WASHINGTON, D.C.— In 1789, North Carolina became the 12th of the original 13 American colonies admitted to statehood. Three years later, the state legislature authorized the purchase of 1,000 acres to establish the city of “Raleigh” in Wake County as the new center of state government. The land was to be purchased from Joel Lane a prominent politician who served many years in the colonial General Assembly and State Senate and who in 1770 had successfully lobbied to establish the county, a sparsely settled wilderness at the time.

Lane’s home, the state capitol that was built (and rebuilt in1833 after a fire), and 46 other places significant in the development of Raleigh from a wilderness outpost into today’s thriving modern, metropolitan center of government, education, and the arts are featured on the latest online travel itinerary from the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places. Raleigh: A Capital City is online at http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/raleigh.

“We are delighted to have worked with our partners in North Carolina to introduce their capital city to a wide – World Wide Web – audience,” said National Park Service Director Fran Mainella. “Tangible history – being able to visit and experience the actual places where real events occurred – offers great opportunities for learning and understanding our past. The places highlighted in the itinerary, all listed on the National Register of Historic Places, tell the story of Raleigh and how its people lived, learned, conducted business, and worshiped for more than 200 years.”

The itinerary highlights the rich diversity of the city, including the houses of early settlers, Modernist residences of architecture educators, picturesque Victorian downtown neighborhoods, booming suburbs, small-scale commercial and utility buildings, and early skyscrapers. For each historic place, there is a description of its historic significance, photographs, and public accessibility information. In addition five essays – Early History, African American History, Suburbanization, Modernism, and Preservation – provide context. The “Learn More” section links to regional and local websites offering information on cultural events, special activities, and lodging and dining possibilities.

The travel itinerary – the 39th in the series – was created by the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places in partnership with the City of Raleigh, the Raleigh Historic Districts Commission, the North Carolina Division of Archives and History, the North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers. The itineraries feature the amazing diversity of places listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the nation's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering and culture. A listing in the National Register provides recognition that a property is significant to the heritage of the nation, the state, or the community.