Reconstruction Era National Historical Park

11/06/2026

Across the National Park System, memorials, monuments and historic landscapes preserve the stories of those who served and sacrificed. From the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and World War II Memorial to the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Pearl Harbor National Memorial and the newly dedicated Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial, these places invite us to reflect on the people behind the history.

Beyond the memorials, historic battlefields, military forts and other sites across the country help tell the stories of generations who served. On Veterans Day, take time to visit a place of remembrance, discover a story you didn't know, and honor those who served.

Explore places that commemorate America's military history: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/veterans-day.htm

Image: Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial Raptors in Flight. NPS/Brodsky

11/06/2026

11/05/2026

The histories, cultures, and living traditions of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islander communities are an important part of the stories told across our national parks.

Throughout the year, and during November’s Native American Heritage Month, explore the stories, places, and cultural heritage preserved and shared in national parks and communities across the country: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/native-american-heritage-month.htm

NPS Photo

11/04/2026

It’s leaf-peeping season. The trees have made an effort, so the least we can do is go outside and stare at them.

Leaf peeping is the ancient human tradition of traveling long distances to look at leaves, take photographs, and stand in the middle of roads while saying, “Oh, wow, look at that one.”

Nobody knows exactly when this became a major event, but the trees seem okay with the arrangement. So get out there and see what all the rustle is about.

NPS photos

11/04/2026

As Veterans Day approaches, take a moment to honor those who have served our country. One way to celebrate their service is by helping them discover the places and stories that make our nation's public lands special.

U.S. military veterans and Gold Star Families are eligible for a free America the Beautiful Military Lifetime Pass, providing free access to federal recreation lands where entrance or standard amenity fees are charged.

From the quiet beauty of a mountain trail to the stories preserved at historic sites, our public lands offer opportunities to explore, reflect, learn, and connect with the places that help tell America's story.

Learn how to get your pass and start planning your next adventure: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/veterans-and-gold-star-families-free-access.htm

Image: Korean War Veterans Memorial at National Mall & Memorial Parks /NPS

11/02/2026

Hello darkness, my old friend. Now you start at 5:00 pm.

With daylight saving time behind us, the sun is clocking out a littler earlier. Just as before, if you’re heading to a national park, make sure and check park hours, trail conditions, weather forecasts, and sunset times.

Fun fact: admiring fall foliage is much more enjoyable when you’re not trying to navigate a trail in the dark while wondering which tree looks familiar.

NPS photo

11/02/2026

11/02/2026

🦋 Imagine flying thousands of miles to make it home for a family reunion. Monarch butterflies do it every year.

Every fall, two journeys come together. As millions of monarch butterflies travel south on one of nature's greatest migrations, families gather to honor loved ones during Day of the Dead or Día de los Mu***os.

For many communities, the arrival of the monarchs is more than a sign of the changing season. These butterflies are seen as messengers, symbolizing the return of loved ones in spirit and serving as a beautiful reminder of the enduring connections between generations.

Traveling thousands of miles across North America, they depend on healthy habitats, including in parks, to rest, feed, and continue their journey.

What animal makes you feel connected to your family or community?

Several parks across the country host cultural Day of the Dead programming, including San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, among others.

NPS Photo taken at Amistad National Recreation Area

11/02/2026

Día de los Mu***os, or Day of the Dead, is a centuries-old tradition that honors the lives of loved ones who have passed. Its roots stretch back to Indigenous cultures of Mesoamerica, where ancestors were remembered through ritual, art, and celebration. When the Spanish arrived in what is now Texas, these native customs merged with Catholic traditions like All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day; creating the vibrant holiday we know today.

At San Antonio Missions, you can see this cultural fusion come to life. From colorful altars adorned with marigolds and candles to music, food, and stories, the park reflects how Spanish and Indigenous traditions shaped communities along the San Antonio River.

Come explore mission descendant ofrendas/ Day of the Dead altars while they are still inside the Mission San Jose granary for a few more days!

NPS Photo/ Andrew Shirey

10/31/2026

This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Pumpkins* scream in the dead of night!

Happy Halloween!

*No pumpkins have been observed screaming in national parks. You may be hearing a coyote, bobcat, fox, owl, or that marmot looking for Alan…or was it Steve?

Image: Boo! Carved jack-o’-lantern with ranger hat at Hartwell Tavern at Minute Man National Historical Park

10/28/2026

Freedom brought the hope of land ownership, but most formerly enslaved people were unable to keep or gain land when postwar policies were reversed. 161 years ago, today, October 28, a committee of Freedmen from nearby Edisto Island, South Carolina sent a letter to President Andrew Johnson. Learn more about land ownership during Reconstruction on our website, linked in the bio: https://go.nps.gov/land-ownership

VIDEO: NPS
IMAGES: Library of Congress

10/21/2026

The Reconstruction era shaped the nation we live in today. So, how do we remember this complicated period?

Clarksville, a neighborhood in Austin, Texas holds onto its Reconstruction-era roots. In the 1870s, a group of formerly enslaved people established Clarksville. Sweet Home Baptist Church and the Hezikiah Haskell House are physical reminders that help the community remember the period. Pictured here is an early gathering at Sweet Home Baptist Church, one of Clarksville's enduring landmarks and a testament to the community built by formerly enslaved residents.

