Many historic sites have been kept alive over the years, like the Tower of London and George Washington’s Mount Vernon. However, some of the historical sites that have been kept alive for visitors to see are often surprises. When it comes to tourist spots, places that are linked to shocking crimes or strange events can be big draws. These places are some of the strangest ancient sites that should be kept alive.
The Weirdest US Places That Have Been Preserved
Lizzie Borden House
In the wake of the notoriously brutal double murder, Lizzie Borden’s old house has been turned into a bed and breakfast. This may seem like an odd place for something as relaxing and friendly as a bed and breakfast. Borden, a Sunday School teacher who was 32 years old and came from a wealthy and well-known family, was living in this house in Fall River, Massachusetts, with her father Andrew, stepmother Abby, and older sister Emma, who was on vacation at the time. In 1892, Mr. and Mrs. Borden were both killed with a hatchet. Even though she was found not guilty, many people have thought for years that Lizzie Borden was responsible for this unexplained murder.
Death Valley
Death Valley National Park, which is on the border between California and Nevada and is very hot and dry, is known for its harsh climate. It has places like Furnace Creek and Devil’s Hole. Aside from the fact that it could be used for mining, it’s easy to see why many people thought this area was a huge wasteland. But in 1994, the California Desert Protection Act was made law, which turned 3.3 million acres of land into a national park.
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Alcatraz
It might seem strange to keep an empty prison open as a museum, but Alcatraz, which is on a small island off the coast of San Francisco, has a very interesting past. Before it became the famous federal jail, which was open from 1934 to 1963, Alcatraz Island had other uses. It was home to the first lighthouse on the Pacific coast, as well as a fort built in the early 1850s and later used as a military prison. Native Americans lived there from 1969 to 1971, too, before it became part of the National Park Service and became open to the public in 1973.
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, South Dakota
People who visit the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site can see what life was like in a place that was very important during the Cold War. In those years, when more than 1,000 Minuteman missiles were buried across the U.S., teams would listen to secret channels while sitting in launch command centers like these, ready to attack the enemy at any moment. Fearsome things are happening at the launch center, which is very different from how crowded and normal it looks. Since it stopped being used in the mid-1990s, this place has been kept in very good shape.
Bodie, California
Bodie, California, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, used to be a busy gold mine town. These days it’s called a “ghost town,” but when tourists come, it comes back to life. Bodie had a gold rush in 1875 but was mostly forgotten by the 1940s. In 1962, it was named a State Historic Park and a National Historic Landmark. Because of this, Bodie is kept in a state of “arrested decay.”
One of the most interesting things about this ghost town is how many personal items people left behind. This is mostly because it was too expensive for people to have their things taken away when they moved because the place was so hard to get to.
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