Preservation

The lab where the scientist made his groundbreaking discoveries is preserved on the basement floor of the Faraday Museum.

A tiny red pebble marks what may be the quietest outdoor spot in the United States.

A small Canadian town founded as a refuge for Loyalists following American Independence.

A slightly surreal menagerie of structures that were lovingly spared from demolition and reconstructed in a field.

This restored colonial house was once home to the botanist responsible for bringing avocados to the U.S.

The current Eureka County Courthouse replaced an all-wooden structure that had previously been an ice-skating rink.

A mapping error in the 19th century made loggers think this section of the forest was underwater.

The California capital city once stood 10 feet lower than it does today.

An Industrial Revolution-era public work that purified water using nothing but sand.

This block in downtown Brooklyn was a hotbed of antislavery activism along the Underground Railroad.

Under a glass sidewalk lie the remains of some of Manhattan's oldest buildings.

The 18th-century home was disassembled into 253 cases and brought all the way from the other side of the world.

One of America's first spies started out as a teacher in this little red one-room schoolhouse.

This retired stagecoach tavern is the oldest building in Cleveland.

The remains of a historic plantation nestled in between a parking lot and the rental car return at Reagan National Airport.

An iconic steel and chrome diner from the 1940s left empty for nearly 20 years is in danger of being demolished.

This old steel industry company town has a tradition of parking cars on the sidewalk so people can walk in the narrow streets.