16 U.S.C. § 81a: Location and boundaries

Summary

The Secretary of the Interior must survey Jamestown Island, parts of Williamsburg, the Yorktown battlefield, and road areas that would link them to decide what land should be part of the Colonial National Historical Park. The park may include up to 2,500 acres of the battlefield and connecting strips no wider than 500 feet. The Secretary will recommend boundaries to the President, who will set them by official declaration and can later change them on the Secretary’s advice; any expansion may only add land donated to or bought by the United States without using condemnation (forced taking).

Title 16, §81a

Conservation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The Secretary of the Interior is authorized and directed to make an examination of Jamestown Island, parts of the city of Williamsburg, and the Yorktown battlefield, all in the State of Virginia, and areas for highways to connect said island, city, and battlefield with a view to determining the area or areas thereof desirable for inclusion in the said Colonial National Historical Park, not to exceed two thousand five hundred acres of the said battlefield or five hundred feet in width as to such connecting areas, and upon completion thereof he shall make appropriate recommendations to the President, who shall establish the boundaries of said national park by proclamation: Provided, That the boundaries so established may be enlarged or diminished by subsequent proclamation or proclamations of the President upon the recommendations of the Secretary of the Interior, any such enlargement only to include lands donated to the United States or purchased by the United States without resort to condemnation.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was formerly classified to section 443a of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Act June 5, 1936, changed “Colonial National Monument” to “Colonial National Historical Park”.

Executive Documents

Boundaries of ParkBoundaries were established by Presidential Proc. No. 1929, Dec. 30, 1930, 46 Stat. 3041, and Proc. No. 2055, Aug. 22, 1933, 48 Stat. 1706.

§81a Location and Boundaries