I
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4747
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to study certain sites in the historic
district of Beaufort, South Carolina, relating to the Reconstruction Era
to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating the study area
as a unit of the National Park System.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 15, 2002
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. CLYBURN, and Mr. SPRATT)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Re-
sources
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to study certain
sites in the historic district of Beaufort, South Carolina,
relating to the Reconstruction Era to assess the suit-
ability and feasibility of designating the study area as
a unit of the National Park System.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Reconstruc-
tion Study Area Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Reconstruction Era, during which Con-
gress adopted the 13th amendment ending slavery,
the 14th amendment guaranteeing civil rights, and
the 15th amendment guaranteeing voting rights to
all citizens of the United States, saw the occurrence
of a transforming series of events in the history of
the United States.
(2) Beaufort, South Carolina, and the sur-
rounding sea islands—
(A) contain significant historical and ar-
chaeological sites associated with the Recon-
struction Era; and
(B) offer a unique opportunity for pre-
serving and interpreting the Reconstruction
Era.
(3) The first African-Americans to hear the
reading of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Procla-
mation assembled on January 1, 1863, at the Old
Fort Plantation on the Beaufort River in the State
of South Carolina.
(4) The Penn School, a national historic land-
mark 
located 
on 
St. 
Helena 
Island, 
South
Carolina—
(B) the first Freedmen’s Village of
Mitchellville on Hilton Head Island, South
Carolina;
(C) Camp Sexton, the site of the first Afri-
can-American regiment mustered in the United
States Army; and
(D) Penn School and Beaufort College.
(7) The National Park System does not have a
park or historic site that focuses primarily on the
preservation and interpretation of the Reconstruc-
tion Era.
(8) The Reconstruction Era was a period of
deep cultural, political, and economic division in the
United States, and it is necessary to better under-
stand this complex period of history and the con-
tinuing impact of this period on the United States.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di-
rector of the National Park Service.
(2) STUDY AREA.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘study area’’
means the area comprised of historical sites in
the historic district of Beaufort, South Caro-
lina, relating to the Reconstruction Era.
(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘study area’’
includes the following:
(i) The Penn School.
(ii) The Old Fort Plantation on the
Beaufort River.
(iii) The Freedmen’s Bureau in Beau-
fort College.
(iv) The First Freedmen’s Village of
Mitchellville on Hilton Head Island.
(v) Various historic buildings and ar-
chaeological sites associated with Robert
Smalls.
(vi) The Beaufort Arsenal.
(vii) other significant sites relating to
the Reconstruction Era.
SEC. 4. STUDY.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall complete a
study of the study area to assess the suitability and feasi-
bility of designating the study area as a unit of the Na-
tional Park System.
(b) APPLICABLE LAW.—The study required under
subsection (a) shall be conducted in accordance with Pub-
lic Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 1a–1 et seq.).
SEC. 5. REPORT.
As soon as practicable after the study under section
4 is completed, the Secretary shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Resources of the House of Representatives and
the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the
Senate a report that describes the findings of the study
and any conclusions and recommendations of the Sec-
retary.
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