[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 62 (Friday, May 15, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4939-S4940]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. WARNER (for himself and Mr. Robb):
  S. 2086. A bill to revise the boundaries of the George Washington 
Birthplace National Monument; to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources.


       george washington birthplace national monument legislation

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation 
which would preserve a tract of land of legendary historic 
significance. Many of my colleagues have heard me speak on the 
importance of preserving the legacy of George Washington, and have 
joined me as cosponsors of Senate Resolution 83, to commemorate the 
bicentennial of the death of our Founding Father. We have the 
opportunity to protect the scene of George Washington's early life, the 
site at which young Washington undertook lessons that taught him the 
principles which guided his life. By extending the boundaries of the 
George Washington Birthplace National Monument to include the 85 acre 
area in Stafford County, Virginia, known as Ferry Farm, we may 
celebrate that expanse of land where Washington developed his 
extraordinary character.
  Ferry Farm was the childhood home of our first President. Lying 
across the Rappahannock River from historic Fredericksburg, Virginia, 
it is the site of the legendary cherry tree, chopped down by a boy who 
could not tell a lie. Here, a fable recounts, young Washington threw a 
stone across the Rappahannock, one of the last unspoiled scenic rivers 
in the country. And it was here that Washington developed those 
qualities of honesty, integrity, loyalty, perseverance, and devotion to 
public good which make him the indomitable role model for our country 
and the world at large. By preserving this site, we will sustain the 
environment in which our Founding Father grew into his role as a leader 
in military strategy as well as democratic principles. The exploration, 
research, and interpretation of this site

[[Page S4940]]

will inspire and challenge all who visit to study the life of 
Washington, and his impact on our Nation.
  Yet this site, the tangled brush, the serene river vista, belies the 
intertwining of history which occurred here. Along the banks of the 
Rappahannock, site of the formative years of our distinguished First 
President, also became the site of carnage, as our country was torn 
asunder by the ravages of the Civil War. In late April of 1962, the 
Union Army established Ferry Farm as its strategic crossing point in 
order to advance against Confederate forces west of Fredericksburg. The 
soldiers stationed at Ferry Farm were not unaware of the irony of their 
position. As one soldier wrote from his post,

       Could George Washington have beheld * * * with prophetic 
     eye, the havoc that was to be wrought by those mighty hosts 
     of his countrymen in fratricidal strife on the very ground * 
     * * which must have been familiar to him in his youthful days 
     * * * his patriotic soul would have been overwhelmed with 
     grief.

  It is our duty to recognize the history of this site--a reliquary for 
the memories of a man of great character and courage, as well as a 
melancholy field upon which our country struggled to preserve 
democracy. In saving this parcel of land, we venerate a leader whose 
principled life remains as model for us all, while consecrating land 
upon which our Union, for which Washington battled so courageously, 
fought for existence.
  We cannot forfeit such a landmark to the forces of development. Ferry 
Farm is where Washington learned the values that made him the Father of 
Our Country--values as important to our nation today as they were to 
its establishment more than two hundred and fifty years ago. I look 
forward to the swift passage of this legislation.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 2086

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. ADDITION TO NATIONAL MONUMENT.

       (a) In General.--The boundaries of the George Washington 
     Birthplace National Monument are modified to include the area 
     comprising approximately 85 acres, generally known as 
     ``George Washington's Ferry Farm'', in Stafford County, 
     Virginia, and located across the Rappahannock River from 
     Fredericksburg, Virginia, as generally depicted on the map 
     entitled ``George Washington Birthplace National Monument 
     Boundary Map'', numbered 322/80020 and dated May 1998.
       (b) Map.--The map described in subsection (a) shall be on 
     file and available for public inspection in the appropriate 
     offices of the National Park Service.
       (c) Administration.--The area described in subsection (a) 
     shall be managed--
       (1) in accordance with the provisions of law generally 
     applicable to the units of the National Park System, 
     including the Act of August 25, 1916 (39 Stat. 565, chapter 
     408; 16 U.S.C. 1 et seq.), and the Act of August 21, 1935 (49 
     Stat. 666, chapter 593; 16 U.S.C. 461 et seq.);
       (2) to preserve the cultural and natural resources of the 
     area that are associated with the boyhood home of George 
     Washington; and
       (3) to interpret those resources to enhance public 
     understanding.

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