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{{Infobox protected area
#REDIRECT[[First State National Monument]]
| name = First State National Historical Park
| iucn_category =
| photo =
| photo_caption =
| map = USA relief
| map_caption =
| location = [[New Castle County, Delaware|New Castle]] / [[Kent County, Delaware|Kent]] Counties, [[Delaware|Delaware, USA]]
| nearest_city = [[Dover, Delaware|Dover]], [[New Castle, Delaware|New Castle]], and [[Wilmington, Delaware]]
| lat_d = 39 | lat_m = 39 | lat_s = 53 | lat_NS = N
| long_d = 75 | long_m = 33 | long_s = 55 | long_EW = W
| region = US
| coords_ref =
| area =
| created = {{startdate|2013|March|25}}
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| visitation_ref =
| governing_body = [[National Park Service]], [[Dover Green Historic District|Dover Green]], [[New Castle Court House Museum]]<ref>http://www.nps.gov/frst/faqs.htm</ref>
}}
'''First State National Historical Park''' is a [[National Park Service]] unit which lies primarily in the state of [[Delaware]] but which extends partly into [[Pennsylvania]] in [[Chadds Ford Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania|Chadds Ford]]. The park covers the early colonial history of Delaware and the role of Delaware as the first state to ratify the [[U.S. Constitution|Constitution]]. It tells the unique story of the early settlement of the Delaware Valley by the Dutch, Swedes, Finns, and English and their relationship with Native Americans. <ref>Presidential Proclamation, March 25, 2013</ref>

Initially created as First State National Monument by President [[Barack Obama]] under the [[Antiquities Act]] on March 25, 2013, the park was redesignated as First State National Historical Park and is the first National Park Service unit in the state of [[Delaware]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/news/wilberforces-charles-young-buffalo-soliders-to-bec/nWzpC/|title= Wilberforce’s Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers to become national monument|accessdate=21 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130325_Obama_signs_Del__Monument_proclamation.html |title= Obama signs Del. monument proclamation|accessdate=25 March 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Dover Green, Dover, DE.jpg|thumb|Dover Green]]
[[File:New Castle Court House Museum.jpg|thumb|New Castle Court House Museum]]
[[File:New Castle Green.jpg|thumb|New Castle Green]]
[[File:Sheriff's House, New Castle, DE.jpg|thumb|Sheriff's House]]
[[File:Woodlawn Tract, Wilmington, DE.jpg|thumb|Woodlawn Tract along Brandywine Creek]]

The sites contained within the monument are:
*[[Dover Green Historic District|Dover Green]] (Owned by the City of Dover, NPS maintains a conservation easement)
*New Castle Court House Museum (Owned by the State of Delaware, NPS maintains a conservation easement)
*New Castle Green (Owned by the State of Delaware, NPS maintains a conservation easement)
*Sheriff's House, New Castle - future Headquarters and Visitor Center
*Woodlawn Tract, on [[Brandywine Creek (Christina River)|Brandywine Creek]]<ref>http://www.nps.gov/frst/faqs.htm</ref> - land originally purchased in the early 1900s by [[William Poole Bancroft]], adjacent to Brandywine Creek State Park.

==History==
Prior to the creation of the First State National Monument, Delaware did not have a unit of the National Park System within its borders, a fact which was troubling to U.S. Senator [[Tom Carper]]. Beginning in 2002, Carper began holding hearings around the state and soliciting suggestions from residents for sites that would be worthy of inclusion in a new National Park unit. These efforts culminated in 2006, when Congress directed the National Park Service to conduct a special resource study of historic and scenic sites in Delaware's coastal areas. After concluding its study in 2009, the National Park Service recommended the creation of a National Historical Park including the New Castle Court House Museum, the Dover Green, [[Fort Christina]], [[Holy Trinity Church (Old Swedes)|Old Swedes' Church]], the [[John Dickinson House|John Dickinson Plantation]], [[Stonum]] (home of founder [[George Read (U.S. statesman)|George Read]]), [[Lombardy Hall]] (home of founder [[Gunning Bedford, Jr.]]), and the [[Ryves Holt House]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectID=18271|title=Delaware National Coastal Special Resource Study|accessdate=6 November 2014}}</ref> Following the conclusion of the study, Carper and other members of Delaware's congressional delegation proposed the First State National Historical Park Act of 2011, which included the aforementioned sites but did not include the Woodlawn Tract which was eventually included in the National Monument.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=e8478760-6922-4a4f-8490-9bdfec5c3478|title=Delaware Congressional Delegation Introduces the First State National Historical Park Act of 2011|accessdate=6 November 2014}}</ref>

