ExecutiveOrdersEO
Proc 9567ProclamationObama · D Quiet signal

Proclamation 9567

Establishment of the Reconstruction Era National Monument

President Obama used the Antiquities Act to establish the Reconstruction Era National Monument in Beaufort County, South Carolina, protecting approximately 15.56 acres of historic sites including Darrah Hall, Brick Baptist Church, Camp Saxton, and the Old Beaufort Firehouse. The monument, managed by the National Park Service with a required management plan within 3 years, commemorates the first experiments in African American freedom, education, and political participation during and after the Civil War.

Federal Register Open PDF 82 FR 6167

Impact dates

  1. Management plan due from Secretary of the Interior

Key directives

  • Secretary of the Interior shall manage the monument through the National Park Service
  • Secretary of the Interior shall prepare a management plan within 3 years of the date of this proclamation
  • Management plan must include coordination with Penn Center Inc., Brick Baptist Church, Department of the Navy, Atlantic Marine Corps Communities LLC, City of Beaufort, and Town of Port Royal
  • Secretaries of Navy and Interior shall enter into a memorandum of agreement on Camp Saxton site responsibilities
  • National Park Service directed to seek agreements with others for visitor services, interpretation, education, museum collections, and historic preservation
  • Secretary of the Navy retains management authority over Camp Saxton site including access control
  • Armed Forces activities shall be consistent with care and management of objects to the extent practicable

Who is ordered

Timeline

Immediate

  • Monument establishment and federal land withdrawal from disposition
  • Protection of approximately 15.56 acres of federal lands and interests

Near term (90d)

  • Interagency memorandum of agreement between Secretaries of Navy and Interior
  • National Park Service to begin seeking agreements for visitor services and management

Long term

  • Management plan due within 3 years of proclamation (January 12, 2020)
  • Ongoing preservation and interpretation of Reconstruction Era history
  • Potential future federal acquisition of additional lands within monument boundaries

Risks & tensions

  • Interagency coordination required between Interior and Navy over Camp Saxton on active military facility may create jurisdictional friction
  • Management plan requirement for 'full public involvement' with multiple stakeholders could generate competing visions for monument use
  • Military training activities on Navy lands may conflict with historic preservation goals; 'to the extent practicable' language leaves flexibility but also uncertainty
  • Monument's dominant reservation status over existing withdrawals may affect other federal land uses
  • Relatively small acreage (15.56 acres) across dispersed sites may complicate unified management and visitor experience
Proclamation 9567: Establishment of the Reconstruction Era National Monument · Executive Orders