Boston National Historic Sites Act
PL 93-431 (S.210), enacted 10/01/1974

1184 
PUBLIC LAW 93-431-OCT. 1, 1974 
[88 STAT. 
Public Law 93-431 
October 1, 1974 
A N 
A C T 
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To authorize the estahlishment of the Boston National Historical Park in the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 
Boston National 
Historical Park 
note. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress asse?nbled, That this Act may 
Act o
f 1974. 
be cited as the "Boston National Historical Park Act of 1974". 
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^KC. 2. (a) In order to preserve for the benefit and inspiration of 
Property ac- 
the peoplc of tlic United States as a national historical park certain 
quisition. 
hlstorlc structures and properties of outstanding national significance 
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located in Boston, Massachusetts, and associated with the American 
Revolution and the founding and growth of the United States, the 
Secretary of the Interior* (hereinafter referred to as the "Secretary") 
may, in accordance with the provisions of this Act, acquire by dona-
tion or by purchase with donated funds, all lands and improvements 
Description. 
tlicreou Or iutcrests therein comprising the following described areas : 
(1) Faneuil Hall, located at I)ock Square, Boston; 
(2) Paul Revere Llouse, 19 North Square, Boston; 
(8) The area identified as the Old North Church area, 193 
Salem Street, Boston; 
(4) The Old State House, AVashington and State Streets, 
Boston; 
(5) Bunker Hill, Breeds Hill, Boston; 
(()) Old South Meeting House, Milk and AVashington Streets, 
Boston; and 
(7) Charlestown Navy Yard. 
(b) In the event that the properties described in this section are 
not donated to the United States or purchased with donated funds, 
they may be acquired by the Secretary with appropriated funds: 
Provided, That, except for privately held lands within the Charles-
town Navy Yard as described in subsection (d) of this section, the 
Secretary shall not acquire any such properties by eminent domain 
so long as he determines that a binding, written cooperative agree-
ment, assuring the preservation and historical integrity of such prop-
erties remains in force and effect. Lands owned by the Commonwealth 
of Massachusetts, or any of its political subdivisions, may be acquired 
only by donation. 
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® Secretary determines that sufficient lands, 
Establishment, 
improvemeuts, and interests therein have been acquired or that 
cooperative agreements satisfying the preservation and historical 
objective of this Act have been executed, he may establish the Boston 
National Historical Park by publication of notice to that effect in the 
Federal Register, together with a detailed description or map setting 
forth the properties included therein. 
(d) As used in this section, the Charlestown Navy Yard shall 
include the United States Ship Constitution and the lands generally 
depicted on the map entitled "Boundary Map: Charlestown Naval 
Shipyard—U.S.S. Constitution, Boston National Historical Park", 
numbered BONA 20,000 and dated March 1974 which shall be on file 
and available in the offices of the Director of the National Park Serv-
ice, Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. All right, title, 
and interest in the Federal properties and improvements included 
therein shall be transferred to the Secretary of the Interior: Provided, 
That he may, by written agreement with the Secretary of the Navy, 
permit the continued use of any such buildings and facilities as the 
Seci'etary of the Interior determines to be necessary for the preserva-
tion and maintenance of the Constitution, which agreement shall pro-
Publication in 
Federal Register. 
88 STAT.] 
PUBLIC LAW 93-431-OCT. 1, 1974 
1185 
vide that the Department of the Navy shall transfer to the Department f
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of the Interior funds sufiicient to cover the costs attiibutable to the 
functions and services which are provided by the Department of the 
Interior. The Secretary shall consult with representatives of the city p^^^"''^''^"'"^^Jja-
of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts conceniint*- the tion with city and 
development of suitable transportation plans consistent with the pur- ^tate representa-
poses for which the Navy Yard was included in the historical park. 
SEC. 3. (a) In addition to the properties described in section 2 of studies. 
this Act, the Secretary shall study the properties described in this 
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section to determine the feasibility and suitability of including them 
within the Boston National Historical Park. In making such studies, 
he may enter into tentative agreements with any owners thereof for 
their inclusion in said ])ark and he may enter into options, for a 
nominal consideration, for the purchase of such properties, but no 
additional properties may be added to the park except by an act of 
the Congi'ess. Studies shall be made of the following properties: 
(1) Boston Common; 
(2) Dillaway-Thomas Llouse; 
(0) Thomas Crease House (old Cornei- Book Store) ; 
(4) Dorchester Heights; and 
(5) the following burying gi'ounds: King's Chapel, Granary, 
and Copp'sHill. 
