News Release
Date: July 11, 2024
Contact: Meredith Mingledorff, 870-849-9942
OMAHA, Neb.– Members of the public are invited to provide comment to the National Park Service on the John P. Parker House Special Resource Study via https://parkplanning.nps.gov/parkerhousesrs. Comments will be accepted online until September 8, 2024.
NPS will host a public meeting about the study on July 25, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET at the Union Township Public Library Annex, 19 Main St, Ripley, Ohio 45167. In this public meeting, NPS will share information about the study process, including the criteria used to evaluate sites for inclusion in the National Park System, and answer questions.
In 2022, Congress directed NPS to conduct a special resource study of the home of abolitionist and entrepreneur John P. Parker to evaluate its potential inclusion in the National Park System. Born enslaved, Parker purchased his freedom and became an abolitionist, conductor for the Underground Railroad, entrepreneur, inventor, and mentor. One of many African American conductors on the Underground Railroad in the decades preceding the Civil War, his significance is magnified by the fact that his role is well documented in local records and his autobiographical reminiscences.
A special resource study examines the eligibility of an area for inclusion in the National Park System. A potential site is evaluated according to four congressionally established criteria: (1) national significance, (2) suitability, (3) feasibility and (4) direct NPS management. All four criteria must have positive findings for an area to be considered eligible for inclusion in the National Park System. At the conclusion of the study, NPS will submit its findings to the Secretary of the Interior, who then makes a recommendation to Congress for consideration. Parks in the National Park System are designated by acts of Congress and/or through presidential proclamation.
An important aspect of the study process is gathering information from the public about the site, including determining the level of local and public support, and identifying any issues or concerns associated with an area's potential inclusion in the National Park System.
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Last updated: July 11, 2024