1.
National Park Service
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It was created on August 25,1916, by Congress through the National Park Service Organic Act and is an agency of the United States Department of the Interior. As of 2014, the NPS employs 21,651 employees who oversee 417 units, the National Park Service celebrated its centennial in 2016. National parks and national monuments in the United States were originally individually managed under the auspices of the Department of the Interior, the movement for an independent agency to oversee these federal lands was spearheaded by business magnate and conservationist Stephen Mather, as well as J. Horace McFarland. With the help of journalist Robert Sterling Yard, Mather ran a publicity campaign for the Department of the Interior and they wrote numerous articles that praised the scenic and historic qualities of the parks and their possibilities for educational, inspirational, and recreational benefits. This campaign resulted in the creation of a National Park Service, Mather became the first director of the newly formed NPS. On March 3,1933, President Herbert Hoover signed the Reorganization Act of 1933, the act would allow the President to reorganize the executive branch of the United States government. It wasnt until later that summer when the new President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President Roosevelt agreed and issued two Executive orders to make it happen. In 1951, Conrad Wirth became director of the National Park Service, the demand for parks after the end of the World War II had left the parks overburdened with demands that could not be met. In 1952, with the support of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, he began Mission 66, New parks were added to preserve unique resources and existing park facilities were upgraded and expanded. In 1966, as the Park Service turned 50 years old, emphasis began to turn from just saving great and wonderful scenery, Director George Hartzog began the process with the creation of the National Lakeshores and then National Recreation Areas. Since its inception in 1916, the National Park Service has managed each of the United States national parks, Yellowstone National Park was the first national park in the United States. In 1872, there was no government to manage it. Yosemite National Park began as a park, the land for the park was donated by the federal government to the state of California in 1864 for perpetual conservation. Yosemite was later returned to federal ownership, at first, each national park was managed independently, with varying degrees of success. In Yellowstone, the staff was replaced by the U. S. Army in 1886. Due to the irregularities in managing these national treasures, Stephen Mather petitioned the government to improve the situation. In response, Secretary of the Interior Franklin K. Lane challenged him to lobby for creating a new agency, Mather was successful with the ratification of the National Park Service Organic Act in 1916. Later, the agency was given authority over other protected areas, the National Park System includes all properties managed by the National Park Service
2.
Lucy the Elephant
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For the National Historic Landmark located in Somers, New York, see Elephant Hotel. Originally named Elephant Bazaar, Lucy was built to promote real estate sales, today, Lucy is the oldest surviving roadside tourist attraction in America. Patent Office granted James V. Lafferty a patent giving him the right to make. Lafferty funded the design and construction of his first elephant-shaped building at South Atlantic City and he employed Philadelphia architect William Free for the design, and it was constructed at a cost of $25,000 - $38,000. Initially named Elephant Bazaar, the stands at 65 feet in height,60 feet in length. It is listed as the 11th tallest statue in the United States, Lucy was constructed with nearly one million pieces of wood, and required 200 kegs of nails,4 tons of bolts and iron bars,12,000 square feet of tin covers the exterior. There are 22 windows placed throughout the structure, originally, Lafferty would bring potential real estate customers to the howdah at the top, where he could point out parcels available for sale. The structure was sold to Anton Gertzen of Philadelphia in 1887, sophia Gertzen, Antons daughter-in-law, reportedly dubbed the structure Lucy the Elephant in 1902. Lucys head shape identifies the building as an Asian Elephant, in its first few years, the elephant was referred to as a male, but today it is now generally considered to be female. Lafferty built two other elephant-shaped buildings, though neither survives, the Elephantine Colossus or Elephant Hotel, at Coney Island amusement park in Brooklyn, New York, stood 122 feet tall, with seven floors of rooms, and legs 60 feet in circumference. It held a store in one leg and a diorama in another, hotel rooms within the elephant proper. Another, officially named Light of Asia, opened in Cape May in 1884, through the first half of the 20th century, Lucy served as a restaurant, business office, cottage, and tavern. The building was depicted on souvenir postcards, often referred to as The Elephant Hotel of Atlantic City. By the 1960s, Lucy had fallen into disrepair and was scheduled for demolition, in 1969, Edwin T. Carpenter and a group of Margate citizens formed the Margate Civic Association, which later became the Save Lucy Committee under Josephine Harron and Sylvia Carpenter. They were given a 30-day deadline to move the edifice or pay for its demolition, various fund-raising events, the most successful a door-to-door canvass by volunteers, raised money. In 1970, the building was moved about 100 yards to the west-southwest, the buildings original wooden frame was buttressed new steel, and the deteriorated howdah was replaced with a replica. A plug of green glass set into the howdah platform refracts light into Lucys interior, in 1972, Lucy appeared in the movie The King of Marvin Gardens, starring Jack Nicholson and Bruce Dern. In 1976, Lucy was designated a National Historic Landmark, in 1980, Lucy can be briefly seen in the opening of the film Atlantic City
3.
