WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a speech on the Senate floor the day before the U.S. Army transfers ownership of Virginia’s Fort Monroe to a regional authority, U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA) urged President Obama to use the Antiquities Act to designate Fort Monroe as a national monument, which would make it an official part of the National Park Service (NPS).  Fort Monroe will be deactivated by the Army tomorrow as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process. Establishing a national park presence would allow the Fort to preserve historic and natural resources for the benefit of present and future generations.

“As our nation marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, it is an especially appropriate time for the President to recognize the critical role Fort Monroe has played in our nation's history,” Senator Warner said. “I urge the President to help Virginia preserve Fort Monroe’s incredibly rich history.”

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 who reached Union lines could not be returned to bondage. This courageous decision earned Fort Monroe the nickname “the Freedom Fort,” and thousands of slaves ultimately sought safety and sanctuary at the Union facility. Following the Civil War, former Confederate President Jefferson Davis was a prisoner at Fort Monroe for two years.

In June, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar visited Fort Monroe in response to a letter to the President sent by Senators Warner and Jim Webb (D-VA). That letter, sent with the support of the Fort Monroe Authority, asked the President to designate a portion of Fort Monroe as a unit of the NPS. The Senators also introduced the Fort Monroe National Historical Park Establishment Act, which would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to establish Fort Monroe National Historical Park in the Commonwealth of Virginia. That bill has been referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.