National Register Research

The National Register of Historic Places is pleased to announce that the Kentucky Dept. of Transportation is partnering with the National Park Service to digitize records of listed Kentucky properties to make them accessible online through the National Register Information System database. This is the latest inter-agency partnership on this project and the latest incremental step by the National Register in digitizing the documentation on approximately 78,000 nominations. Multiple property nomination contexts and GSA properties have been digitized and are now available through the NRIS database. Work on the National Park Service's own listed properties is currently underway. To find out more about the scanning project and partnership opportunities, click here. Since its inception in 1966, approximately 78,000 properties have been listed in the National Register. Together these files hold information on more than 1.2 million individual resources--buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects--and therefore provide a link to the country's heritage at the national, state, and local levels. The documentation on each property consists of photographs, maps, and a National Register registration form, which provides a physical description of the place, information about its history and significance, and a bibliography. Individual nomination documentation is not available on-line. Researchers can take advantage of this unparalleled collection in a number of ways: Discover which properties are listed by using the National Register Information System (NRIS), a computerized database that contains information on every property in the Register. Further information and instructions on using this database can be found at Using the NRIS, or you can directly access the NRIS database. Make an appointment to visit our archives. Open Monday-Thursday 9:00am to noon, an appointment is neccessary for security reasons in our new building The Reference Desk may be reached at 202-354-1496 to schedule an appointment. Request copies of individual nominations in writing: National Register of Historic Places National Park Service 1839 C St., NW (MS 2280) Washington, DC 20240 Please note, due to irradiation of USPS mail in Washington, DC, we recommend sending official correspondance to us by direct or overnight mail at the following address: 1201 Eye St., NW 8th Floor (MS 2280) Washington, DC 20005 To ensure that you receive the file you want, please include the official historic name, the county and state in which it is located, and your mailing address. That information is available through the NRIS. You may also request copies of nominations through e-mail or telephone at 202-354-1496, but please include the same information. Copies will be provided as quickly as possible, corresponding to the current levels of demand. You can also request copies of nominations from the appropriate State Historic Preservation Office (addresses and phone numbers or web addresses ). View a list of Multiple Property Contexts (MPS), which organizes National Register documentation by historical themes, property types, or geographic areas. The context statements for these MPSs often represent seminal research in the field of cultural resource management. You can also SEARCH all Multiple Property Contexts, now available online. Examine a sample National Register nomination. Read a bibliography of articles and other publications about the National Register program