{"id":"nps-home","slug":"homestead-national-historical-park","name":"Homestead National Historical Park","designation":"National Historical Park","category":"historic-site","categoryLabel":"Historic Site and Historical Park","agency":{"code":"NPS","name":"National Park Service","department":"U.S. Department of the Interior","url":"https://www.nps.gov"},"managedBy":[{"code":"NPS","name":"National Park Service","department":"U.S. Department of the Interior","url":"https://www.nps.gov","unitCode":"HOME","designation":"National Historical Park","sourceId":"nps-home"}],"states":["NE"],"stateNames":["Nebraska"],"location":{"lat":40.28802381,"lon":-96.83387781},"bbox":[-96.8415,40.2846,-96.8223,40.2928],"acres":{"value":182,"kind":"gis-estimate","source":"Computed from the simplified boundary","note":"Approximate. The managing agency publishes official acreage."},"firstProtected":null,"established":null,"administrations":[],"designationHistory":[],"summary":"The Homestead Act of 1862 transformed the world. Millions were invited to file claims including families, women, immigrants, and formerly enslaved people. Over 10 percent of the United States was homesteaded! The land, long inhabited by indigenous cultures, changed forever. Homesteaders created settlements and farms, drove industrial advancement, and built our nation chasing the American Dream.","summarySource":"National Park Service","guide":{},"trConnection":null,"trConnections":[],"trTypes":[],"links":{"official":"https://www.nps.gov/home/index.htm","social":{},"recreationGov":null,"alltrails":null,"alltrailsExplore":"https://www.alltrails.com/explore?b_tl_lat=40.2928&b_tl_lng=-96.8415&b_br_lat=40.2846&b_br_lng=-96.8223","recreationGovSearch":"https://www.recreation.gov/search?q=Homestead%20National%20Historical%20Park","directions":"http://www.nps.gov/home/planyourvisit/directions.htm"},"images":[{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/E9AA6622-E74B-C7C1-97C6C3C3676F7519.jpg","title":"The Palmer Epard Cabin and the Heritage Center","alt":"A historic cabin stands next to a concrete path that leads to a plow shaped visitor center","caption":"The Palmer Epard Cabin and Heritage Center at Sunset","credit":"NPS Photo/Hunter Hendricks","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/C13D0BC9-FBA8-3B59-8789B20F08B3AE68.jpg","title":"Freeman One-Room Schoolhouse","alt":"A historic one room schoolhouse","caption":"An original one-room schoolhouse, the Freeman School preserves educational history and allows for visitors of all ages to walk into history.","credit":"Homestead National Monument of America","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/F0BD1E3B-9EFE-D2CC-EF3F29C143C3FF05.jpg","title":"Grounds","alt":"The tallgrass prairie is yellow with goldenrod in full bloom.","caption":"The overlook from the picnic area at the Heritage Center showcases the beauty of the tallgrass prairie in late summer.","credit":"","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/6F655088-E758-150C-03924E546C7D6DB9.jpg","title":"Grounds","alt":"The tallgrass prairie spans to the Heritage Center on the horizon.","caption":"The oldest restored tallgrass prairie in the NPS spans to the Heritage Center.","credit":"Mel Mann","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/C15C3626-9E01-C489-A80BC7F9FB21F3DE.jpg","title":"Palmer-Epard Homestead Cabin","alt":"A homestead cabin at sunset","caption":"The historic homestead cabin that can be found on the America the Beautiful Homestead Quarter, this cabin has been preserved in it's original condition for visitors to enter and see the inside of a historic structure.","credit":"Homestead National Monument of America","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/6FDA06A1-E26A-D4B5-755B3521E345A790.jpg","title":"Heritage Center at Homestead National Historical Park","alt":"Image of the Heritage Center building surrounded by prairie grass.","caption":"Thousands of visitors stop to view the oldest restored tallgrass prairie in the National Park Service from the Heritage Center back patio.","credit":"Mel Mann, artist in residence of Homestead National Monument of America","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/701656E0-E86B-799D-2412AA3C654BB061.jpg","title":"Education Center at Homestead National Historical Park","alt":"Image of a building taken from the parking lot at Homestead National Historical Park.","caption":"The Homestead Education Center holds historic farm implements from the vast archives and collections of