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Famous American Authors and their Homes

The photographs below show famous American authors Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, and Washington Irving, as well as the houses where they lived. For each photograph, click on the “Open in New Window” icon to read information about each person and house. Then match each picture of the American author to their home.

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After you made all of your matches, you revealed part of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 – and three of the reasons that Congress passed this law. It says that it’s important to preserve the history of the nation because it helps Americans remember who we are.

One thing this act did was establish the National Register of Historic Places, which recognizes more than 90,000 historic sites for their significance in American history, architecture, art, archeology, engineering, and culture. When someone wants to register a historic site, they have to submit a long application with extensive information about the significance of the property and the people associated with it. The three houses you saw above are in the National Register of Historic Places.

Choose one house: “Sunnyside,” the home of Washington Irving, the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, or the Mark Twain House. Review the information about it from its application. Write one thing you learned about the American author who lived there.
What site in your community would you nominate to the National Register of Historic Places? Write two sentences about why the site has historic significance and why it should be preserved.

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To the extent possible under law, National Archives Foundation has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to “Famous American Authors and their Homes”

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