Burlington County Prison
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The Burlington County Prison operated from 1811 through 1965 in Mount Holly Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. It was designed with prisoner rehabilitation in mind, the motto over the door, Justice Which, While it Punishes, Would Endeavor to Reform the Offender, was chosen by architect Robert Mills. The Burlington County Prison operated from 1811 through 1965, when it closed in 1965, it was the oldest operating prison in the United States. It is reportedly haunted by a male in a uniform in the basement. National Register of Historic Places listings in Burlington County, New Jersey List of museums in New Jersey List of the oldest buildings in New Jersey Official Site County Park Information
4.
26 Journal Square
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26 Journal Square is a 55 m high-rise in Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. It was originally known as the Labor Bank Building and it was completed in 1928 and has 15 floors. It is the 23rd tallest building in the city and it is often considered the first skyscraper in Jersey City. The Beaux Arts building was designed by John T. Rowland and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The building was headquarters of the Labor National Bank. The bank was affiliated with the Branleygran Company, and established by Theodore M. Brandle, Hague channeled construction projects towards the construction bond underwriter, including the Pulaski Skyway. Essentially, Brandle controlled any construction projects in northern New Jersey, list of tallest buildings in Jersey City National Register of Historic Places listings in Hudson County, New Jersey
5.
Ritz Theatre (Haddon Township, New Jersey)
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The Ritz Theatre is an active live producing non-profit theatre located in Haddon Township, Camden County, New Jersey, United States. The Ritz Theatre, built in a Colonial Revival, opened in September 1927 as a vaudeville theatre, in the 1950s and 1960s, the Ritz was known for its fine art and foreign film showings, drawing audiences from Philadelphia and the Southern New Jersey regions. In the 1970s, the Ritz then became a movie theater. The theatre closed until 1985, when the Ritz returned to theatre when Puttin’ on the Ritz, Inc. a production company led by Producing Artistic Director Bruce A. Curless. In January 1986, Puttin’ On The Ritz reopened the doors of the Ritz Theatre, the first production of Puttin’ on The Ritz was the musical The Boy Friend by Sandy Wilson. In 1990, the production of Children of a Lesser God would begin a long time commitment an ASL Initiative. The Ritz Theatre Company, Inc. presents six mainstage productions and they serve more than 73,300 patrons annually. Also offered are holiday shows, special events, summer camp, dramatic workshops. The Theatre building also boasts “The Gallery at the Ritz, ” an in-house art gallery that offers professional monthly art exhibits, being a non-profit company, there is an active Board of Directors. In 2001, the group purchased the 466-seat theatre, making it the permanent home of the ensemble, in 2002, the Ritz was added to the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places. It is currently in the midst of renovation, to date, the roof has been replaced along with upgrading the electrical system and installing sprinklers. The lobby has been renovated with new carpeting and paint and work has begun on restoration of the front of the building, in April 2014, the Ritz held its first ever fundraiser to help raise money to keep the building and theatre alive. The first annual “Rock The Ritz” fundraiser brought in over $11,000 to help the organization, in 2015, The Ritz will enter its 30th season providing live theatre to South Jersey and the surrounding areas. •Cristin Milioti, Tony Award Nominated Actress for the Musical, Once, currently playing The Mother on the final season of the popular TV series, How I Met Your Mother. Ritz productions include Carousel, Romeo and Juliet, as well as the Christmas tradition of Scrooge, TV actor, Smash and Orange Is the New Black. Ritz productions include To Kill A Mockingbird and Big, among others, Ritz productions include West Side Story. •Phillip Spaeth, Broadway Performer, TV and Film actor, Broadway, Wicked, Mary Poppins, West Side Story, Matilda the Musical. National Register of Historic Places listings in Camden County, New Jersey Ritz Theatre Online National Register of Historic Places Ritz Theatre at Cinematreasures. org
6.
