Press Releases

Webb, Warner file legislation creating Ft. Monroe Nat'l Park

~ Authorizes National Park Service role at historic Virginia site ~

Jun 29 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wed., June 29, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Senators Jim Webb and Mark R. Warner today introduced legislation that would establish a unit of the National Park Service (NPS) at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia. The Fort Monroe National Historical Park Establishment Act of 2011 would authorize the Park Service to establish a national park presence at the Fort to preserve historic and natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations.

The bill’s introduction coincides with U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s visit to Fort Monroe today in response to a letter to the President sent by Senators Warner and Webb last month. That letter, sent with the support of the Fort Monroe Authority, asked the President to use his authority under the Antiquities Act to designate a portion of Fort Monroe as a unit of the NPS after the Army departs from the base this September.

Fort Monroe was built between 1819 and 1834 as a key part of a new coastal defense system, protecting the entrance to Hampton Roads. During the Civil War, Major General Benjamin Butler issued his famous "contraband decision” at Fort Monroe, ordering that escaping slaves reaching Union lines could not be returned to bondage.  Following the Civil War, former Confederate President Jefferson Davis was a prisoner at Fort Monroe for two years.

“Fort Monroe played a significant and historic role during the Civil War and in the end to slavery in America,” Senator Warner said. “The Fort’s preservation by the Park Service will allow visitors to study, experience and celebrate that history firsthand. while also providing additional tourism and economic development opportunities for the Peninsula and Hampton Roads regions.” 

“As we observe the Civil War sesquicentennial, Fort Monroe’s closure offers a unique opportunity to conserve an area of national historical and cultural significance,” said Webb. “I am pleased to work with Senator Warner to preserve Ft. Monroe for future generations and open its tremendous natural and recreational resources to visitors of the Commonwealth, giving a welcome boost to Virginia’s tourism sector.”

A copy of the bill is available here

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