Preservation Leaders Pen Open Letter in Support of Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act

Dear Senator Wicker and Representative Thompson:

As organizations dedicated to preserving and interpreting historically significant parks and sites throughout the United States, we wanted to express our strong support for the Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act (S. 1016 and H.R. 4467). Your proposed legislation will transfer two small but important parcels of land—in total, less than 11 acres—to the State of Mississippi to construct the proposed new visitors center at Vicksburg National Military Park.

Vicksburg National Military Park is the most visited cultural site in the state of Mississippi, welcoming more than 400,000 visitors in 2024. The Vicksburg Campaign was one of the most consequential events of the Civil War, securing Union control of the Mississippi River and cleaving the Confederacy in two. The American Battlefield Trust and Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign—both non-profit organizations—have conserved more than 2,100 acres of key battlefield ground in the park.

The existing visitors center was built in the 1960s; it is small and provides limited information about the 1863 Campaign and Siege of Vicksburg. Since then, the park has been expanded to include other battlefields associated with the Vicksburg Campaign, including Champion Hill, Chickasaw Bayou, Port Gibson and Raymond. Unfortunately, the existing visitors center cannot be expanded to accommodate the technology, resources and artifacts necessary to provide visitors with a comprehensive understanding of the Vicksburg Campaign.

The planned new visitors center is a cooperative venture between the federal government, the State of Mississippi and the Friends of Vicksburg National Military Park and Campaign. This public-private partnership will facilitate a state-of-the-art facility that will accommodate much larger public demand.
Your bill will ensure that visitors to the Vicksburg battlefield will gain a greater understanding of our shared heritage, and for that we are truly grateful.

Sincerely,