the Park.","credit":"NPS","source":"NPS"}],"activities":["Arts and Culture","Compass and GPS","Geocaching","Food","Picnicking","Guided Tours","Self-Guided Tours - Walking","Hiking","Living History","Junior Ranger Program","Wildlife Watching","Birdwatching","Park Film","Museum Exhibits","Shopping"],"topics":["African American Heritage","Arts","Burial, Cemetery and Gravesite","Colonization and Settlement","Farming and Agriculture","Industry","Immigration","Native American Heritage","Presidents","Schools and Education","Science, Technology and Innovation","Social Movements","Civil Rights","Westward Expansion","Homesteading","Animals","Birds","Foothills, Plains and Valleys","Forests and Woodlands","Grasslands","Prairies","Natural Sounds","Trails"],"fees":[],"passes":[],"hours":[{"name":"Trails and Grounds","description":"Trails and park grounds are open from sunrise to sunset. Picnic areas are available at the Education Center and Heritage Center. There are a total of 3.0 miles of trails through the tallgrass prairie and woodland.","standardHours":{"wednesday":"Sunrise to Sunset","monday":"Sunrise to Sunset","thursday":"Sunrise to Sunset","sunday":"Sunrise to Sunset","tuesday":"Sunrise to Sunset","friday":"Sunrise to Sunset","saturday":"Sunrise to Sunset"},"exceptions":[]}],"directions":"The park is 4 miles west of Beatrice on State Highway 4. From the U.S. 77 and U.S. 136 intersection in downtown Beatrice take U.S. 136 approximately 1.2 miles west. Turn right onto Nebraska Highway 4 and follow the signs. After the road has curved west and you have traveled 4 miles, you will enter Homestead National Historical Park and see signs for the different buildings at the park.","weatherInfo":"Homestead NHP's weather can vary quite a bit, even in a single day. In the summer, average daytime highs can exceed 80°F (27°C), only to drop 20 or more degrees when a thunderstorm rolls through. Winter lows fluctuate day to day and year to year, but average lows were measured at about 16°F (-9°C) for January and February over a 20-year period. Wind is common throughout the year.","contacts":{"phone":"4022233514","email":"home_information@nps.gov"},"visitorCenters":[{"name":"Heritage Center","description":"This National Park site houses the National Homesteading Museum. State-of-the-art exhibits present homesteading in an interactive setting. Such topics as the Act's influence on immigration, agriculture, industrialization, native tribes, the tallgrass prairie ecosystem, and Federal land policies are presented in an educational and thought-provoking manner. The hours listed below generally include the Homestead Education Center, Freeman School, and Palmer-Epard Cabin.","url":"http://www.nps.gov/home/heritagecenter.htm","lat":40.28573515168458,"lon":-96.82677324985298},{"name":"Education Center","description":"Homestead National Historical Park uses the Education Center to provide today's visitors the opportunity to meet their quest for further knowledge about homesteading through hands-on arts and crafts or living history demonstrations, real life science experiences, and distance learning. The Education Center also hosts many temporary exhibits and special programs. Talk to the Ranger in the Education Building (or at the Heritage Center) about these opportunities.","url":"https://www.nps.gov/home/planyourvisit/educationcenter.htm","lat":40.29123331,"lon":-96.8356934692}],"campgrounds":[],"thingsToDo":[],"nearby":[{"slug":"rainwater-basin-wetland-management-district","km":124},{"slug":"lewis-and-clark-national-historic-trail","km":133},{"slug":"loess-bluffs-national-wildlife-refuge","km":136},{"slug":"boyer-chute-national-wildlife-refuge","km":148},{"slug":"desoto-national-wildlife-refuge","km":153},{"slug":"brown-v-board-of-education-national-historical-park","km":171}],"hasBoundary":true,"boundarySource":{"name":"NPS Land Resources Division","url":"https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2224545"},"sources":[{"name":"NPS Data API","url":"https://developer.nps.gov/api/v1/parks?parkCode=home"},{"name":"NPS Land Resources Division boundaries","url":"https://services1.arcgis.com/fBc8EJBxQRMcHlei/arcgis/rest/services/NPS_Land_Resources_Division_Boundary_and_Tract_Data_Service/FeatureServer/2"}],"editorialStatus":"draft","synced":"2026-11-09T02:12:45.614Z","alerts":[],"url":"https://directory.labs.trlibrary.com/sites/homestead-national-historical-park/","boundaryUrl":"https://directory.labs.trlibrary.com/boundaries/homestead-national-historical-park.geojson"}