Help Prevent Revolutionary War Sites from Crumbling into History

In Boston, the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail, which is the central feature of Boston National Historical Park, takes visitors to places that defined the birth of democracy and our fight for independence from the British. Over 2 million visitors come to Boston National Historical Park every year to learn about the Boston Massacre, the life and legacy of Paul Revere, and other stories told at the park’s 16 historic structures, churches and ships.

Many Revolutionary War sites, such as the Old North Church, the Freedom Trail and Longfellow House National Historic Site, face repair problems like chipping paint, broken windows, crumbling bricks and foundations, degraded wood, and water damage on the walls and ceilings. If these problems are not dealt with immediately, some of our nation’s oldest structures will degrade over time, impacting the way we tell the story of the American Revolution to our children and grandchildren.

Collectively, our Revolutionary War national parks represent more than 300 years of American history. They are a critical part of America’s story and need ongoing maintenance and skilled repairs to remain safe and relevant.

Key examples

• Out of the $102.2 million needed for Boston National Historical Park, $65.4 million is required to fix buildings and structures, some which date back to the early 1700s, such as the Old South Meeting House and Old North Church.

• During the hellacious 2015 New England winter, Minute Man National Historical Park had just three full-time maintenance staff. This is unacceptable considering the list of repairs that needed immediate attention to keep the park safe and open to visitors.

• At Longfellow House National Historic Site, the house that once served as the headquarters of General George Washington during the Siege of Boston from July 1775 to April 1776 and residence of one of America’s early poets, Henry W. Longfellow, needs $1.6 million to restore the main house, carriage house and large wooden veranda.

Help NPCA #FixOurParks and #KeepParksFunded

NPCA is organizing local events in New England to help people learn about the current conditions of Revolutionary War national parks, and we have created a petition to support a more robust annual budget for the National Park Service.

Watch and share NPCA’s original short film above to learn more about this important issue. Together we can mobilize political targets and ally organizations to support better funding for Revolutionary War sites that hold nearly 300 years of America’s earliest history.

Revolutionary War parks

For more information, contact Program Manager Lauren Cosgrove at 212.244.6083 or lcosgrove@npca.org.