05/30/2026
What's in a name?
in 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed a bill changing Harpers Ferry National Monument to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.
But what does that mean?
There are more than 400 units in the national park system, and the diversity of the parks is reflected in the variety of titles given to them. These include such titles as national park, national preserve, national monument, national memorial, national historic site, national seashore, and national battlefield park.
In recent years, national historic site has been the title most commonly applied by Congress in authorizing the addition of such areas to the National Park System. A wide variety of titles—national military park, national battlefield park, national battlefield site, and national battlefield—has been used for areas associated with American military history. But other areas like national monuments and national historical parks may include features associated with military history. National historical parks are commonly areas of greater physical extent and complexity than national historic sites.
To learn more about national park system designations, visit: https://www.nps.gov/articles/nps-designations.htm.
📸: NPS Photo