Cape May Historic District
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The Cape May Historic District is an area of 380 acres with over 600 buildings in the resort town of Cape May, Cape May County, New Jersey. The city claims to be Americas first seaside resort and has buildings in the Late Victorian style, including the Eclectic, Stick. According to National Park Service architectural historian Carolyn Pitts, Cape May has one of the largest collections of late 19th century frame buildings left in the United States and that give it a homogeneous architectural character, a kind of textbook of vernacular American building. The City of Cape May sits at the end of Cape May Peninsula which divides the Atlantic Ocean from the Delaware Bay. Cape May Point, about two miles west of the City of Cape May, borders the Bay, while Cape May City borders the Ocean. Cape Island Creek, a creek and marsh, originally divided the site of the city from the rest of Cape May. The Cape May Canal, built in 1942, now divides both Cape May City and Cape May Point from the rest of the peninsula, Cape May was first discovered by Europeans by Henry Hudson on August 28,1609. He landed on the shore of Delaware Bay a few north of Cape May Point before returning to the Atlantic Ocean. In 1632 the Dutch established a fishing and whaling settlement in the area, by the 1660s the English gained control and Daniel Coxe, a London Quaker, organized a government in 1687. Early settlers worked in the lumber, shipbuilding, whaling, fishing, a road along the coast built in 1796 helped establish the hamlet of Cape May. The early emergence of Cape May as a resort was due to easy transport by water from Philadelphia to the Atlantic Ocean. Early Cape May vacationers were carried to the town on sloops from Philadelphia, southerners later became a large proportion of summer vacationers. The resort business in Cape May began to thrive when regular traffic on the Delaware River began after the War of 1812, carrying passengers from Philadelphia and New Castle. Commodore Stephen Decatur made his home at the Atlantic Hotel about this time. The predecessor of the Congress Hall Hotel was opened in 1816 by Thomas Hughes and it took its current name in 1828, when Hughes was elected to Congress. There are six boarding houses, three of which are large, the sea bathing is convenient and excellent, the beach affords pleasant drives. Early visitors included Henry Clay in 1847, and Abraham Lincoln in 1849, serving Presidents who visited included Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Ulysses Grant, Chester Arthur, and Benjamin Harrison. Harrison made Congress Hall his Summer White House, from the 1850s through the 1880s up to 3,000 visitors arrived each day during the summer season
7.
Ship John Shoal Light
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The Ship John Shoal Light marks the north side of the ship channel in Delaware Bay on the east coast of the United States, near the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. Its cast iron superstructure was exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ship John Shoal took its name from an incident in 1797 in which the John, captained by a Robert Folger, ran aground while on the way from Hamburg, Germany to Philadelphia. Passengers and cargo were unloaded safely, but the vessel was lost, completion of the original Brandywine Shoal Light in 1850 led the Lighthouse Board to draw up plans to erect similar lights at Ship John Shoal and Cross Ledge. Both of these were intended to be of the then-new screw-pile design, during construction of the Cross Ledge Light in the winter of 1856, however, ice carried away the entire structure, prompting reconsideration of the suitability of this type of foundation. In the 1870s caisson foundations became available, and in 1873 Congress appropriated funds toward the construction of a light on the shoal. The incomplete structure managed to withstand the ice, but in January the keepers abandoned their temporary refuge out of fear that it would be overturned. They were able to return in March, but by then, the house did not reach the caisson until the summer of 1877, in the meantime, a lightship was stationed alongside the unfinished structure. The base had also surrounded with 2,000 tons of riprap to ward off ice damage. In June 2011, the General Services Administration made the Ship John Shoal Light available at no cost to public organizations willing to preserve them
8.
