Marker Maze: Who Is in Charge?
If you thought there was one single government office in charge of all historical markers, you’re not alone. But the reality is far more complicated. In any given state, there could be ten or more different groups—public, private, and somewhere in between—all putting up signs at the same time. This creates a confusing and overlapping system that can be difficult for anyone to navigate.
The “Messy” State and Local History Ecosystem
To understand marker programs, you first have to understand how history is managed at the state level. Research shows that historical organizations are deeply intertwined with government, often blurring the lines between public and private. For example, a state might have a history museum, a library and archives, a historic preservation office, and a marker program. In some states, like Ohio or Nebraska, all these functions are under one government-funded roof. In other states, these same jobs are split among half a dozen different public agencies and private non-profits.
A “historical society” in one state might be a powerful government agency, while in the next state over, it could be a small, privately run non-profit. This hybrid model means you can never be sure who is in charge without looking closely at the specifics of each state.
The Official Gatekeepers: State-Level Programs
Most states have some kind of official, statewide historical marker program. The country’s oldest program began in Virginia in 1927, placing markers along the road between the state capital and George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon. In the decades that followed, especially around the nation’s bicentennial celebration in 1976, dozens of other states created their own programs, erecting thousands of markers along highways, in town squares, and on battlefields.
The process for getting a state marker is usually similar across the country:
- A community group researches a topic and applies for a marker.
- A state committee of experts reviews the application.
- If approved, the state helps write and verify the text.
- The community group typically raises the thousands of dollars needed to manufacture and install the sign.
- The final design is approved and sent to a specialized foundry to be cast in metal.
But even this “official” system is complex. Take Virginia, for instance. The marker program is run by the state’s Department of Historic Resources. You might think it would be managed by the Virginia Museum of History and Culture, but that is owned and operated by a separate non-profit. This kind of confusing structure is more common than you might think.
| Level of Authority | Who Is in Charge? | Key Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Federal | National Park Service (administers National Register of Historic Places) | Provides national recognition for significant properties. Listing is an honor and denotes a site is worthy of preservation. |
| State | State Historical Commissions, Societies, or Departments (e.g., PHMC in PA, THC in TX) | The most common “official” programs. They have specific criteria, a formal application process, and often a unique marker design. |
| County / Local | County Historical Commissions (e.g., Jefferson County, Denton County) | Focus on history of local importance that might not qualify for a state marker. Rules are often tailored to the specific community. |
| Private / Philanthropic | Foundations (e.g., William G. Pomeroy Foundation) or Non-Profits (e.g., Daughters of the American Revolution) | Can fund markers inside or outside the official system. May have a specific focus, like underrepresented stories or a particular historical era. |
The Proliferation of Programs: Beyond the State
In the mid-20th century, the state program was usually the only game in town. Today, the landscape is much more crowded. In addition to state programs, you have:
- Federal Programs: The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official list of properties deemed worthy of preservation. While it’s a federal program, it’s often administered at the state level.
- County and Local Programs: Many counties, like Jefferson County in Alabama or Denton County in Texas, have their own marker programs. These are often designed to recognize buildings and sites that are important locally but might not meet the high bar for statewide significance.
- Private and Philanthropic Efforts: Organizations like the William G. Pomeroy Foundation provide grants to help communities erect markers, specifically aiming to tell stories that might not be eligible for official state programs. Other groups, like the Daughters of the American Revolution, create their own markers to commemorate events like the upcoming 250th anniversary of the U.S.
Unsanctioned and Independent Markers: The Wild West
And then there are the completely independent markers. The sign at Pat’s Steaks is a prime example of someone acting in good faith to celebrate a piece of local history. However, this lack of oversight can also be used to spread misinformation. In 2015, it was reported that Donald Trump had installed a historical marker on his Virginia golf course commemorating a Civil War battle that never actually happened. Because the markers look so official, it can be hard for the average person to tell a properly vetted historical account from a complete fabrication.
This jumble of programs—state, local, private, and independent—creates a system where good intentions can get tangled in bureaucracy, and less noble intentions can slip through the cracks entirely.
Battlegrounds of Memory: Markers as Sites of Controversy and Change
Historical markers are not just peaceful reminders of a settled past. They are active, and often contested, parts of our public landscape. Because they are official-looking statements about what our society values, they can become flashpoints for political debates, community activism, and a deep reckoning with our history.
The Challenge of Maintaining the Past: Practical Problems
Before we even get to the political fights, historical organizations face a range of practical challenges. Many state programs have been around for nearly a century, but they are almost always underfunded. This leads to several major problems:
- Lack of Review: With limited staff and money, most organizations don’t have the ability to go back and regularly review the thousands of markers they’ve installed. This means that interpretations from the 1950s, which may be outdated or even offensive by today’s standards, can remain locked in place for decades.
- Damage and Disrepair: Being outdoors, markers are vulnerable. They get hit by cars, vandalized, or simply worn down by the weather. In Alabama, one official noted that “car-meets-marker situations” are a frequent problem.
