| Summary: | Historical markers began to appear in the U.S. in the 1930s and contribute, in their own way, to the symbolic mechanisms of territorial appropriation, in the same way as onomastics, toponymy, and anthroponymy. The nomination and the spatial inscription of a location provide it with an identity and symbolic importance that go beyond its mere historical uniqueness. The symbolic, spatial, and linguistic marking of an area requires a naming framework and the setting up of boundaries which anchor and define it within its surroundings. However, this article will show that the erection of these markers on the American soil often generates factual distortion or amplification so as to create the illusion of a territory that is both anchored and defined historically speaking.
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