Description

Historical Marker Ahead! turns every drive into a living history tour. Using GPS and the Historical Marker Database (HMDB.org), the app automatically detects historical markers near you and alerts you before you pass them — no phone interaction required. DESIGNED FOR SAFE, HANDS-FREE USE This app is built to be used without touching your phone. Set it up before you drive, then put your phone down. Proximity alerts, Auto-Read, and the player bar are all designed to work without you ever looking at the screen. SET YOUR RADIUS, THEN JUST DRIVE Configure your alert radius from 0.1 to 7 miles. When a marker enters your range, you get a notification and the marker appears in your list — automatically. Broaden max radius up to 25 miles in rural area -- adjustable in Settings. HANDS-FREE INSCRIPTION READING Enable Auto-Read and the app fetches the full marker inscription and reads it aloud via text-to-speech — no tapping required. Playing music or a podcast? The app temporarily pauses your audio, reads the inscription, then hands control back. FULL PLAYBACK CONTROLS The built-in player bar lets you Stop, Pause, Resume, or Skip at any time — perfect when a passenger wants to chat or you need a moment. Tap ▶ to read all nearby markers in sequence. QUEUE MODE In areas with multiple markers, enable Queue Mode to hear them all in sequence, nearest first — like a guided history tour that follows your route. With Queue Mode off, the app reads the highest-ranked marker when multiple alerts arrive at once. FILTER BY TOPIC Choose which types of markers you want to hear about. Filter by five topic categories — Military & War, People & Culture, History & Government, Industry & Infrastructure, and Nature & Places — with 70 individual topics to choose from. Your filter settings are saved between sessions and apply to the Marker History page as well. EVERY MARKER, EVERY DETAIL While not driving, tap any marker tile to open the full HMDB.org page with photos, history, topics, and GPS coordinates. Tap the map icon on any marker for Google Maps directions to its exact location. MARKER HISTORY A persistent travel log in the More menu showing every historical marker you have discovered, grouped by date. Collapse whole days or filter markers as needed. WORKS OFFLINE TOO GPS works without internet — markers detected in areas with no signal are saved as pending and can be read or viewed when you're back online. DATA PROVIDED BY HMDB.ORG Marker data is provided by the Historical Marker Database (hmdb.org) under license. HMDB.org is the world's largest database of historical markers, covering all 50 states and dozens of countries. © 2026 Michael L. Andries. All rights reserved.