VISITORS
Extraordinary events in Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area forever changed America. In the nineteenth century, the nation turned its eyes to the Missouri-Kansas border, where peoples with diverse definitions of freedom collided, inciting and fueling a Civil War. The impact of these events is forever woven into the nation’s fabric.
Freedom’s Frontier began as a grassroots effort of people just like you, who were concerned about our landscape. They understood that we have an important, nationally significant story to share about shaping the frontier, the Missouri-Kansas Border War, and the enduring struggle for freedom. More than 230 museums, historical societies, and heritage sites partner with us in telling these stories. Join us in our efforts in helping to interpret history that helped shape a nation.
Click on a row to visit that partner’s website.
Partner Site | County | State | |
---|---|---|---|
1855 Harris-Kearney House Museum and Westport Historical Society | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
1859 Jail, Marshal’s Home and Museum | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Adrian Area Historical Society | Bates | MO | WEBSITE |
Agency Ford Museum | Buchanan | MO | WEBSITE |
Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art | Buchanan | MO | WEBSITE |
Alexander/Madison Chapter of KC Buffalo Soldiers | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Alexander Majors House and Barn | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Allen County Historical Society | Allen | KS | WEBSITE |
Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum | Atchison | KS | WEBSITE |
Amelia Earhart Hanger Museum | Atchison | KS | WEBSITE |
American Flight Museum | Shawnee | KS | WEBSITE |
American Jazz Museum | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Appleton City Landmark Restorations, Inc. | St. Clair | MO | WEBSITE |
Arabia Steamboat Museum | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Archives & Research Center of Franklin Co KS | Franklin | KS | WEBSITE |
Atchison County Historical Society | Atchison | KS | WEBSITE |
Atkins-Johnson Farm & Museum | Clay | MO | WEBSITE |
Baker Wetlands and Discovery Center | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Basehor Historical Museum Society | Leavenworth | KS | WEBSITE |
Bates County Museum & Historical Society | Bates | MO | WEBSITE |
Battle of Island Mound State Historic Site | Bates | MO | WEBSITE |
Battle of Lexington State Historic Site | Lafayette | MO | WEBSITE |
Battle of Westport | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Baxter Springs Heritage Center and Museum | Cherokee | KS | WEBSITE |
Beecher Bible and Rifle Church | Wabaunsee | KS | WEBSITE |
Bingham-Waggoner Estate | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Black American Blueprint Collective | Shawnee | KS | WEBSITE |
Black Archives Museum of St. Joseph | Buchanan | MO | WEBSITE |
Black Archives of Mid America | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Black Jack Battlefield and Nature Park | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Blue Room and Gem Theatre | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Boston Daniels Park and Corporation | Wyandotte | KS | WEBSITE |
Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park | Shawnee | KS | WEBSITE |
Bruce R. Watkins Cultural Heritage Center | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Burlingame Historical Preservation Society | Osage | KS | WEBSITE |
Burlingame Schuyler Museum | Osage | KS | WEBSITE |
Burnt District Monument and Sharps-Hopper Cabin | Cass | MO | WEBSITE |
Caney Valley Historical Society & Museum | Montgomery | KS | WEBSITE |
Carnegie Building | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Cass County Historical Society and Museum | Cass | MO | WEBSITE |
Cave Spring Park, home of Barnes Enclosure, Cave Spring, and 3 Trails | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Cherryvale Historical Museum | Montgomery | KS | WEBSITE |
Civil War Round Table of Kansas City | Clay | MO | WEBSITE |
Civil War Round Table of Western Missouri | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Clay County Archives & Historical Library | Clay | MO | WEBSITE |
Clay County Historical Society Museum | Clay | MO | WEBSITE |
Clay County Historic Sites | Clay | MO | WEBSITE |
Clearfield School and Historical Society | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Clendening History of Medicine Museum | Wyandotte | KS | WEBSITE |
Coffey County Historical Society Museum | Coffey | KS | WEBSITE |
Concordia Area Museum and Historical Society | Johnson | MO | WEBSITE |
Confederate Memorial State Historic Site | Johnson | MO | WEBSITE |
Constitution Hall SHS Lecompton | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Constitution Hall Topeka | Shawnee | KS | WEBSITE |
Crawford County Historical Museum | Crawford | KS | WEBSITE |
Curtis House Museum | Shawnee | KS | WEBSITE |
Democratic Headquarters of Kansas Territory in Lecompton | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
DeSoto Historical Society | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Dietrich Cabin | Franklin | KS | WEBSITE |
