The Montana State Historic Preservation Office nominates eligible properties to the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register of Historic Places is the nation's official list of those cultural resources deemed worthy of preservation. Authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Register includes districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture. Although the National Register is a program of the National Park Service, it is administered at the state level by each respective state. In addition to the recognition that listing provides, registered properties are afforded a measure of protection from projects that are funded, licensed, or executed by the federal government. National Register properties may also be eligible for historic preservation tax incentives.
Using criteria established by the National Park Service, the State Historic Preservation Office and the State Historic Preservation Review Board evaluate data gathered from surveys, public inquiries, and other sources to determine the eligibility of specific Montana sites for nomination to the Register.
If the following answers to frequently asked questions leave you still wondering, we encourage you to call, email, or visit our office. Or, visit https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/faqs.htm
The National Register is the official list of the Nation’s historic buildings and archaeological sites considered worthy of preservation. The Register was established in 1966 to help property owners, communities, and neighborhoods recognize their important historic properties, to offer realistic incentives for preservation, and to ensure that Federal actions do not harm these properties without alternatives being considered. The National Register was not designed as a major regulatory program nor as just an honor roll. The Register was intended to be broad rather than exclusive and includes many different kinds of properties important to the Nation, the State, a region or a local community.
Learn more: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/what-is-the-national-register.htm
National Register property owners may apply for Federal grants for buildings rehabilitation when Congress appropriates such funds. However, these funds are extremely limited and most property owners will not receive such funding. If you are a Community Cultural Organization, we encourage you to check with the Montana Arts Council (444-6430) to determine whether the project you are considering would qualify for Cultural and Aesthetic Grant monies appropriated biennially by the Montana Legislature.
Most of all, Register listing provided your property recognition for its historic value and rewards you for your efforts in preserving it. Listing of a building, site or district also affords it prestige that can enhance its value and raise community awareness and pride. While National Register properties do not have to be preserved, listing does ensure that preservation is taken to be an important consideration whenever a building’s or site's future is in question.
Owners of Register properties are also able to seek advice from the Montana Historic Preservation Office on appropriate methods to maintain and rehabilitate older buildings or sites.
Owners of listed properties may apply for funds to obtain Montana’s official National Register interpretive plaque to mount on a stand or hang on an outside wall of their building. The applicant pays only a $35.00 shipping and handling fee or $55.00, depending upon the type of sign, the balance coming from the Montana Historical Society.
The National Historic Preservation Act and the Montana State Antiquities Act require federal and state agencies to consider the impacts of all projects occurring on public lands, or with federal funding, that affect historic properties eligible for or listed in the National Register. In addition, the Surface Mining and Control Act of 1977 requires consideration of historic values in the decision to issue surface coal mining permits.
The National Register carefully evaluates the quality of significance of each property being considered for listing. To be eligible for the Register designation, a property must meet one of more of the following criteria:
Generally speaking, a property must be at least 50 years old to be considered for the Register, unless it is of exceptional significance, or if it is an integral part of a historic district. Non-historic properties that are located within the boundaries of historic districts are also listed in the Register as “non-contributing” components of those historicdistricts.
If you still have questions, we encourage you to call, email, or visit our office.
Or, visit https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/faqs.htm to find answers to questions like...
Properties are continuously added to the National Register. Explore the resources below to find and learn more about current listings.
Explore this interactive map to find information about specific properties, view property attributes, and select layers and filters to refine your search by county, city, property type, and more.
Beavertown Historic District, Jefferson County (6/30/2022)
Black Montana's Heritage Places MPD
Butte-Anaconda Historic District (Updated), Butte-Silverbow County (11/22/2022)
Como School, Ravalli County (11/22/2022)
Driver's Saloon, Deer Lodge County (2/7/2023)
Edwards & McLellan Block, Malta (3/14/2022)
Everson Creek Archaeological District, Beaverhead County (4/25/2022)
Ford Schoolhouse, Flathead County (8/23/2022)
Hillcrest Cemetery, Powell County (4/2023)
James F. Battin Federal Building, Yellowstone County, Billings (1/2023)
Montana National Bank, Billings (3/14/2022)
Monture Guard Station, Powell County (1/2023)
Morelli Bridge, Lewis and Clark County (12/15/2022)
Poker Jim Butte Fire Lookout, Rosebud County (9/1/2022)
River View Dairy Barn, Glacier County (7/7/2022)
Shenango Work Center, Gallatin County (9/1/2022)
Swanson Homestead, Mineral County (11/22/2022)
Thompson Falls Historic District (Updated), Sanders County (7/6/2022)
Yellowstone Bighorn Research Association Camp, Carbon County (12/15/2022)
The Historic Montana website and companion app offers the historical text for Montana’s National Register of Historic Places interpretive signs and includes hundreds of "then and now" photographs and links to further reading.
Visit the National Park Service's National Archives page for tips and resources on researching properties on the National Register.