John Muir Home – Martinez, California
John Muir’s home in California offers a intimate window into the life of one of America’s most influential conservationists. Located northeast of San Francisco, the site is preserved today as John Muir National Historic Site.
Muir lived here from 1889 until his death in 1914. While many picture him wandering through Yosemite or Alaska’s glaciers, this was where he wrote letters, welcomed visitors, raised his daughters and carried on the advocacy that helped shape the modern conservation movement.
Congress established the property as John Muir National Historic Site in 1964, ensuring that this site would be protected for future generations. This home stands as a reminder that the preservation of America’s natural spaces was shaped not only in the remote mountains but also in a family home tucked into a California town.
Read More From Nancy
Jackson Homestead – Newton, Massachusetts
We have visited the Jackson Homestead in Newton many times over the years. Along with its rich local history, the house holds an important place in the story of the Underground Railroad. When I first visited it with my children, I remember seeing the iron shackles that had once been used on enslaved people. Seeing […]
Ghandi Smriti – Delhi, India
More than a decade ago, on my second trip to India, I visited one of the most memorable places I have ever stood: Gandhi Smriti, the site where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated. What made this visit so moving were the footprints. Set into the stone pathway, I walked where Gandhi took his final steps on […]
Lilian Ngoyi – Soweto, South Africa
On our teaching trip to South Africa, we took a tour of Soweto and stopped outside a modest home that holds extraordinary history: the house of Lilian Masediba Matabane Ngoyi. Lilian Ngoyi was one of the most prominent women in the anti-apartheid movement. A trade unionist and political leader, she became the first woman elected to […]