United States Department of the Interior
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The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U. S. About 75% of federal land is managed by the department. The Department is administered by the United States Secretary of the Interior, the current Secretary is Ryan Zinke. The Inspector General position is vacant, with Mary Kendall serving as acting Inspector General. Despite its name, the Department of the Interior has a different role from that of the ministries of other nations. In the United States, national security and immigration functions are performed by the Department of Homeland Security primarily, the Department of the Interior has often been humorously called The Department of Everything Else because of its broad range of responsibilities. A department for domestic concern was first considered by the 1st United States Congress in 1789, the idea of a separate domestic department continued to percolate for a half-century and was supported by Presidents from James Madison to James Polk. The 1846–48 Mexican–American War gave the new steam as the responsibilities of federal government grew. Polks Secretary of the Treasury, Robert J. Walker, became a champion of creating the new department. In 1849, Walker stated in his report that several federal offices were placed in departments with which they had little to do. Walker argued that these and other bureaus should be together in a new Department of the Interior. A bill authorizing its creation of the Department passed the House of Representatives on February 15,1849, the Department was established on March 3,1849, the eve of President Zachary Taylors inauguration, when the Senate voted 31 to 25 to create the Department. Its passage was delayed by Democrats in Congress who were reluctant to create more patronage posts for the incoming Whig administration to fill, the first Secretary of the Interior was Thomas Ewing. Many of the concerns the Department originally dealt with were gradually transferred to other Departments. Other agencies became separate Departments, such as the Bureau of Agriculture, however, land and natural resource management, American Indian affairs, wildlife conservation, and territorial affairs remain the responsibilities of the Department of the Interior. As of mid-2004, the Department managed 507 million acres of surface land, energy projects on federally managed lands and offshore areas supply about 28% of the nations energy production. Within the Interior Department, the Bureau of Indian Affairs handles some federal relations with Native Americans, the current acting Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs is Lawrence S. Roberts, an enrolled member of the Oneida Tribe in Wisconsin. Several cases have sought accounting of such funds from the departments of Interior, in addition, some Native American nations have sued the government over water-rights issues and their treaties with the US
9.
National Register of Historic Places
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The National Register of Historic Places is the United States federal governments official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation. The passage of the National Historic Preservation Act in 1966 established the National Register, of the more than one million properties on the National Register,80,000 are listed individually. The remainder are contributing resources within historic districts, each year approximately 30,000 properties are added to the National Register as part of districts or by individual listings. For most of its history the National Register has been administered by the National Park Service and its goals are to help property owners and interest groups, such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, coordinate, identify, and protect historic sites in the United States. While National Register listings are mostly symbolic, their recognition of significance provides some financial incentive to owners of listed properties, protection of the property is not guaranteed. During the nomination process, the property is evaluated in terms of the four criteria for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, the application of those criteria has been the subject of criticism by academics of history and preservation, as well as the public and politicians. Occasionally, historic sites outside the proper, but associated with the United States are also listed. Properties can be nominated in a variety of forms, including individual properties, historic districts, the Register categorizes general listings into one of five types of properties, district, site, structure, building, or object. National Register Historic Districts are defined geographical areas consisting of contributing and non-contributing properties, some properties are added automatically to the National Register when they become administered by the National Park Service. These include National Historic Landmarks, National Historic Sites, National Historical Parks, National Military Parks/Battlefields, National Memorials, on October 15,1966, the Historic Preservation Act created the National Register of Historic Places and the corresponding State Historic Preservation Offices. Initially, the National Register consisted of the National Historic Landmarks designated before the Registers creation, approval of the act, which was amended in 1980 and 1992, represented the first time the United States had a broad-based historic preservation policy. To administer the newly created National Register of Historic Places, the National Park Service of the U. S. Department of the Interior, hartzog, Jr. established an administrative division named the Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation. Hartzog charged OAHP with creating the National Register program mandated by the 1966 law, ernest Connally was the Offices first director. Within OAHP new divisions were created to deal with the National Register, the first official Keeper of the Register was William J. Murtagh, an architectural historian. During the Registers earliest years in the late 1960s and early 1970s, organization was lax and SHPOs were small, understaffed, and underfunded. A few years later in 1979, the NPS history programs affiliated with both the U. S. National Parks system and the National Register were categorized formally into two Assistant Directorates. Established were the Assistant Directorate for Archeology and Historic Preservation and the Assistant Directorate for Park Historic Preservation, from 1978 until 1981, the main agency for the National Register was the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service of the United States Department of the Interior. In February 1983, the two assistant directorates were merged to promote efficiency and recognize the interdependency of their programs, jerry L. Rogers was selected to direct this newly merged associate directorate
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