Today Austin Parks and Recreation operates the Hezikiah Haskell House as a museum about the community and the Haskell family. In 2023, the House became a member of the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network.

Discover how Austin Parks and Recreation remembers the Clarksville Community: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWE42dozBAw

Image: Austin Parks and Recreation

10/15/2026

Behind every historic place is a team working quietly to protect it.

Our historians and maintenance team help to manage the preservation of each building. In June, the team worked on the visitor center’s windows. The visitor center is an old Firehouse from the early 1900s that stands on the old town square.

Our staff used a process called window glazing. They glazed the windows by attaching glass panes to wooden frames with a putty like material to create a seal. Reglazing the windows helps to prevent water damage. A well glazed window can help protect a building from mold, decay, and corrosion, and is a cornerstone of historic preservation.

Explore how the National Park Service preserves historic places: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/historicpreservation/index.htm

10/10/2026

Voting is a right that was hard fought for in Reconstruction.

In 1870, the 15th Amendment became law, banning racial discrimination in voting. During Reconstruction, this law was not enforced well, and many Black Americans faced violence, and even death, when trying to participate in American democracy.

On October 10, 1871, Octavius Catto, a civil rights activist, professional baseball player, and educator, walked to the polls on Election Day in Philadelphia. Catto had spent his life fighting for the rights of Black Americans. But that day, he was murdered before he could exercise his right to vote. He was one of the many victims of Reconstruction-era political violence.
W.E.B. Du Bois later wrote of Catto “...and so closed the career of a man of splendid equipment, rare force of character, whose life was so interwoven with all that was good about us... a pattern for those who have followed after.”

Reconstruction Era National Historical Park shares the stories of often overlooked figures of the Reconstruction era like Octavius Catto. Find out about Catto’s life work and the Reconstruction era on our website: https://www.nps.gov/people/octavius-catto.htm

IMAGE: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

10/08/2026

UPDATE
Darrah Hall will now be closed starting Wednesday October 14, 2026 for a construction rehabilitation project on the building.

The Downtown Beaufort Visitor Center and Pinckney-Porter's Chapel will be open during their regular operating hours. For more information, please check our website: https://www.nps.gov/reer/planyourvisit/hours.htm

IMAGE: NPS

10/06/2026

Darrah Hall will be closed for a construction rehabilitation project on the building starting Friday October 9, 2026.

The Downtown Beaufort Visitor Center and Pinckney-Porter's Chapel will be open during their regular operating hours. For more information, please check our website: https://www.nps.gov/reer/planyourvisit/hours.htm

IMAGE: NPS

10/02/2026

Do you know who took this photo of Frederick Douglass?

Black photographer Cornelius Marion Battey! He took many important photos of many of the greats during the Reconstruction era. Battey was born in 1873 in Augusta, Georgia and became a well-known portrait photographer of his time. He began his career in Cleveland, Ohio, before later moving to New York. He went on to photograph important figures from the Reconstruction era and the early Civil Rights movement.

Battey photographed Frederick Douglass in 1893. He became a friend of W.E.B. Du Bois and regularly took photographs for the cover for the NAACP’s magazine “the Crisis”. He also spent fifteen years documenting the life of Booker T. Washington.

After Washington’s death, Battey became the head of the Photography Department at the Tuskegee Institute. He taught photography and documented the Tuskegee campus until his death in 1927.

Explore more of the people and places Battey photographed on our website: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/reconstruction/about.htm

IMAGES: National Museum of African American Culture and History

10/01/2026

Spend the season working in a national park!

Reconstruction Era National Historical Park is hiring seasonal Maintenance Worker.

📍 Location: Beaufort, South Carolina
📅 Applications open: October 1 – October 7

Join our team and help with routine work involved in the maintenance and repair of grounds, exterior structures, buildings and related utilities.

Apply here:
👉 https://www.usajobs.gov/job/886389000

📸 NPS

09/28/2026

We have completed the electrical work at Darrah Hall, and will be re-opening for our regular schedule starting Tuesday September 29.

Darrah Hall in the Penn Center National Historic Landmark District is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9am to 5pm, with ranger programs at 11am and 2pm. You can plan your visit to Reconstruction Era National Historical Park by visiting our website at https://www.nps.gov/reer/planyourvisit/index.htm

09/22/2026

“After walking about and talking with them, and plucking some roses and ivy to send home, we left Oaklands and drove to the school. It is kept by Miss Murray and Miss Towne in the little Baptist Church, which is beautifully situated in a grove of live oaks.” - Journals of Charlotte Forten Grimke, October 29, 1862, p. 129

On September 22, 1862, Laura Towne and Ellen Murray moved their school to Brick Baptist Church on St. Helena Island. In October, Charlotte Forten would join them as the first Black teacher of Towne and Murray’s Penn School.

This move began a lasting relationship between the Penn School and Brick Baptist Church. Today, Reconstruction Era National Historical Park works with both the Penn Center and Brick Baptist Church. The three organizations work together to carry on a legacy that began on these grounds 164 years ago today.

Learn more about Brick Baptist Church and the Penn School on our website: www.nps.gov/reer

IMAGE: NPS