Contribute a Marker

How to Submit

We accept submissions via email. This keeps things simple and allows us to verify each entry with care.

What to Photograph

Required photos:

Front view — The full marker, readable and in focus
Close-up — Any text or inscriptions, close enough to read clearly
Context — A wider shot showing where the marker is located

Optional but helpful:

Any damage, wear, or notable features
Multiple angles if the marker has text on multiple sides
The surrounding area or landmark

What Information to Include

Location:

City, State/Province, Country
Specific place name (park, building, intersection, etc.)
GPS coordinates if you have them (most phone cameras embed these in photos)

Marker details:

Type: plaque, monument, roadside sign, boulder, interpretive panel, etc.
Material: bronze, stone, wood, metal, etc.
Who installed it (if known)
Year installed (if known or visible)

Condition assessment:

Excellent — Like new, fully legible, no visible damage
Good — Minor wear, fully legible
Fair — Moderate wear, mostly legible
Poor — Significant damage, partially legible
Missing — No longer present at the location

Transcription:

Type out all visible text exactly as it appears
Note any illegible sections with [illegible]
Preserve line breaks and formatting where practical

Your notes:

When you visited
Anything interesting about the marker or location
How you’d like to be credited (or “anonymous”)

Submit via Email

Send your submission to:

[email protected]

Subject line: New Marker: [Place Name], [City]

Example: New Marker: Pioneer Square, Seattle

We’ll review submissions within a week and follow up if we need more information.

Updating an Existing Marker

Found a marker that’s already in our archive but has changed? We want to know.

Send an email with:

Link to the existing marker page
New photos showing the current state
What changed (condition, text, location, or missing entirely)

Subject line: Update: [Marker Name]

Photography Tips

For readability:

Photograph in good light (overcast days often work best)
Avoid harsh shadows across the text
Get close enough that text fills the frame
Take multiple shots at different angles

For preservation:

Capture the marker as it actually looks, including any damage
Don’t clean or alter the marker before photographing
Include context shots that show the surroundings

Privacy:

Avoid capturing faces, license plates, or identifiable people
Be mindful of private property markers

Licensing

By submitting to Historic Marker, you agree that your photos and text will be published under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. You retain copyright but grant us and others the right to share and adapt your contribution with attribution.

If you need different licensing terms for your contribution, let us know in your submission.

Privacy

We don’t publish contributor names by default. In your submission, let us know:

If you’d like to be credited (and how)
If you prefer to remain anonymous
If you have a website or profile you’d like linked