The act garnered high profile support from former Delaware resident [[Ken Burns]], who had recently earned critical acclaim for his documentary [[The National Parks: America's Best Idea]]. Burns stated, "We have been able to, as an expansive country, drink in our entire history, good and bad, and embrace it all. We Americans are bound together not only in geography but in time by these places. It is so, so important that this state, where it all began, has sites that reflect our extraordinarily old, among the oldest, histories of settlement on this continent and that we unite with all the other states in celebrating that."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2011/4/delaware-continues-to-set-sights-on-national-park|title=Milford Beacon: Delaware Continues to Set Sights on National Park|accessdate=6 November 2014}}</ref> Despite this, while the bill was approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, it failed to pass in the full Senate and was not approved in the House committee.

The [[Mt. Cuba Center]] donated over 20 million dollars to [[The Conservation Fund]] enabling it to purchase the Woodlawn Tract with the intention of including it in a future park once the land became available for donation at the end of 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.conservationfund.org/projects/woodlawn-property-a-new-national-park-in-delaware/|title=Delaware's First State National Monument|accessdate=6 November 2014}}</ref> In February 2013, the First State National Historical Park Act was proposed again in the new Congress. The revised legislation included the Woodlawn property but dropped Stonum and Lombardy Hall. The bill was approved in Senate committee on March 14, 2013, but the Conservation Fund could not continue to hold onto the Woodlawn property, increasing the urgency. This led to the presidential proclamation on March 25 creating the National Monument. The Conservation Fund donated the 1,100 acres of Woodlawn land to the National Park Service.

Language redesignated the First State National Monument as the First State National Historical Park was included in the [[National Defense Authorization Act]] for 2015. The bill also added the Dickinson Plantation, Fort Christina, Old Swedes' Church, and the Ryves Holt House to the park. The NDAA was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Obama.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2014/12/08/delaware-national-park-upgrade/20121981/|title=For Delaware, a national park upgrade|accessdate=9 December 2014}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* Official NPS website: [http://www.nps.gov/frst/ First State National Monument]

{{Protected Areas of Delaware}}

[[Category:National Park Service National Monuments]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 2013]]
[[Category:2013 establishments in Delaware]]
[[Category:United States National Park Service areas in Delaware]]
[[Category:National Monuments in Delaware]]
[[Category:Protected areas of New Castle County, Delaware]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Kent County, Delaware]]
[[Category:Dover, Delaware]]
[[Category:New Castle, Delaware]]
[[Category:Wilmington, Delaware]]
[[Category:National Monuments designated by Barack Obama]]

Revision as of 13:42, 20 December 2014

First State National Historical Park
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LocationNew Castle / Kent Counties, Delaware, USA
Nearest cityDover, New Castle, and Wilmington, Delaware
CreatedMarch 25, 2013 (2013-March-25)
Governing bodyNational Park Service, Dover Green, New Castle Court House Museum[1]

First State National Historical Park is a National Park Service unit which lies primarily in the state of Delaware but which extends partly into Pennsylvania in Chadds Ford. The park covers the early colonial history of Delaware and the role of Delaware as the first state to ratify the Constitution. It tells the unique story of the early settlement of the Delaware Valley by the Dutch, Swedes, Finns, and English and their relationship with Native Americans. [2]

Initially created as First State National Monument by President Barack Obama under the Antiquities Act on March 25, 2013, the park was redesignated as First State National Historical Park and is the first National Park Service unit in the state of Delaware.[3][4]