- Tracking and Auditing: Some states don’t even have a complete list of where all their markers are. The state of Washington recently had to launch a major project asking the public for help, requesting that residents upload photos and GPS coordinates of any state-sponsored markers they found.
- Supply Chain Delays: The number of foundries that can manufacture these specialized cast-metal signs is shrinking. Combined with supply chain issues, it now takes much longer to get a new or replacement marker made than it did just a few years ago.
The Politics of Commemoration: When History Becomes a Headline
These practical issues are often overshadowed by political battles. A recent controversy in New Hampshire provides a perfect example of how complex these situations can become. In 2023, a marker was approved and installed in Concord to honor Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, a nationally known early 20th-century labor activist and leader of the U.S. Communist Party who was born there. The marker was requested by local community members and went through the proper channels, getting approval from both the state Division of Historical Resources and the Concord City Council.
However, days after the dedication ceremony, members of the state’s Executive Council, a powerful government body, spoke out against it, arguing that the state should not be honoring a communist. The governor agreed, and claiming the marker had been placed on state, not city, property, he ordered its removal. This episode was not just a simple case of censorship. It revealed the tangled web of state bureaucracy, with three separate state government entities and the local city council all involved. The fight became as much about policies and procedures as it was about the content of the sign itself. The community activists who had championed the marker later filed a lawsuit against the state, arguing that the removal violated the department’s own rules.
| Case Study | Action Taken | Driving Force | Outcome / Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (NH) | Creation and subsequent removal of a state-approved marker. | Community activists sought recognition; state politicians objected to her communist affiliation. | Revealed the power of political pressure to override established historical processes and the complexity of state bureaucracy. |
| Samuel J. Bush (IL) | Creation of a new marker 130 years after a historical event. | Local activist groups sought to acknowledge a past racial terror lynching. | The first marker in Illinois to address a lynching, representing a community’s effort to reckon with a dark and painful history. |
Reckoning with a Difficult Past: Acknowledging Painful Truths
Beyond partisan politics, there is a growing movement to use markers to confront the most difficult and painful parts of our history. For decades, many markers told a very limited, often celebratory, version of the past. Now, communities are working to tell the full story, no matter how uncomfortable it may be.
In Decatur, Illinois, local activist groups recently collaborated with the Illinois State Historical Society to erect a marker at the site where Samuel J. Bush, a 30-year-old Black man, was lynched by a white mob in 1893. Bush was accused of a crime but was dragged from the county jail and murdered without a trial. For 130 years, this act of racial terror was a piece of buried history. The new marker, placed on the very corner where he was killed, is the first of its kind in Illinois to commemorate a victim of a lynching. It stands as a powerful statement that we must remember and learn from our entire history, not just the parts that make us proud.
Expanding the Narrative: Initiatives for a More Inclusive History
This effort to tell a more complete story is happening all across the country. Many official state programs are now shifting their focus to ensure that the histories of all people are represented in the public landscape.
- In Alabama, the state’s “History Revealed” project is directly funding markers that document underrepresented aspects of local history, a conscious effort to move beyond the one-sided version of history told by the first generation of markers.
- In Michigan, the Michigan History Center brought together diverse community groups in Detroit and asked them to identify the people and stories that were missing from the city’s commemorative landscape. The goal was to involve communities that had never felt that historical markers “belonged to them.”
- In Washington, the state historical society is reviewing its older markers, many of which focused solely on the achievements of the first white settlers while ignoring the much older histories of the state’s Native populations. They are asking a crucial question: “Do these markers match our current values?”
A brilliant example of this work in action can be seen in McLean County, Illinois. The local history museum has spearheaded several projects to tell forgotten stories:
- The Kickapoo Grand Village: The museum worked with the Kickapoo Tribe to preserve a memorial boulder from the site of their ancestral village, which was burned by the U.S. Army in the 19th century. After the land was sold to a developer, the museum retrieved the boulder and relocated it to a historic park, ensuring the Kickapoo story remains visible.
- Simon Malone: The museum collaborated with the community to create a new marker for Simon Malone, one of the first African American residents of Normal, Illinois. Malone was born into slavery, escaped during the Civil War, served in the Union Army, and built a home where he lived for over 50 years. The new marker also honors other early Black families who helped build the town.
- The Booker T. Washington Home: The museum is working to document the history of a segregated home for impoverished Black children that operated until the 1960s. This work is difficult, as it involves uncovering painful memories, but it is essential to preserving the full history of the community.
These initiatives show that historical markers are not just about the past. They are powerful tools for building a more inclusive and honest future.
A User’s Guide to Historical Markers
Now that you understand the complex world behind these signs, you can start to see them in a new light. They are not just simple statements of fact; they are rich historical documents in their own right. This guide will help you learn how to read them critically and even how you might go about getting one for a story in your own community.
How to Read a Marker Critically
The next time you stop to read a marker, don’t just take the text at face value. Think like a historian and ask a few key questions:
- Who created this marker? Was it a state historical commission, a local county, a private group like the DAR, or an individual? The creator’s perspective will heavily influence what story is told.
- When was it created? A marker from 1950 will reflect the values and historical understanding of that era. A marker from 2023 will likely tell a very different story about the same event.
