THE GOVERNMENT NEWS DESKSTATE & NATION TRAVEL
National parks, historic sites and practical visitor updates, directly from the National Park Service.
NPS sources checked 10/3/2026, 12:43:27 PM Eastern
There is road construction near the park visitor center along 111th St. and S. Cottage Avenue. Please use caution and allow extra travel time when visiting. Construction is expected to last through the fall. In addition, on occasion the vehicle entrance for parking at 610 E. 111th street is limited to one lane.
Official NPS source
New Philadelphia National Historic Site has received a $25,000 grant from Jefferson National Parks Association’s BlueSky Opportunity Fund to support a new community-driven interpretation initiative, “Our Past, Our Voices: Building Community through Citizen Storytelling at New Philadelphia.”
Official NPS sourceLincoln Home National Historic Site plans to host an animal adoption event and B.A.R.K. Ranger program at 426 S. 7th Street, Springfield, Illinois on Saturday, April 25.
Official NPS sourceLincoln Home National Historic Site plans to host a free, public presentation for Black History Month titled "New Philadelphia: Its Connections to Springfield and the 1908 Race Riot.
Official NPS source
Lincoln Home National Historic Site plans to host a free, all-day public celebration marking the two hundred and seventeenth anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. Events will take place at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site Visitor Center located at 426 S. 7th Street, city, state, on Thursday, February 12; Saturday, February 14; and Sunday, February 15.
Official NPS source
SPRINGFIELD, IL: Lincoln Home National Historic Site will host a variety of festive winter programs on Friday December 12th, and Saturday December 13th.
Official NPS source
Teri Gage ends her nearly 40-year National Park Service career with Pullman
Official NPS source
Celebrate 100 Years of Brotherhood with us all year through August 2026
Official NPS source
Come see the Winter Lights of Pullman on November 30th
Official NPS source
The National Park Service (NPS) has selected Patrick Malone as program manager of Region 6, 7 and 8 National Trails Office. In this role, Malone will administer the Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail, California National Historic Trail, El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail, Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail, Old Spanish National Historic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail, Pony Express National Historic Trail, Santa Fe National Historic Trail, Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, and the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program.
Official NPS source
President Joe Biden today established the Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument as America’s newest national park site — the eighth addition to the national park system during the Biden-Harris administration. The new national monument will help tell a more complete story of America by preserving historic objects associated with a violent, racially motivated riot in President Abraham Lincoln’s hometown of Springfield, Illinois, in 1908 that ultimately served as a catalyst for important steps in the civil rights movement, including the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Official NPS source
In a groundbreaking collaboration, Terrain360, the National Park Service’s (NPS) Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, and the Lewis and Clark Trust, Inc. is proud to announce a project that aims to map a portion of the Yellowstone River. The mapping will use state-of-the art 360° ultra-high-definition spherical imagery to capture 507 miles of river starting just south of Livingston, Montana to the confluence of the Missouri-Yellowstone Rivers. This monumental endeavor will generate over 1 million ultra-high-resolution images, providing an unparalleled view of this historically significant river.
Official NPS source
Enjoy a free concert at Chicago's first National Park Site
Official NPS sourceThe National Park Service today announced it has entered into a partnership, designating the Emmett Till Interpretive Center as an official philanthropic and educational partner of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument.
Official NPS source
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail has released its 2023 Annual Report. The report documents a year of work with partners across the U.S. to commemorate and protect the 4,900-mile-long historic route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Official NPS source
On April 20, 2024, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Lincoln Home National Historic Site will celebrate National Park Week 2024. Join Lincoln Home staff in the Visitor Center, located at 426 S. 7th Street in Springfield IL, to participate in activities for youth focused on celebrating Art in the Park!
Official NPS source
On April 27, 2024, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Lincoln Home National Historic Site will join the National Park Service to celebrate Junior Ranger Day 2024. Join Lincoln Home staff in the Visitor Center, located at 426 S. 7th Street in Springfield IL, to participate in activities and earn Junior Ranger prizes!
Official NPS source
Listen Live to a Brass Quintet at a free “Around the Town” concert at 2:00 PM on Saturday, April 20, 2024, during “Art in the Park” at Lincoln Home National Historic Site. “Art in the Park” is part of National Park Week, which runs April 20 through 28, 2024.
Official NPS source
The National Park Service has selected Christopher Collins as the superintendent of the newly established New Philadelphia National Historic Site located near Barry, Illinois. He will assume his new role at New Philadelphia later this spring.
Official NPS sourceIt’s October and you know what that means... Lincoln Home Halloween! Join us at Lincoln Home National Historic site on Friday, October 23rd from 5:30 to 7:30. There will be a food drive and of course neighborhood trick or treating! Additionally, we will have appearances by Abraham and Mary Lincoln. Hope to see you there!
Official NPS sourceNational Historic Trail
Remember and commemorate the survival of the Cherokee people, forcefully removed from their homelands in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee to live in Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. They traveled by foot, horse, wagon, or steamboat in 1838-1839.
Alabama · Arkansas · Georgia · Illinois · Kentucky · Missouri · North Carolina · Oklahoma · TennesseeNational Historic Trail
The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail winds nearly 4,900 miles through the homelands of more than 60 Tribal nations. It follows the historic outbound and inbound routes of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803-1806 from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the Pacific Ocean. Follow the trail to find the people, places, and stories that make up the complex legacy of the expedition.
Idaho · Illinois · Indiana · Iowa · Kansas · Kentucky · Missouri · Montana · Nebraska · North Dakota · Ohio · Oregon · Pennsylvania · South Dakota · Washington · West VirginiaNational Monument
In 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till traveled to Money, Mississippi, to visit relatives. He was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered after reportedly whistling at a white woman. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, insisted on an open-casket funeral near their hometown of Chicago. Her brave decision let the world see the racist violence inflicted upon her son and set the Civil Rights Movement into motion.
Illinois · MississippiNational Historic Site
Abraham Lincoln believed in the ideal that everyone in America should have the opportunity to improve their economic and social condition. Lincoln’s life was the embodiment of that idea. We know him as the sixteenth president but he was also a spouse, parent, and neighbor who experienced the same hopes, dreams, and challenges of life that are still experienced by many people today.
IllinoisNational Historic Trail
Explore the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail across five states to see the 1,300-mile route traveled by Mormons who fled Nauvoo, Illinois, to the Great Salt Lake Valley in 1846-1847.
Illinois · Iowa · Nebraska · Utah · WyomingNational Historic Site
To a casual observer, New Philadelphia looked like a typical Illinois pioneer town. But a closer look revealed a unique and racially diverse community. New Philadelphia was the first US town platted and registered by an African American. A formerly enslaved man, Free Frank McWorter, founded New Philadelphia in 1836 and purchased freedom for himself and 15 family members.
IllinoisNational Historical Park
In a growing Chicago neighborhood, diverse people and stories intertwined. All were seeking opportunity. Some succeeded. Others were limited—by race, gender, or economic status. Their stories came together in Pullman, a planned industrial community famed for its urban design and architecture.
IllinoisNational Monument
In August 1908, a large White mob attacked the Black community in Springfield, Illinois. Rioters destroyed homes and businesses and lynched two men. The event led to the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Today, archeological evidence gives a rare glimpse into a community devastated by the race riots of the early 20th century.
IllinoisDestination directory sourced from NPS state listings, October 3, 2026. Official NPS directory