State Historical Markers: Ever wished you could read the sign?

Living in the Commonwealth of Virginia in "Historyland", I see a lot of those historical markers dotting the countryside.  Sometimes it just isn't safe to stop to read the sign, or advisable (like the one for John Wilkes Booth near AP Hill - they do patrol that area!).  And sometimes you only get to read half of the sign, wishing you could have read the rest before zipping by at the speed of light.

On a lark, I searched Amazon for a book that listed the historical markers of Virginia and -- voila -- such a book exists.

I actually own this book and keep it in my car for reference.  When we are traveling somewhere in the state, we can easily look up the signs that we see on the side of the road.  It's organized into broad areas, versus county by county, so it took a bit of work at first to get a feel for how the book was organized.  It is a game now to actually find the markers so that we can check them off as having been found.  The book does give an approximate location for each sign and the text for each sign is included, so if you missed the sign or only caught part of it, you can easily look it up.

There was at least one sign that we noticed wasn't included, but that was OK.  I don't expect perfection, but it did make us feel like we'd found a hidden gem.

If you're planning a staycation this year in your home state, check to see if your state has a historical marker book available.

This post does contain an affiliate link to Amazon.  Pinching Abe has personally purchased this book and recommends it to her fellow Virginians.  This blog post was not solicited by Amazon, nor the author.  It is, therefore, unpaid.