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PRESS RELEASE
Citizen
Land Conservancy Buys Critical Historical Property in
the Nation's Capital
WASHINGTON, DC -
The National Park Trust (NPT)
announced today the purchase of a critical property
located at Fort Stevens, which is part of Rock Creek
Park, a unit of the national park system.
"This
'missing link' will add several pieces of America's
history and needed inner city open space to the National
Park Service (NPS)," said Paul C. Pritchard,
President of NPT.
The
property is located a few feet away from where President
Lincoln witnessed Confederate Troops marching toward the
Capital. This is the only recorded incident of a U.S.
President exposed to enemy fire while in office.
The
acquisition will also help protect the Military Road
School, one of the historic schools for African-American
children during the era of segregated education.
Fort
Stevens is part of the nation's largest urban unit of
the NPS. It
was slated for development into townhouses.
At the last minute NPT was able to purchase the
property from the developer and a local group that owned
the property. NPT
is holding the property until the NPS is able to
purchase it.
"Preserving
the cultural heritage of the Nation's Capital is
important because it reflects the strength, valor,
dignity and courage which have made our nation
great," said Patricia A. Tyson, Secretary, Military
Road School Alumni Association. "In our search to find an organization that understands
and shares our interests, we found the National Park
Trust. NPT
was willing to act to keep this history intact."
"This
property is a part of the NPT Capital Region Campaign
for our nation which now will be added to our
parklands", said Paul C. Pritchard, President of
NPT. "Although
it’s a small piece of land it is essential to the
history and heritage of our area that are intertwined in
Rock Creek Park. Rock
Creek is not only a geological resource but includes
great sculpture work, civil war history,
African-American history and other qualities that were
envisioned as a critical part of this unique national
park."
The
National Park Trust is the only private land conservancy
uniquely dedicated to preserving America's national
system of parks, wildlife refuges, and historic
monuments.
For more information contact:
National Park Trust (NPT)
(202) 548-0500
npt@parktrust.org
http://www.parktrust.org
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