Shaping the System under President George H.W. Bush

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President George H.W. Bush visiting the World War II Memorial

DOI / Tami Heilemann

Since the creation of the National Park Service in 1916, each president has overseen changes and left his own mark in shaping the National Park System.

President George H.W. Bush was an ardent supporter of the national parks. During his administration, 14 new national parks were created, he broke ground for the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, and he spoke at the dedication of the World War II Memorial (presided over by his son, President George W. Bush) in 2004.

Explore some the parks that are part of the legacy of the presidency of George H.W. Bush, who served as the 41st president of the United States from January 20, 1989 to January 20, 1993.

White Haven after a spring snowfall

NPS

Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, Missouri

Authorized October 2, 1989

Tied to White Haven in St. Louis, Missouri, for more than four decades as his wife’s childhood home, former Army captain Ulysses S. Grant lived on the plantation with his family from 1854 to 1860. The park offers a window into Grant’s life before his rise to fame as the commanding general of the US Army during the Civil War and the 18th president of the United States.

Thousands of petroglyphs are found on the rocks

NPS Photo

Petroglyph National Monument, New Mexico

Authorized June 27, 1990

Stretching 17 miles along Albuquerque’s West Mesa escarpment, the park protects one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America. The fields of volcanic rock feature more than 50,000 designs and symbols carved by Native Americans and Spanish settlers 400 to 700 years ago having meaning to their descendants today.

A peak inside the Weir Studio

NPS Photo

Weir Farm National Historic Site, Connecticut

Authorized October 31, 1990

Tucked in the rolling hills of Connecticut, the farm was home to three generations of world-class artists, including influential impressionist J. Alden Weir. While the park is a time capsule of the Weir family home and studios, visitors of today are encouraged to unlock their inner artist and be inspired by the surroundings that Weir called “The Great Good Place.”

Rafters hit the rapids on the Niobrara River

NPS Photoo

Niobrara National Scenic River, Nebraska

Authorized May 24, 1991

Amid the waving golden prairie grasses of the Great Plains, the Niobrara River winds through a landscape lined with a ribbon of trees, stunning waterfalls, and biodiversity among overlapping ecosystems of tallgrass, sandhills, and mixed grass prairies. The river beckons sports enthusiasts to its banks and flow for paddling, tubing, and fishing. The Niobrara River is also part of the National Wild & Scenic River System.

Mary McLeod Bethune Council House

NPS Photo

Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site, District of Columbia

Designated on October 15, 1983; Authorized on December 11, 1991

Blocks for the White House, the house served as headquarters for the National Council on Negro Women (NCNW), which was established by Mary McLeod Bethune in 1935. From here, Bethune and the NCNW spearheaded strategies and developed programs that advanced the interests of African American women during in the mid 20th century.

Colonies of sheet coral reef

NPS Photo

Salt River Bay National Historical Park and Ecological Preserve, Virgin Islands

Authorized February 24, 1992

Along the park’s shoreline is more than 2,000 years of human history, from the earliest known indigenous settlements to the convergence of seven colonial European powers settling in the Americas. Visitors can explore the upland watersheds, mangrove forests, and es­tuarine and marine environments that are unique to the Virgin Islands.

Guides sometimes have a personal connection to Manzanar giving a unique perspective to visitors.

NPS Photo

Manzanar National Historic Site, California

Authorized March 3, 1992

During World War II, more than 110,000 Japanese American cititzens and resident Japanese were relocated from their homes and incarcerated at the Manzanar War Relocation Center in eastern California. The park is one several of these camps that was preserved to bring more attention to a chapter of lesser-known history at the time it was established.

Artists are welcome to use the park's landscape as inspiration.

NPS PHoto

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, Vermont

Authorized Marsh-Billings National Historical Park on August 26, 1992 (renamed October 21, 1998)

Home to pioneer conservationist George Perkins Marsh, the park includes what was designed to be a model farm and forest developed by Frederick Billings and continued by granddaughter Mary French Rockefeller and her husband, Laurance S. Rockefeller. Visitors can experience conservation themes and the stewardship of working landscapes and the agricultural countryside firsthand through the park’s many recreational opportunities.

Replica of the Wright glider

NPS Photo

Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park, Ohio

Authorized October 16, 1992

Widely recognized as the birthplace of aviation, southwest Ohio is home to a collection of sites that played a role in the early pioneering days of airplanes, including Wilbur and Orville Wright’s bicycle and printing shop and flying field where the brothers perfected their innovative ideas. The legacy of prominent African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, a classmate and business associate of Orville Wright, is also shared at his house.

Little River Falls after a snowfall

NPS Photo

Little River Canyon National Preserve, Alabama

Authorized October 21, 1992

Atop Lookout Mountain in northeast Alabama, the Little River carved a canyon filled with rocky expanses, sandstone cliffs, and waterfalls. Visitors can partake in numerious outdoor recreational activities, such as kayaking, rock climbing, and horseback riding, while enjoying the natural resources and cultural heritage of the Southern Appalachians.

Monroe Elementary School

NPS Photo

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, Kansas

Established October 26, 1992

In the landmark case of Oliver L. Brown, et. al, v. the Topeka Board of Education, et. al. decided in 1954, the Supreme Court concluded that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal,” effectively ending legal racial segregation in the public schools of this country. At Monroe Elementary School, one of four formerly segregated schools for African American children in Topeka, the history and legacy of the monumental court decision is explored.

Snorkeling is a way to explore the marine life

NPS Photo

Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida

Renamed and redesignated on October 26, 1992 (Originally proclaimed Fort Jefferson National Monument in on January 4, 1935)

Almost 70 miles off the coast of Key West, Florida, the park features the historic Fort Jefferson and picturesque blue waters teeming with coral reefs and marine life. A little bit more of an adventure to get to than other east coast parks, visitors can explore both the rich history and natural wonder both above and below the water.

An estuary on the Great Egg Harbor River

Great Egg Harbor Watershed Association

Great Egg Harbor Scenic and Recreational River, New Jersey

Authorized October 27, 1992

Running through or along the famous Pinelands National Reserve (Pine Barrens) of southern New Jersey, the river gradually widens as it picks up waters from 17 tributaries on its way to Great Egg Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. The river provides recreational access to paddlers who are looking to explore the forests, wetlands, and communities along the river’s path. The Great Egg Harbor River is also part of the National Wild & Scenic River System.

Quincy Company House

NPS Photo

Keweenaw National Historical Park, Michigan

Established October 27, 1992

Beginning with prehistoric peoples and through the largescale industrial mining in the 1800s and 1900s, the park traces 7,000 years of human history on the Keweenaw Peninsula. The Keweenaw Heritage Site partners provide oppotunites to enjoy the region’s natural resources cultural sites, and recreation.