(b) In furtherance of the general purposes of this Act as prescribed 
Preservation and 
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restoration, coop-
m section 2, the Secretary is authorized to enter into cooperative agree- erative agree-
ments with the city of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, ^ents. 
or any private organization to mark, interpret, restore, and/or provide 
teclmical assistance ioi' the preservation and inte^'pretation of any 
properties listed in section 2, or portions thei'eof, which, in his opinion, 
would best be preserved in private, municipal, or State ownership, in 
connection with the Boston National Historical Park. Such agree-
ments shall contain, but shall not be limited to, provisions that the 
Secretary, through the National Park Service, shall have right of 
access at all reasonable times to all public portions of the property 
covered by such agreement for the purpose of conducting visitors 
thr'ough such properties and interpreting them to the public, that no 
changes or alterations shall be made in such properties except by 
mutual agreement between the Secretary and the other parties to such 
agreements, except that no limitation or control of any kind over the 
use of any such properties customarily used for church purposes shall 
be imposed by any agreement. The agreements may contain specific 
provisions which outline in detail the extent of the participation by the 
Secretary in the restoi'ation, preservation, and maintenance of such 
historic properties. 
(c) The Secretary may identify other significant sites of the colonial 
significant ^ 
and Kevolutionary periods of American history in the city of Boston, uon!' ' 
Massachusetts, and its environs, which are related to the historical 
park created by this Act, and, with the consent of the owner or owner's 
thereof, may mark them appropriately and make reference to them in 
any interpretive literature. 
SEC. 4. (a) There is established a Boston National Historical Park Hi^t°oVi^ai"p'l°k"'^ 
Advisory Commission (hereinafter referred to as the "Commission") AdVi°s"ry com-
which shall be composed of members appointed by the Secretarv as mission. 
f n l l r , A v c - 
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E s t a b l i s h m e n t . 
rOllOWS. 
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(1) Three members appointed from recommendations sub- Membership. 
mitted by the Governor of Massachusetts; 
(2) Three members appointed from recommendations sub-
mitted by the mayoi- of the city of Boston; and 
1186 
PUBLIC L
A
W 93-432-OCT. 4, 1974 
[88 STAT. 
Termination 
date. 
Vacancies. 
Consultation 
with Commission. 
Expenses. 
Land acquisi-
tion. 
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Administration. 
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Appropriation. 
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(3) One member to represent each owner with which the Sec-
retary has concluded a cooperative agreement pursuant to section 
3 of this Act, to be appointed from recommendations submitted 
by each such owner. 
(b) The Commission shall terminate ten years from the date of 
establishment of the Boston National Historical Park. 
(c) A vacancy in the Commission shall not affect its powers, but 
shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment (and 
for the balance of the unexpired term). The Chairman of the Com-
mission shall be designated by the Secretary. 
(d) The Commission shall act and advise by affir-mative \ote of a 
majority of its members. 
(e) The Secretary or his designee shall from time to time, but at 
least semiannually, consult with the Commission with respect to 
matters relating to the development of the Boston National Historical 
Park. 
(f) Members of the Commission shall serve without compensation 
as such. The Secretary is authorized to pay the expenses reasonably 
incurred by the Commission in carrying out its responsibilities under 
this Act upon presentation of vouchers signed by the Chairman. 
SEC. 5. The Secretary may acquire property or any interest therein 
by donation, purchase, or exchange for the visitor center, and not-
withstanding any other provision of law, funds appropriated for the 
development and operation of the visitor center may be expended on 
property in which the Secretary has acquired less than the fee simple 
interest therein, including a leasehold interest. 
SEC. 6. When established as provided in section 2 of this Act, the 
Boston National Historical Park shall be administered by the Secre-
tary in accordance with the provisions of this Act, the Act of 
August 25, 1916 (39 Stat. 535), as amended and supplemented (16 
U.S.C. 1 et seq.), and the Act of August 21, 1935 (49 Stat. 666; 16 
U.S.C. 461-467). 
SEC. 7. For the acquisition of lands or interests in lands designated 
by section 2 of this Act as components of the Boston National Histor-
ical Park, there is authorized to be appropriated not to exceed 
$2,740,000. For development of the components designated as para-
graphs 1 through 6 in section 2, there is authorized to be appropriated 
not more than $12,818,000. For the development of the component 
designated as paragraph 7 in section 2, there is authorized to be 
appropriated not more than $11,500,000. 
Approved October 1, 1974. 
October 4,1974 
[H. R. 5507] 
Public Law 93-432 
AN ACT 
To authorize the conveyance to the city of Salem, Illinois, of a statue of 
William Jennings Bryan. 
Salem, 111. 
William Jennings 
Bryan, statue, 
conveyance. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That the Secretary 
of the Interior is authorized and directed to donate, by appropriate 
cooperative agreement, and without monetary consideration, to the 
city of Salem, Illinois, all right, title, and interest of the United States 
in and to the statue of William Jennings Bryan authorized by the Act 
of June 18, 1930 (46 Stat. 783). Such donation shall be on condition 
that the city of Salem, Illinois, shall suitably display and maintain 
within such city such statue as a memorial to William Jennings Bryan, 
onetime Member of the House of Eepresentatives of the United States,