News Release

National Park Service awards $1.19 million to preserve American sites of armed conflict

Cheyenne Buttes, outside of Fort Robinson, Nebraska, where Native Americans escaped to during the 1879 Cheyenne Breakout.

Image courtesy Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

News Release Date: August 9, 2021

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WASHINGTON - The National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program (NPS ABPP) today awarded $1.19 million in Battlefield Preservation Planning Grants to 11 preservation partners. Grant recipients will use these funds in research, documentation, and interpretive planning at battlefields and sites of armed conflict.

“Preserving battlefields and sites of armed conflict invites Americans to explore the intangible bonds of our shared history and create space for reconciliation and healing in the future. The National Park Service is proud to support local communities in telling these diverse stories and protecting these special places,” said NPS Deputy Director Shawn Benge.

One of the projects awarded this year is to research and design a 3.5-mile healing trail at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, where members of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe escaped imprisonment and were pursued by the U.S. Cavalry in 1879. With robust local support, Chief Dull Knife College will use these funds to establish a lasting memorial, paying tribute to the Northern Cheyenne who were resolved to either live freely in their homeland or to die in the effort. The goal of the project is to turn historic tragedy into a modern-day opportunity for understanding, and cross-cultural healing.

Each one of the projects awarded fulfill NPS ABPP’s goal to preserve a diverse array of American history and we applaud the work that went into the applications. To see the full list of awardees and their projects, head to NPS ABPP’s website.

Battlefield Preservation Planning Grants are ABPP’s broadest grant program, promoting the stewardship of battlefields and sites of armed conflict on American soil. In addition, the program administers three other grants: Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants, the newly authorized Battlefield Restoration Grants, and Battlefield Interpretation Grants. This financial assistance generates community-driven stewardship of historic resources at the state, tribal and local levels.

The next opportunity to apply for a Battlefield Preservation Planning Grant is fall of 2021. For questions about ABPP’s other grants, contact the program at e-mail us.  

This year’s Battlefield Preservation Planning Grant Recipients 

State or US Territory	Grantee & Project	Amount
FL	University of Florida   “The Histories of Fort Mose: Investigating Archaeological and Contemporary Legacies at a Site of Freedom”	$148,677.82
Guam	University of Guam   “The Holistic Heritage of the World War II Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon Battlefield”	$149,827
MD	NeighborSpace of Baltimore County   “Illuminating Bear Creek's Role in the Defense of Baltimore”	$110,454
NE	Chief Dull Knife College   “Northern Cheyenne Healing Trail Project”	$149,500
No. Mariana Isl.	Northern Mariana Humanities Council   Expanding and Interpreting the Tinian National Historic Landmark	$91,816.60
OR	Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indians   “Cultural Resources Inventory of Mile's Fight, a Battle of the Bannock War of 1878, Umatilla Indian Reservation, Umatilla County, Oregon”	$90,822.40
RI	Town of Barrington   “A Place Called Nockum and the Inception of King Philip's War”	$113,875.64
SC	Clemson University   “Archaeological and Historical Assessment of Fort Rutledge and the Battle of Esseneca”	$133,539
TN	Vanderbilt University    “Building a Searchable Database for Collections of the Enslaved & Free Builders and Defenders of Nashville's Civil War Fortifications”	$99,208
TX	Texas Historical Commission   “Investigating and Interpreting the Battle of Fort Lancaster, Texas”	$69,000
VT	Vermont Division of Historic Preservation  “Mount Independence Collections Stewardship Project”	$40,900
	Total Funds	$1,197,620.46

www.nps.gov

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.