Dole Institute of Politics | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Dorothy Day Log Cabin at Platte Wildlife Preserve | Platte | MO | WEBSITE |
Douglas County Chapter of Santa Fe Trail Association and Ivan Boyd Prairie | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Douglas County Heritage Conservation Council | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Douglass School Project | Lafayette | MO | WEBSITE |
Edgerton Community Museum | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Ernie Miller Nature Center | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Eudora Area Historical Society and Community Museum | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Excelsior Springs Museum and Archives | Clay | MO | WEBSITE |
First Territorial Capitol State Historic Site | Riley | KS | WEBSITE |
Fishburn Archives & Special Collections at Park University | Platte | MO | WEBSITE |
Flint Hills Discovery Center | Riley | KS | WEBSITE |
Forest Grove Cemetery Project | Lafayette | MO | WEBSITE |
Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery | Leavenworth | KS | WEBSITE |
Fort Osage National Historic Landmark | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Fort Scott National Historic Site | Bourbon | KS | WEBSITE |
Franklin County Historical Society | Franklin | KS | WEBSITE |
Friends of the Free State Capitol | Shawnee | KS | WEBSITE |
Frontier Army Museum | Leavenworth | KS | WEBSITE |
Gardner Historical Museum | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Gardner Junction Park | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Garrison School Cultural Center | Clay | MO | WEBSITE |
Gay and Lesbian Archive of Mid-America | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Geary County Historical Society | Geary | KS | WEBSITE |
General Jo Shelby Park and Statue | Lafayette | MO | WEBSITE |
George Historic Cemetery Association, Inc. | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Glore Psychiatric Museum | Buchanan | MO | WEBSITE |
Goodnow House State Historic Site | Riley | KS | WEBSITE |
Gordon Parks Museum | Bourbon | KS | WEBSITE |
Great Overland Station | Shawnee | KS | WEBSITE |
Grinter Place State Historic Site | Wyandotte | KS | WEBSITE |
Guardians of Grover Barn | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Harry S. Truman Birthplace State Historic Site | Barton | MO | WEBSITE |
Harry S. Truman Farm Home in Grandview | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Harry S. Truman Library and Museum | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Harry S. Truman NHS Home Site – Independence | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Harry S. Truman NHS Visitor Center | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Harvey J. Higgins Historical Society and Higginsville Museum | Lafayette | MO | WEBSITE |
Haskell Cultural Center and Museum | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Historical Society of New Santa Fe and the Trailside Center | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Historic Mt. Gilead Church and School | Clay | MO | WEBSITE |
Historic Topeka Cemetery | Shawnee | KS | WEBSITE |
Howard Cemetery | Jackson | MO | |
Humboldt’s Orcutt Living History Backyard Museum | Allen | KS | WEBSITE |
Humboldt Historical Society and Museum | Allen | KS | WEBSITE |
Huron Indian Cemetery | Wyandotte | KS | WEBSITE |
Independence Historical Museum and Art Center | Montgomery | KS | WEBSITE |
Jackson County Historical Society | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Jefferson County Historical and Genealogical Society | Jefferson | KS | WEBSITE |
Jesse James Bank Museum | Clay | MO | WEBSITE |
Jesse James Birthplace Farm and Museum | Clay | MO | WEBSITE |
Jesse James Home Museum (at Patee House) | Buchanan | MO | WEBSITE |
John and Mary Ritchie House | Shawnee | KS | WEBSITE |
John Brown Museum SHS and Adair Cabin | Miami | KS | WEBSITE |
John Brown Speaks | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Johnson County Historical Society | Johnson | MO | WEBSITE |
Johnson County Historic Courthouse Museum | Johnson | MO | WEBSITE |
Johnson County Library | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Johnson County Museum | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Juneteenth, KC | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Kansas City Area Historic Trails Association | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Kansas City Kansas Community College Art Gallery | Wyandotte | KS | WEBSITE |
Kansas City Museum | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Kansas Historical Society | Shawnee | KS | WEBSITE |
Kaw Point Park | Wyandotte | KS | WEBSITE |
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art | Jackson | KS | WEBSITE |
King Hill Cemetery and Preservation Corps | Buchanan | MO | WEBSITE |
KU Natural History Museum | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
LaBudde Special Collections, Miller Nichols Library, UMKC | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
La Cygne Historical Society | Linn | KS | WEBSITE |
Lanesfield School Historic Site | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Lansing Historical Museum | Leavenworth | KS | WEBSITE |
