Title 16ConservationRelease 119-73

§410hhhh Establishment of Jimmy Carter National Historic Site 11 So in original. Probably should be “Historical Park”. See Codification note below.

Title 16 › Chapter CHAPTER 1— - NATIONAL PARKS, MILITARY PARKS, MONUMENTS, AND SEASHORES › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER LIX–FFF— - JIMMY CARTER NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK › § 410hhhh

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in Georgia to benefit, inspire, and teach the American people. The park must protect the important places and buildings tied to Jimmy Carter, explain his life and presidency, and tell the story of a small rural Southern town. The park includes lands shown on a map dated April 1987 that is kept by the National Park Service. Key properties are the Carter home on Woodland Drive (plus about 2.9 acres across the street), the Plains Railroad Depot (his campaign headquarters), his boyhood home near Archery (the house and up to 15 acres), 100-foot scenic easements each side of Old Plains Highway from U.S. Highway 280 to the boyhood home, Plains High School (about 12 acres), and the Gnann House at 1 Woodland Drive. The Secretary may get land and artifacts by donation, purchase, exchange, or other means, but the Carter home and Plains High School can only be accepted as donations. The Carters may keep the right to live in the Carter home for a set time or until their deaths. The General Services Administration must buy the Gnann House for security while the Carters need it, then give it to the Park Service afterward.

Full Legal Text

Title 16, §410hhhh

Conservation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In order to provide for the benefit, inspiration, and education of the American people, there is hereby established the Jimmy Carter National Historical Park in the State of Georgia. In administering the historical park, the Secretary shall—
(1)preserve the key sites and structures located within the historical park associated with Jimmy Carter during his lifespan;
(2)provide for the interpretation of the life and Presidency of Jimmy Carter; and
(3)present the history of a small rural southern town.
(b)(1)The historical park shall consist of the lands and interests in lands (including the real property described in paragraph (2)) as generally depicted on the map entitled “Jimmy Carter National Historical Park 22 So in original. Probably should be “Historic Site”. See Codification and 2021 Amendment notes below. and Preservation District Boundary Map”, numbered NHS–JC–80000, and dated April 1987. The map shall be on file and available for public inspection at appropriate offices of the National Park Service.
(2)The real property referred to in paragraph (1) is that real property which has significant historical association with the life of James Earl Carter, Jr., 39th President of the United States, located in the town of Plains and the County of Sumter, Georgia, and described more particularly as follows—
(A)the home of former President Carter on Woodland Drive in Plains, Georgia, including the residence and approximately 2.9 acres across Woodland Drive;
(B)the Plains Railroad Depot, adjacent to the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, which served as the campaign headquarters of former President Carter;
(C)the boyhood home of former President Carter, consisting of the residence, together with not more than 15 acres, located west of Plains near the community of Archery, Georgia;
(D)the 100-foot wide scenic easements on either side of Old Plains Highway from the intersection of U.S. Highway 280 to the boyhood home referred to in subparagraph (C);
(E)the Plains High School and grounds of approximately 12 acres; and
(F)the Gnann House at 1 Woodland Drive, which is adjacent to the residence referred to in subparagraph (A) of former President Carter.
(c)(1)Except as otherwise provided in this subsection and subject to such terms, reservations, and conditions as the Secretary determines reasonable or necessary, the Secretary may acquire by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, exchange, or otherwise—
(A)lands and interests in lands within the boundaries of the historical park; and
(B)personal property and artifacts for purposes of the historical park.
(2)The Carter home (described in subsection (b)(2)(A)) and the Plains High School (referred to in subsection (b)(2)(E)) may only be acquired by donation.
(3)Former President and Mrs. Carter may, as a condition of the acquisition of the Carter home (described in subsection (b)(2)(A)), reserve for themselves a right of use and occupancy of the home for a term of years or for a term ending at the deaths of President and Mrs. Carter.
(4)The Administrator of the General Services Administration shall acquire by purchase the Gnann House (described in subsection (b)(2)(F)) to be used for security purposes during the lives of former President and Mrs. Carter, or for such period as they may be entitled to security pursuant to Federal law, after which time the Gnann House shall be transferred to the Secretary of the Interior for administrative purposes by the National Park Service.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification As enacted, the amendment by section 2(b)(5) of Pub. L. 116–341 substituting “historical park” for “historic site” is identical to the one by section 2(b)(4), and the amendment by section 2(b)(6) substituting “Historical Park” for “Historic Site” effectively duplicates those by section 2(b)(1), (2)(B), and (3), applies where it probably should not, and does not apply in other cases where it probably should. A companion bill, S. 3098 of the 116th Congress, 1st Session, contained

Amendments

similar to those by section 2(b)(5) and (6) of Pub. L. 116–341, but they were formatted such that section 2(b)(5) applied specifically to section catchlines and section 2(b)(6) applied specifically to subsection headings. Nevertheless, the

Amendments

as enacted by Pub. L. 116–341 have been executed as written and formatted.

Amendments

2021—Pub. L. 116–341, § 2(b)(4), (5), made identical

Amendments

, substituting “historical park” for “historic site” wherever appearing. See Codification note above. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–341, § 2(b)(1) substituted “National Historical Park” for “National Historic Site”. See Codification note above. Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 116–341, § 2(b)(6), substituted “Historical Park” for “Historic Site”. Amendment was executed as directed, notwithstanding that it probably should not have applied to the quoted text. See Codification note above. 1997—Subsec. (c)(2). Pub. L. 105–106 struck out “, the Plains Railroad Depot (described in subsection (b)(2)(B)),” before “and the Plains High School”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

of 2021 Amendment Pub. L. 116–341, § 1, Jan. 13, 2021, 134 Stat. 5132, provided that: “This Act [amending this section and sections 410hhhh–2 to 410hhhh–6 of this title and enacting provisions set out as notes under this section] may be cited as the ‘Jimmy Carter National Historical Park Redesignation Act’.” Designation of Jimmy Carter National Historical Park; References Pub. L. 116–341, § 2(a), (c), Jan. 13, 2021, 134 Stat. 5132, provided that: “(a) In General.—The Jimmy Carter National Historic Site shall be known and designated as the ‘Jimmy Carter National Historical Park’.” “(c) References.—Any reference in any law, regulation, document, record, map, or other paper of the United States to the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site shall be considered to be a reference to the ‘Jimmy Carter National Historical Park’.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

16 U.S.C. § 410hhhh

Title 16Conservation

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73