Dover Green
New Castle Court House Museum
New Castle Green
Sheriff's House
Woodlawn Tract along Brandywine Creek

The sites contained within the monument are:

  • Dover Green (Owned by the City of Dover, NPS maintains a conservation easement)
  • New Castle Court House Museum (Owned by the State of Delaware, NPS maintains a conservation easement)
  • New Castle Green (Owned by the State of Delaware, NPS maintains a conservation easement)
  • Sheriff's House, New Castle - future Headquarters and Visitor Center
  • Woodlawn Tract, on Brandywine Creek[5] - land originally purchased in the early 1900s by William Poole Bancroft, adjacent to Brandywine Creek State Park.

History

Prior to the creation of the First State National Monument, Delaware did not have a unit of the National Park System within its borders, a fact which was troubling to U.S. Senator Tom Carper. Beginning in 2002, Carper began holding hearings around the state and soliciting suggestions from residents for sites that would be worthy of inclusion in a new National Park unit. These efforts culminated in 2006, when Congress directed the National Park Service to conduct a special resource study of historic and scenic sites in Delaware's coastal areas. After concluding its study in 2009, the National Park Service recommended the creation of a National Historical Park including the New Castle Court House Museum, the Dover Green, Fort Christina, Old Swedes' Church, the John Dickinson Plantation, Stonum (home of founder George Read), Lombardy Hall (home of founder Gunning Bedford, Jr.), and the Ryves Holt House.[6] Following the conclusion of the study, Carper and other members of Delaware's congressional delegation proposed the First State National Historical Park Act of 2011, which included the aforementioned sites but did not include the Woodlawn Tract which was eventually included in the National Monument.[7]

The act garnered high profile support from former Delaware resident Ken Burns, who had recently earned critical acclaim for his documentary The National Parks: America's Best Idea. Burns stated, "We have been able to, as an expansive country, drink in our entire history, good and bad, and embrace it all. We Americans are bound together not only in geography but in time by these places. It is so, so important that this state, where it all began, has sites that reflect our extraordinarily old, among the oldest, histories of settlement on this continent and that we unite with all the other states in celebrating that."[8] Despite this, while the bill was approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, it failed to pass in the full Senate and was not approved in the House committee.

The Mt. Cuba Center donated over 20 million dollars to The Conservation Fund enabling it to purchase the Woodlawn Tract with the intention of including it in a future park once the land became available for donation at the end of 2012.[9] In February 2013, the First State National Historical Park Act was proposed again in the new Congress. The revised legislation included the Woodlawn property but dropped Stonum and Lombardy Hall. The bill was approved in Senate committee on March 14, 2013, but the Conservation Fund could not continue to hold onto the Woodlawn property, increasing the urgency. This led to the presidential proclamation on March 25 creating the National Monument. The Conservation Fund donated the 1,100 acres of Woodlawn land to the National Park Service.

Language redesignated the First State National Monument as the First State National Historical Park was included in the National Defense Authorization Act for 2015. The bill also added the Dickinson Plantation, Fort Christina, Old Swedes' Church, and the Ryves Holt House to the park. The NDAA was approved by Congress and signed into law by President Obama.[10]

References

  1. ^ http://www.nps.gov/frst/faqs.htm
  2. ^ Presidential Proclamation, March 25, 2013
  3. ^ "Wilberforce's Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers to become national monument". Retrieved 21 March 2013.
  4. ^ "Obama signs Del. monument proclamation". Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  5. ^ http://www.nps.gov/frst/faqs.htm
  6. ^ "Delaware National Coastal Special Resource Study". Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  7. ^ "Delaware Congressional Delegation Introduces the First State National Historical Park Act of 2011". Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  8. ^ "Milford Beacon: Delaware Continues to Set Sights on National Park". Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  9. ^ "Delaware's First State National Monument". Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  10. ^ "For Delaware, a national park upgrade". Retrieved 9 December 2014.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=First_State_National_Historical_Park&oldid=638906884"