The National Park Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection would exchange nearly 100 acres of land in West Virginia under House legislation.
Proponents say H.R. 6062, from Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.), would preserve a historic battlefield and support law enforcement training. A House Natural Resources subcommittee held a hearing on the proposal Wednesday.
The legislation would restore a fragmented Civil War battlefield at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. In return, CPB would be able to grow its Advanced Training Center. The land swap — 25 NPS acres for 72 border protection acres — would result in a net gain for the park.
The CBP-owned land included in the exchange is tied to abolitionist John Brown’s 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry and was also the site of a Civil War battle in which Confederate forces led by Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson attacked a Union garrison.
