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NPR Investigations: Off The Mark The U.S. has more than 180,000 markers telling the nation’s story. Here are the stories behind some of them, from across the NPR Network.
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NPR Investigations: Off The Mark

Historical markers are everywhere in America. Some get history wrong

The historical marker that omits parts of the Young-Dent family's past is on the grounds of Fendall Hall in Eufaula. The back side of the marker says Edward Brown Young was a "banker, merchant and entrepreneur." The back side also says that he "organized the company which built the first bridge" in Eufaula and that his daughter married a Confederate captain in the "War Between the States." Andi Rice for NPR hide caption

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Historical markers are everywhere in America. Some get history wrong

The nation's historical markers delight, distort and, sometimes, just get the story wrong.

Historical markers are everywhere in America. Some get history wrong

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Across the South historical markers are disappearing

Georgia Public Broadcasting

Many historical markers that told stories of Black history have been damaged or stolen in recent years. Communities are struggling with their absence.

Across the South historical markers are disappearing

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For decades, site markers left out who committed Utah's Mountain Meadows Massacre

KUER

The latest in our series Off the Mark, about historical markers, examines the site of a horrific massacre in Utah, where it took 150 years for the signage to tell the truth about what happened.

For decades, site markers left out who committed Utah's Mountain Meadows Massacre

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The American frontier is a two-sided story. Markers usually tell just one.

Historical markers from the Atlantic through the Midwest tell a classic American tale of innocent white settlers killed by Native Americans. Many markers only tell half the story.

The American frontier is a two-sided story. Markers usually tell just one.

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A historical marker in Alabama unearths a long-forgotten cold case

Historical Markers in the US are fascinating, sometimes wrong, sometimes offensive and cruel. But they also have the power to unlock secrets, like those of a long forgotten Civil Rights cold case.

A historical marker in Alabama unearths a long-forgotten cold case

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The debate to fix an outdated and incorrect Harriet Tubman historic marker

A historical marker on Maryland's Eastern Shore contains errors about the story of Harriet Tubman, who grew up nearby. Some locals want to fix it, but others think it's fine how it is.

The debate to fix an outdated and incorrect Harriet Tubman historic marker

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Historical markers in America: the good, the bad and the quirky

More than 180,000 historical markers dot the U.S. in a fractured and confused telling of America — where offensive lies live with impunity, history is distorted and errors are both strange and funny.

Historical markers in America: the good, the bad and the quirky

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Historical marker unlocks the secrets of a long forgotten murder

Historical markers have been used to spread hate — with racist language, ideas and intent. They also have been able to unlock secrets — even from a long-forgotten murder in rural Alabama.

Historical marker unlocks the secrets of a long forgotten murder

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A century-long effort to recast the Civil War

Most corners of the country harbor old or erroneous markers of some kind. An NPR investigation examines the proliferation of Confederate markers and a century-long effort to recast the Civil War.

A century-long effort to recast the Civil War

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The Sunday Story: Off The Mark, an NPR investigation into America's historical markers

A historical marker found in Eufaula, Ala. Andi Rice for NPR hide caption

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Andi Rice for NPR

Up First

The Sunday Story: Off The Mark, an NPR investigation into America's historical markers

Historical markers dot the American landscape. They are on the sides of roads, in parks, rest areas, in the middle of nowhere. They purport to offer a glimpse into the past, marking a moment or place of significance worth remembering. But a year-long investigation by NPR's Laura Sullivan found some of these markers present a fractured and confused telling of the American story. Some share humor and joy but many present a version of history that's been distorted or outright fictionalized with offensive lies.

The Sunday Story: Off The Mark, an NPR investigation into America's historical markers

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