Lawrence/Douglas County Community Remembrance Project Coalition | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Lawrence Public Library | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Leavenworth Historical Society and Carroll Mansion Museum | Leavenworth | KS | WEBSITE |
Lecompton Historical Society And Territorial Capitol Museum | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Lee’s Summit Historical Society, Museum, and Historic Cemetery | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Legler Barn Museum and Depot | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Leila’s Hair Museum | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Lenexa Historical Society | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Leonard H. Axe Library at Pittsburg State University | Crawford | KS | WEBSITE |
Lexington Historical Association and Museum | Lafayette | MO | WEBSITE |
Liberty African American Legacy Memorial Project at Garrison School | Clay | MO | WEBSITE |
Liberty Jail Historic Site | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Lied Center | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Linn County Historical Society and Museum | Linn | KS | WEBSITE |
Little House on the Prairie Museum | Montgomery | KS | WEBSITE |
Lone Jack Historical Society | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Louisburg Historical Society | Miami | KS | WEBSITE |
Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes | Bourbon | KS | WEBSITE |
Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Marais de Cygnes Society and Massacre State Historic Site | Linn | KS | WEBSITE |
Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge | Linn | KS | WEBSITE |
Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art | Riley | KS | WEBSITE |
Marla Quilts, and African Quilts Museum, Inc. | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
McClure Archives and University Museum UCM | Johnson | MO | WEBSITE |
Mem-Erie Historical Museum | Neosho | KS | WEBSITE |
Merriam Historic Plaza | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Miami County Historical Museum | Miami | KS | WEBSITE |
Midland Railway Depot | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site | Linn | KS | WEBSITE |
Miners Hall Museum | Crawford | KS | WEBSITE |
Missouri River Outfitters Chapter of Sante Fe Trails Association | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Missouri Town | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Missouri Valley Room KCMO Library | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Monticello Community Historical Society | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Mound City Historical Society and Park | Linn | KS | WEBSITE |
Mount Mitchell Heritage Prairie Park | Wabaunsee | KS | WEBSITE |
Mount Mora Cemetery | Buchanan | MO | WEBSITE |
Mt. Vernon Cemetery Association | Atchison | KS | WEBSITE |
Museum at Prairiefire | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Museum of Deaf History, Arts & Culture, Inc (MDHAC) | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Museum of the Kansas National Guard | Shawnee | KS | WEBSITE |
National Archives at Kansas City | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
National Frontier Trails Museum | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
National World War I Museum and Memorial | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Negro Leagues Baseball Museum | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Newell-Johnson-Searle House | Jefferson | KS | WEBSITE |
Olathe Historical Society | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Olathe Memorial Cemetery | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Olathe Public Library | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Old Castle Museum at Baker University | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Old Depot Museum | Franklin | KS | WEBSITE |
Old Jefferson Town | Jefferson | KS | WEBSITE |
Old Prairie Town at Warde-Meade Historic Site | Shawnee | KS | WEBSITE |
Old Quindaro Museum | Wyandotte | KS | WEBSITE |
Old Stone House Along the Oregon Trail Conservancy | Shawnee | KS | |
Opothleyahola Memorial Building | Coffey | KS | WEBSITE |
Oregon-California Trails Association | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Osage Mission-Neosho County Historical Society Museum and Graves Library | Neosho | KS | WEBSITE |
Osage Village State Historic Site | Vernon | MO | WEBSITE |
Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Overland Park Historical Society | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Partners of the First Territorial Capitol | Riley | KS | WEBSITE |
Patee House Museum | Buchanan | MO | WEBSITE |
Pharis Farm | Clay | MO | WEBSITE |
Platte County Historical Society and Ben Ferrel Museum | Platte | MO | WEBSITE |
Pony Express National Museum | Buchanan | MO | WEBSITE |
Poplar Heights Living History Farm and Museum | Bates | MO | WEBSITE |
Prairie State Park | Barton | MO | WEBSITE |
Quindaro Overlook and Ruins | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Quindaro Underground Railroad Museum (Historic Vernon School) | Wyandotte | KS | WEBSITE |
