The Establishment of Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park

A new welcome sign is unveiled at the Welcome Center during the Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park Dedication Ceremony.

NPS Photo/Julie Northrip

The establishment of a National Park Service site occurs through an act of Congress and starts with a period of authorization. On March 23rd, 2018, Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park was authorized. The act incorporates by reference Section 7134 of Senate Bill 1460, which authorizes the establishment of Ste. Geneviève National Historical Park as a unit of the National Park System "to preserve, protect, and interpret for the benefit of present and future generations the themes of French settlement, vernacular architecture, and community form and farming on the frontier associated with Ste. Genevieve."

The authorization of Ste. Genevieve made way for early land acquisition by the National Park Service. The first properties donated to the park, came during the Missouri General Assembly session in 2018, when it was authorized for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to give property to the federal government for the National Park Service. The Bauvais-Amouruex House was officially the first piece of property acquired by the National Park Service on July 17th, 2018. The second historic property acquired by the park was the Jean Baptiste Vallé House which was donated to the park in February 2020.

Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park was formally established on October 30th, 2020 as the 422nd National Park Service site. To learn more about our establishment and creation check out our Foundation Document.