Markeroni, the Gentle Art of Landmark-snarfing

Home : About Markeroni : What Are Landmarks, Anyway?

Battle of Alamance
Burlington (near), NC

Here's a quick guide by what we mean by "landmark" - a blanket term which covers several different things.

Historical Markers

Many places have "historical marker systems." All the markers in these systems count separately here at Markeroni. Historical markers can be signs on a pole, plaques on a wall, etc. The important thing is that they are part of a series or system of similar markers. When we say "historical marker", we are generally referring to a marker in a system like this.

Designated Landmarks

Many places have "landmarks". These are designated or (British Isles) listed groups of historic properties. Designation is handled at the country, state, province, county or city level and confers a certain protection to the properties. All of these landmarks, as long as they are part of some designated list, count here at Markeroni. Landmarks may or may not have plaques or markers; it depends. If they do, and the marker doesn't belong to a historical marker system, then it's not counted separately from the landmark.

Miscellaneous Plaques/"Wild Cards"

There are many "wild cards", or plaques which don't necessarily belong to a historical marker or a landmark system. These are typically put up by companies, individuals, smaller historical associations, private groups, etc. We count these if:

They don't mark a landmark which is already on a list of designated properties. (If they do, we'll do our best to find out more and add the entire list.)
It tells a story other than just the date of the event
It is not simply "in memoriam" or "in memory of"
It is (usually) not commemorating an anniversary, unless something different other than the anniversary is being described
It is not just listing names of people who helped erect a plaque or a site

Each state, country or province has a resource page in "Resources". Use this to find links to ists of landmarks that you can track down ("snarf").

Other Landmarks

By request of the members, we also include museums, war memorials, and other monuments, statues and memorials to important people, local or otherwise.

To count a museum, however, you need to actually visit it, poke around inside and learn something new!

So, what are you waiting for?

As you can see, there's plenty of potential for day trips, vacation activities--even school or club field trips! If this sounds like a lot of fun...sign up now!