Rapp School | Osage | KS | WEBSITE |
Ray County Historical Society Museum and Genealogical Library | Ray | MO | WEBSITE |
Raytown Historical Society And Museum | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Remington Nature Center | Buchanan | MO | WEBSITE |
Rice-Tremonti Home | Ray | MO | WEBSITE |
Richard Allen Cultural Center and Museum | Leavenworth | KS | WEBSITE |
Riley County Genealogical Society | Riley | KS | WEBSITE |
Riley County Historical Society and Museum | Riley | KS | WEBSITE |
Ritchie Cemetery | Shawnee | KS | |
Robidoux Row Museum | Buchanan | MO | WEBSITE |
Sauk River Camp | St. Clair | MO | |
SEK Museum Alliance | several | KS | WEBSITE |
Shawnee County Historical Society | Shawnee | KS | WEBSITE |
Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Site | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Shawnee Mission DAR Chapter | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Shawnee Town 1929 Museum | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Shoal Creek Living History Museum | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Smithville MO Historical Society | Clay | MO | WEBSITE |
Southeast KS Nature Center at Schermerhorn Park and Cave | Cherokee | KS | WEBSITE |
Spencer Museum of Art | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
St. Clair County Historical Society and Museum | St. Clair | MO | |
St. Joseph Museums | Buchanan | MO | WEBSITE |
St. Philippine Duchesne Shrine and Potawatomie Trail of Death Memorial Park | Linn | KS | WEBSITE |
Sumner Elementary School (Brown v Board Sumner Legacy Trust) | Shawnee | KS | WEBSITE |
Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic Site | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Tonganoxie Community Historical Society | Leavenworth | KS | WEBSITE |
Topeka Genealogical Society | Shawnee | KS | WEBSITE |
Trading Post Museum | Linn | KS | WEBSITE |
Union Cemetery Historical Society and Cemetery | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Union Station | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Vaile Victorian Mansion | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Vernon County Historical Society and Bushwacker Museum | Vernon | MO | WEBSITE |
Virginia School | Johnson | KS | WEBSITE |
Wabaunsee Cemetery | Wabaunsee | KS | WEBSITE |
Wabaunsee County Historical Society and Museum | Wabaunsee | KS | WEBSITE |
Wakarusa River Valley Heritage Museum | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Wakefield Museum | Clay | KS | WEBSITE |
Watkins Museum of History and Douglas County Historical Society | Douglas | KS | WEBSITE |
Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site | Clay | MO | WEBSITE |
Weaving the River | Wyandotte | KS | WEBSITE |
Wells P. Bailey House & Historic Preservation Partnership of Lyndon, Inc. | Osage | KS | WEBSITE |
Wentworth Military Academy Museum | Lafayette | MO | WEBSITE |
Weston Historical Museum | Platte | MO | WEBSITE |
William Clarke Quantrill Society | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Wilson County Historical Society and Museum | Wilson | KS | WEBSITE |
Wonder Workshop Children’s Museum | Riley | KS | WEBSITE |
Woodson County Historical Society and Museum | Woodson | KS | WEBSITE |
Wornall Majors House Museums | Jackson | MO | WEBSITE |
Wyandot Nation of Kansas | Wyandotte | KS | WEBSITE |
Wyandotte County Historical Museum | Wyandotte | KS | WEBSITE |
Wyandotte High School Alumni Center | Wyandotte | KS | WEBSITE |
Wyeth-Tootle Mansion | Buchanan | MO | WEBSITE |
County | State |
---|---|
Allen | Kansas |
Anderson | Kansas |
Atchison | Kansas |
Barton | Missouri |
Bates | Missouri |
Bourbon | Kansas |
Buchanan | Missouri |
Cass | Missouri |
Chautauqua | Kansas |
Cherokee | Kansas |
Clay | Kansas |
Clay | Missouri |
Coffey | Kansas |
Crawford | Kansas |
Douglas | Kansas |
Franklin | Kansas |
Geary | Kansas |
Jackson | Kansas |
Jackson | Missouri |
Jefferson | Kansas |
Johnson | Kansas |
Johnson | Missouri |
Labette | Kansas |
Lafayette | Missouri |
Leavenworth | Kansas |
Linn | Kansas |
Miami | Kansas |
Montgomery | Kansas |
Neosho | Kansas |
Osage | Kansas |
Platte | Missouri |
Pottawatomie | Kansas |
Ray | Missouri |
Riley | Kansas |
Shawnee | Kansas |
St. Clair | Missouri |
Vernon | Missouri |
Wabaunsee | Kansas |
Wilson | Kansas |
Woodson | Kansas |
Wyandotte | Kansas |
FFNHA County Map
Please note: location operating hours vary. Please confirm location hours before visiting.
- Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site (Topeka, KS)
- Bushwhacker Museum (Nevada, MO)
- Flint Hills Discovery Center (Manhattan, KS)
- Fort Scott National Historical Site (Fort Scott, KS)
- Franklin County Historical Society at the Old Depot location (Ottawa, KS)
- Historic Lecompton (Lecompton, KS)
- Lee’s Summit Historical Society (Lee’s Summit, MO)
- Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm Historic Site (Olathe, KS)
- Quindaro Underground Railroad Museum (Kansas City, KS) *
- Riley County Historical Museum (Manhattan, KS)
- St. Joseph MO Visitors Bureau Visitor’s Center (St. Joseph, MO)
- Wabaunsee County Historical Museum (Alma, KS)
- The Watkins Museum of History (Lawrence, KS)
* By appointment only.