- What words are used? Pay attention to the language. Does it use celebratory or heroic terms? Does it downplay conflict or violence? The specific words chosen can reveal a lot about the marker’s bias.
- What is left out? Sometimes the most important part of a marker’s story is what it doesn’t say. Does it mention all the people involved in an event, or only a select few? Does it acknowledge the negative consequences of a historical development?
Remember that a marker is a product of its time. A historian once wrote that these markers are not just objects; they are filled with the meaning and significance given to them by the people who create and interpret them. By thinking critically, you can uncover these deeper layers of meaning.
A Look at Marker Classification Systems: The Texas Example
To give you an idea of how organized these programs can be, let’s look at the system used by the Texas Historical Commission (THC). It shows how a state can create different categories of markers for different purposes.
| Texas Marker Type | Purpose and Significance |
|---|---|
| Subject Markers | These are educational markers that cover a wide range of topics important to a community, like churches, schools, businesses, or individuals. |
| Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) | This is the highest honor the state can give to a historic building. It is a legal designation that comes with a measure of protection to encourage preservation. |
| Historic Texas Cemetery (HTC) | These markers are specifically for cemeteries that have received a formal HTC designation, recognizing their historical importance. |
| Centennial / Sesquicentennial Markers | These are special markers created to commemorate major state anniversaries, like Texas’s 100th birthday in 1936 and 150th in 1986. |
This kind of classification system helps to bring order to the process and ensures that there are different pathways for recognizing different types of history.
How to Apply for a Historical Marker: A Practical Checklist
Are you inspired? Do you know of a person, place, or event in your community that deserves to be remembered? While every program is different, the process used by the Jefferson County Historical Commission in Alabama gives a great overview of the steps involved. If you are thinking of applying for a marker, here is a general checklist of what you’ll need to consider.
| Step | Key Considerations |
|---|---|
| 1. Check Eligibility | Age: Is the building or site at least 50 years old? This is a common rule based on the National Register of Historic Places standard. Integrity: Does the site still look much like it did in its historical period? It should retain its original shape, materials, and character. |
| 2. Do Your Research | You will need to prove the historical facts. Good places to start are your local library’s archives, the county courthouse for property records, and online historical newspaper collections. Remember, the staff at these places can guide you, but they can’t do the research for you. |
| 3. Complete the Application | Most programs have an application package you can download from their website. You will need to provide your research, historical photos if you have them, and a draft of what you think the marker should say. |
| 4. Prepare for Fundraising | In most cases, the community group or individual who applies for the marker is responsible for paying for it. This can cost several thousand dollars, so it’s good to have a fundraising plan in mind. |
| 5. Be Patient | The process of review, text editing, manufacturing, and installation can take a year or even longer. It requires patience and persistence. |
This process is not easy. It takes years of community organizing, research, fundraising, and patience. But as we’ve seen, the result is a powerful and lasting statement of a community’s values.
Conclusion: The Enduring Power of a Place
We began our journey with a single, unofficial marker at a cheesesteak shop in Philadelphia. We’ve since traveled across the country, uncovering a world that is far more dynamic, complex, and meaningful than most of us ever imagine. We’ve seen that the system of creating historical markers is a messy and fascinating mix of government bureaucracy, political passion, and grassroots activism.
These markers are not static objects. They are living conversations about our past. They show us that history is not a settled set of facts, but an ongoing process of discovery, debate, and re-evaluation. As one state official put it, the markers are ultimately a reflection of the people who worked so hard to erect them.
What Will You Discover?
The next time you see a historical marker, don’t just read the text and walk away. Stop for a moment. Think about the story behind the sign. Consider the time, the effort, and the passion that went into its creation. It is a community’s way of reaching out through time to say, “This history matters to us, and we hope it matters to you, too.”
Explore the history around you. Visit your local historical society’s website. Search the Historical Marker Database. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll find a story that needs to be told—and you’ll be the one to start the journey of telling it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Q: What is the oldest historical marker program in the US?
- A: The Virginia Historical Marker Program is the nation’s oldest, founded in 1927 to place signs along the route between Richmond and Mount Vernon.
- Q: Can anyone put up a historical marker?
- A: Technically, yes. Anyone with the money and a place to put it can create a private marker. However, to get an “official” marker that is recognized by the state or county, you must go through a formal application and approval process.
- Q: How much does a historical marker cost?
- A: The cost varies, but it typically runs into the thousands of dollars for the manufacturing and installation of a traditional cast-metal marker. This cost is usually covered by the community group or individual who applies for it.
- Q: How can I find historical markers near me?
- A: A great place to start is the volunteer-run Historical Marker Database (hmdb.org). Many state historical commissions, like the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, also have searchable maps and lists on their official websites.
- Q: What should I do if I think a historical marker is inaccurate or offensive?
- A: The best first step is to identify which organization is responsible for the marker—it’s often listed at the bottom of the sign. Contact that state or county historical commission. Most have an official process for requesting a review, revision, or even removal of a marker, though as the New Hampshire controversy shows, it can be a complex process.
