Join the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network

The Brick Baptist Church on St. Helena Island near Beaufort, South Carolina was home to the Penn School during the Civil War, and afterwards was a voting precinct for black citizens.

Library of Congress

Eligibility Criteria

John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act stipulates that the following elements are required for inclusion in the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network:

• All units and programs of the National Park Service that are determined by the Secretary of the Interior to relate to the Reconstruction Era. The National Park Service defines the Reconstruction Era as taking place between 1861 to 1900 as Americans struggled - although not always successfully - to build a nation of free and equal citizens in the aftermath of Civil War.

• Other Federal, State, local, and privately owned properties that the Secretary determines: relate to the Reconstruction Era and are included in, or determined by the Secretary to be eligible for inclusion in, the National Register of Historic Places.

• Other governmental sites, facilities and programs, of an educational, research, or interpretive nature that are directly related to the Reconstruction Era.

Determining Eligibility

Based on the eligibility criteria stipulated above, applications for inclusion in the network will consider the following questions:

1. Does the site or program fall within the NPS defined period of the Reconstruction Era of 1861-1900?
2. Is the site or program related to the Reconstruction Era and eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places?
3. Is the site, facility, or program, directly related to the Reconstruction Era and educational, research, or interpretive in nature?

If your site, facility, or program meets these criteria listed above, then you may submit an application.

The Application

If you are interested, in having your site, facility, or program join the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network, please download and submit the application. Please note that this is a pilot application, and may change in the future pending comments and review from the Office of Management and Budget. Before submitting your application, be sure to check here for any updates to the application.

Next Steps

After you have submitted your application to [e-mail], the application will be reviewed by a team of National Park Service interpreters, professional historians, and other stakeholders. We will contact you if we have any questions regarding your application.

If accepted into the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network, we will provide you with information about promotional, collaborative, and support opportunities for your site, facility, or program. Your site, facility, or program will be added to the list of member sites in the Reconstruction Era National Historic Network.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at [e-mail]