Other Resources
Extraordinary events in the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA) forever changed America. In the nineteenth century, the nation turned its eyes to the Missouri/Kansas border, where peoples with diverse definitions of freedom collided, inciting and fueling the Civil War. The impact of these events is forever woven into the nation’s fabric.
Shaping the Frontier: For the half million pioneers who traveled on the Santa Fe, California, Mormon, and Oregon Trials, the Missouri/Kansas border was the jumping off point. In this place where river travel ended, traders, miners, and emigrants purchased provisions and prepared for long overland treks. As they traveled west, many began to see the “permanent” Indian frontier beyond Missouri’s western border as an obstacle to Manifest Destiny.
Missouri/Kansas Border War: When Kansas was opened for settlement in 1854, a border war ensured, capturing the nation’s attention. The Kansas-Nebraska Act nullified the uneasy balance established by the Missouri Compromise and left the territory’s future slave status in the hands of settlers. The stakes were high for both sides. The violence of the Missouri/Kansas Border War ushered in the Civil War, consumed the region in bloody conflict through war’s end, and devastated communities on both sides of the border.
Enduring Struggles for Freedom: The nation’s struggle for freedom did not end with the Civil War. Though the war eliminated clashes over geography, efforts to break down society’s barriers continue. Since the Civil War, this place has inspired national policies and ongoing efforts to secure equal freedoms for all Americans.
Freedom’s Frontier provides new opportunities for visitors and residents to explore the evolving ideal and fundamental American value of FREEDOM.
Vision: Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area is an internationally recognized region in western Missouri and eastern Kansas. The heritage area shares its authentic and honestly interpreted stories with residents and visitors who add to the economic vitality of the region. Freedom’s Frontier respects multiple views of freedom and promotes the region’s contributions to the American story.
Mission: We tell the stories of the struggles for freedom in our region and their lasting impact on our nation.
Guiding Principles:
1. We will be tolerant and respectful diverse stories from multiple perspectives.
2. We will respect property rights.
3. We will focus on authentic and engaging experiences.
4. We honor the region’s peoples, past and present.
5. We appreciate unique cultural and historic assets within the nationally important landscape.
6. We will invest in community engagement, education, and empowerment.
7. We will sustain and grow a sense of place.
8. We value and protect the natural environment.
9. We will consider future generations in all actions.
Prior to its designation as a National Heritage Area, FFNHA completed a feasibility study. It was submitted to Congress in 2006.
FFNHA was designated by Congress as a National Heritage Area on October 12, 2006.
National Heritage Area legislation typically requires the development of a management plan within three years of designation. National Heritage Area management plans include long-range policies, goals, strategies, and actions; an implementation plan with short, mid, and long-range actions and performance goals; a business plan for the heritage area coordinating entity; and an interpretive plan.
For readability and user convenience, the FFNHA Management Plan is separated into sections below. A complete PDF can be found here.
I. Front Cover & Table of Contents
III. Part 1: The Power of Place
IV. Part 2: The Power of Story
V. Part 3: The Power of Action
VI. Part 4: The Power of Partnership
The maps below appear in the FFNHA Management Plan.
Counties of Freedom’s Frontier
A map of Freedom’s Frontier NHA’s boundaries
Cultural Watersheds
A map of the four principal river valleys within FFNHA’s boundaries
Native Peoples
A map of native ancestral lands within FFNHA
Population and Origins 1860
A map of FFNHA measuring population density of European-American settlers circa 1860
Shifting Political Boundaries
A series of maps demonstrating shifts in the political geography of counties within FFNHA since 1804
Growth and Development
A map measuring contemporary population density within FFNHA’s boundaries
Recreation Resources
A map indicating the locations of state parks, state forests, trails, and state scenic byways within FFNHA
Critical Habitat
A map measuring the density of endangered species recognized by state and federal agencies, along with the locations of national wildlife refuges, within FFNHA
Over the past 30 years, Congress has established 62 National Heritage Areas (NHAs) to commemorate, conserve, and promote important areas that include natural, scenic, historic, cultural, and recreational resources. NHAs are partnerships between the National Park Service (NPS), states, and local communities, where the NPS supports state and local conservation through federal recognition, seed money, and technical assistance. NHAs are not part of the National Park System, where lands are federally owned and managed. Rather, lands within heritage areas typically remain in state, local, or private ownership. In addition, other heritage areas have been designated by states and local governments and announcements. This issue brief, prepared by the Congressional Research Service, focuses on heritage areas designated by Congress, and related issues and legislation.