# Civil War Defenses of Washington National Historical Park Act

This bill creates a new national historical park dedicated to preserving and telling the story of the Civil War fortifications that once surrounded Washington, D.C. Right now, these historic Civil War sites are scattered across different park systems and managed separately. The bill brings them together under one unified park system to make it easier for visitors to understand their shared history and significance.

The park will include 19 federal sites that are already owned by the government, including famous forts like Fort Stevens (where President Abraham Lincoln came under fire during battle) and Fort Ward in Alexandria. The bill also allows other Civil War defense sites owned by local governments in Virginia and Maryland to voluntarily join the park through cooperative agreements. Importantly, the bill prohibits the government from using eminent domain to seize private property—any private landowner would have to willingly agree to participate.

The practical effect is that visitors will have a better way to explore and learn about the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign, when Confederate General Jubal Early marched toward Washington but was stopped at Fort Stevens. These sites contain natural areas, hiking trails, and scenic overlooks, so the park will serve both educational and recreational purposes. The bill also requires the Department of Interior to study how to create a Civil War education center that tells the complete story of the war from both Northern and Southern perspectives, with recommendations due within a year.

For most people, this means improved access to Civil War history, better-maintained historic sites, and coordinated visitor services across what are currently fragmented park areas around the Washington region.

Civil War Defenses of Washington National Historical Park Act

Norton, Eleanor Holmes

Civil War Defenses of Washington National Historical Park Act This bill designates as the Civil War Defenses of Washington National Historical Park the defenses constructed at the beginning of the Civil War in 1861 as a ring of fortifications in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and northern Virginia to protect the nation's capital. The park shall include all areas associated with the Civil War defenses of Washington currently owned by the federal government and under the administration of the National Park Service, including Battleground National Cemetery. Certain eligible sites and certain additional sites associated with the Civil War defenses of Washington may become affiliated with the park pursuant to a cooperative agreement under this bill. The Department of the Interior shall study and consider creative and cost-effective ways to facilitate how the storied history of the Civil War for both the North and the South, including the history of the defenses of Washington and the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864, can be assembled, arrayed, and conveyed for the benefit of the public.