Evening star., 1933-08-06
CAPITAL IS HUB.
|OF VACATION LAND'|
National Park Area to Take
. In BattIefieIdS and His
toriC Spots.
(Cortinued From First Page. }

as its hotel center and the starting
point of various tours, according to
Horace NJ. Albright, retiring director of
the National Parks Service.
The Shenandoah area is expected to
pass into the hands of the Federal Gov
ernment some time this month. The
State of Virginia has nearly finished &C
quiring the 10000 acres authorized.
When this is done it will be passed over
to the Federal Government as e unit.
1t is hoped to acquire as rapidly as pos
sible the proposed Potomac Gorge Great
Falls park site, including many miles of
the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. and to
complete the Potomac Rock Greek
Parkway Other sites in Maryland and
Virginia probably will be added to the
system as they can be purchased, or are
presented to the Government by the
private interests now controlling them.
Maps to Emphasize Nature.
The unitary nature of the system, Mr.
Albright said, will be emphasized in
the maps and guide books prepared by
the National Park Service It is eX-
pected that the Shenandoah Park will
become the great Summer playground
of Washington, Baltimore and Philadel-
phla. with the attraction greatly in
creased by the historical sites within
the same unified area and easily acces-
Bible from the National Capital.
With the taking over Of the local
public buildings and parks from the
War Department, the National Park
Service will become one of the most i'm
portant governmental units of the Dis
trict of Columbia. The chief change,
tor the present, will be the substitution
of National Parks Service personnel.
The park police will become National
Parks rangers, but they will continue
as unit. under the command of Capt.
P. j. Carroll. but without War Depart
ment supervision. There will be no
change in the uniforms and the person.
nel will not be subject-as some have
feared-to transfer to other national
parks. Frank T, Gartside, who has
been chief of the parks division of the
Office of Public Buildings and Public
Parks. will remain as acting superin-
tendent.
Under the new arrangement, Mr. Al
bright said, the status of Rock Creek
hnd Potomac Parks will be almost ex-
bctly the same as that of any of the
great national parks of the West. They
will benefit by the scientific, historical
hnd architectural services of the Ma
Eional Parks Service. Every effort will
be made to arouse interest in the wild
ife and in the historical associations of
he District. The War Department has
bot been organized to render this serv-
ce. For example, there are 20 land
Bcape architects-each an expert in
some line-whO are available to the
washington headquarters of the Ma
ional Parks Service and whose services
tan be secured for the local parks. The
Office of Public Buildings and Parks
has had only one. 1t Is expected that
here will be park historians and some
body versed in local history and park
haturalists Nature education will be a
prominent feature of the work.
Fer Separate Supervision.
The public buildings supervision will
be separated from that of the parks,
With an assistant director of the Ma
ional Parks Service in charge. The
heW assistant director will have charge
If practically all Federal buildings in
he United States, with the exception OF
post Offices. customs houses and Army
u Navy establishments. No change in
Personnel is contemplated at the battle
ield sites, which already have civilian
uperintendents.
The possibility Of securing some pub
Ec works funds for needed improve
nents and extensions of the District
PARKS is still uncertain. 1t has been
hoped to secure approximately $780,
loo for completion of the Potomac and
rock Creek parkway. Transfer of the
arks, Mr Albright stressed, will bring
hem under the control of permanent
taft whose homes and interests are IN
he District. This is especially the case
With the new director, Arno B. Cam
erer, and his associate, Arthur E.
bemaray, who take Office Thursday.
PRESIDENT Roosevelt. Mr.. Albright says,
las shown great personal interest In the
PARKS, park sites and historical sites
throughout this whole unified area and
an be expected TO support efforts LOT
IS closer coordination and improve
,ent. .no
Tne new arraneement brings tne
National Park Service into the East IN
big way" 1t IS one of the youngest
the Federal bureaus and hitherto ltS
ctivities have been practically un-
nown in the East 1t has had under
8 control east of the Mississippi only
he Arcadia National Park on Mount
besert Island, off the Maine coast, un-
il since 1880. when 1t has taken over
he George Washington birthplace ana
,oIoniel national monuments in Vlr-
inia and the Great Smoky Mountains
Iational Park in North Carolina and
tennessee. Otherwise It's activities
ave been concentrated in the West.
But henceforth 1t will have also the
shenandoah National Park in Virginia
addition to the military parks, pat
lefieId sites. national monuments, etc.'
transferred to it from the War Depart
nert To the administration OF these
rill be brought all the rich experience
aimed bv its personnel in the West.
wherever it has gone it has sought
kot only to provide recreation GROUNDS
or the people. but to preserve natural
Ieauty and historical associations from
ommercialization. 1t has been espe-
Tally effective in psotecting wild life
Historical Technique.
To the Revolutionary and Civil War
ties in the East it will apply the same
historical technique that has been fol-
owed successfully with respect to pre-
historic Indian ruins in the West. so
ar as possible they will be made into
nified systems, easily accessible from
ONE central point. Thus Richmond
vill constitute the hub of an area which
will include not only some of the most
otable battlefields of the Civil war,
nut Yorktown and Jamestown, com,
rised within the Colonial National
Monument.
The units transferred to the Nation
j Park Service under the new set-up
re:
National Military Parks.
Chickamauga and Chattanooga Ma
ional Military Park, Georgia and Ten
leSsee.
Fort Donelson National Military Park,
Tennessee.
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania
County Battlefields Memorial, Virginia.
Gettysburg National Military Park,
Pennsylvania.
Guiiford Court House National Mill
airy Park. North Carolina.
Kings Mountain National Military
Park, South Carolina.
No+inpo1 NTi1ifaru Park