Biden to visit Delaware’s new national monument

Celebrating his home state’s newly designated three-part national monument, Vice President Joe Biden will make a special trip to Delaware tomorrow. 

Biden, along with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del, will deliver remarks Tuesday afternoon at the Old Sheriff’s House in New Castle, one of the historic places that makes up the First State National Monument.

The historic New Castle Courthouse complex, which includes the Sheriff’s House, the Woodlawn Trustees property and Dover Green make up the monument. The historic sites tell the story of the early Dutch, Swedish, Finnish and English settlement of the colony of Delaware, as well as Delaware’s role as the first state to ratify the Constitution. The National Park Service will manage the monument.

Using the Antiquities Act of 1906, President Obama signed a proclamation today (see below) protecting these landmarks, finally getting Delaware into the national park system, even if it falls short of a full-fledged national park.

“These sites honor the pioneering heroes, spectacular landscapes and rich history that have shaped our extraordinary country,” said President Obama. “By designating these national monuments today, we will ensure they will continue to inspire and be enjoyed by generations of Americans to come.”

Obama also established new national monuments in Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio and Washington.

For more than 10 years, Sen. Carper and Delaware’s congressional delegation have tried for a national park. The monument designation notwithstanding, the state’s congressional leaders will continue to fight for a national park in Delaware, the only state without one.

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Establishment of the First State National Monument (PDF)

Establishment of the First State National Monument (Text)