Battlefield Park Question

[Mark Roth]

I hope this is the right place for this question.

Over the last couple of years I have had the opportunity to visit a rather significant number of Civil War battlefields. Some I walked in and out of without ever seeing another person and some had rather large crowds. Some charged admission, I pay when I am asked but it has lead to something of an observation on my part. Which leads to my question:

Is there any rhyme or reason why certain battlefield parks charge admission and others do not?

 

[Seduzal]

Sorry but I have no clue but just wait for a little while and someone will be along to answer your questions.

 

[Jamieva]

I hope this is the right place for this question.

Over the last couple of years I have had the opportunity to visit a rather significant number of Civil War battlefields. Some I walked in and out of without ever seeing another person and some had rather large crowds. Some charged admission, I pay when I am asked but it has lead to something of an observation on my part. Which leads to my question:

Is there any rhyme or reason why certain battlefield parks charge admission and others do not?

Just curious which ones did you pay at?

I know Petersburg used to have a fee and they dropped it a couple of years ago. Generally the ones that charge are the larger ones that have a visitors center and park rangers there during the hours they are open.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Is there any rhyme or reason why certain battlefield parks charge admission and others do not?

I can't answer your question.

But my first thought is . . . are these National Military Parks, National Military 'sites', National Military 'Battlefields' or State Parks ?
I think you may be on to something regarding the size of the park and whether or not a visitor center is on the poperty.

I know here in Mississippi, there is an entrance fee to the Vicksburg National Military Park (it's almost two thousand acres in size and does have a visitor's center). At the same time, our Brice's Crossroads National Military Site has no official visitor's center and is only a few dozen acres.

Down the road, The Tupelo National Battlefield is only a one acre spot of land off a major thoroughfare . . . bordering a residential neighborhood.

Niether Brice's or Tupelo charges a fee.

To be honest, there's not much to see at either official 'site'.

But Brice's has at least expanded over the last few years, and does have an impressive albeit small (private) museum.

Mississippi's Final Stands

The Last Battlegrounds

www.finalstands.com

The State parks will naturally vary along the same lines.

Anyway, just my opinion, but I hope it may help.

 

[DixieRifles]

But my first thought is . . . are these National Military Parks, National Military 'sites', National Military 'Battlefields' or State Parks ?
I think you may be on to something regarding the size of the park and whether or not a visitor center is on the poperty.

That was my first thought---- the fee may depend on what organization is running the park.

I know I bought a Senior Pass for the NPS and then I forgot which ones charge and which ones don't. I can't think of any that I know charges a fee to see the battlefield.
Here is one example that I remember. The Prisoner of War Museum at Andersonville is free. (I just checked their webpage to confirm.) There is no fee to walk the grounds of the original prison campsite, which includes the outline of the prison camp and the monuments and also the replica gate and partial fence. However, the town of Andersonville has some "museums" and places to visit that do charge a fee.

I also just checked the website Chickamauga and Chattanooga NP and the only fee is for Point Lookout on top of Lookout Mountain. The battlefields at Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Orchard Knob, Craven's House are all free. I don't understand that because I think you can hike from the Craven's House up to Point Lookout---but I've never done that.

Pea Ridge NMP Entrance Fees
.............. Per Person - $10.00
............. Per Vehicle - $20.00
............. Per Motorcycle - $15.00

 

[Wallyfish]

Some Battlefields have public roads running through the Battlefield. Gettysburg for example is " littered" with public roads. All the 1863 roads are still there and are still public roads. It would be next to impossible to limit public access in that case. I have been to Harper's Ferry and Antietam several times and I recall paying a vehicle fee for accessing those Civil War sites. But those two historic sites had more limited access. I know we took a park service bus down to Harper's Ferry, I think it was $10 or $15 for the car. I do recall driving right to the Antietam visitor center and I think we paid $10 for my wife and I. However I don't recall any Park access areas either.


I know visitor centers have admission fees for movies and museums. In Gettysburg's case, the " new" visitors center had private funds used for the construction. I don't know if Gettysburg NMP receives any revenue from the visitor center.

 

[E_just_E]

It really is up to the park. There are several categories of Parks:

National Military Parks - eg. Gettysburg (mostly), Antietam, Petersburg, Appomattox etc.
State Parks - Battle of Prairie Grove, Pickett's Mill, etc.
City/County/Municipality Parks - Battle of South Mountain (partially), Ball's Bluff etc.
Private non profit Parks - Battle of Franklin. Battle of Kernstown
Private owned land - Battle of Nashville, Battle of South Mountain (mostly), Gettysburg (partially), Battle(s) of Winchester etc in this category

Even within each category fees vary. Some are free, some are for pay, some suggest donations...

 

[Gettmore]

Great question which I can not shade any light on
ANTIETAM NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD
Aftermath of Battle Weekend
FEE:
$15 per family $7 per individual

 

[Mark Roth]

Off the top of my head I cannot see any rhyme or reason, but here is where I have been and as best I remember paying or not.

Site	Paid	Notes
Antietam	No
Gettysburg	No
Harper's Ferry	Yes
Manassas	No	At least I don't think so
Fredericksburg et al	No	I could have paid to see a movie, wife didn't want to watch
Gaines Mill/Cold Harbor	No
Malvern Hill	No	I don't think this is federally owned
Petersburg	No
Appomattox	No
Fort Sumter	Yes	For the ferry
Shiloh	No
Chickamauga	No
Point Park (Lookout Mountain)	Yes
Fort Donelson	No
Bryce's Crossroads	No	I believe the (state run?) visitor's center would have charged, but it was closed when we visited.
Vicksburg	Yes	Oddly the visitor's center made no mention of the fee and we only knew we had to pay when we got to the gate
Kennesaw Mountain	No
Monocacy	No

FWIW, among the NPS run Revolutionary War and War of 1812 sites I have visited, Yorktown and, I believe, Fort McHenry charged. Saratoga, Valley Forge, Morristown, Cowpens, and Horeshoe Bend did not

 

[bdtex]

I hope this is the right place for this question.

Over the last couple of years I have had the opportunity to visit a rather significant number of Civil War battlefields. Some I walked in and out of without ever seeing another person and some had rather large crowds. Some charged admission, I pay when I am asked but it has lead to something of an observation on my part. Which leads to my question:

Is there any rhyme or reason why certain battlefield parks charge admission and others do not?

Great topic and plenty of rhyme and reasons have been posted.

 

[Ole Miss]

I am unaware why many parks do charge and some do not but here is the reasoning that Shiloh no longer charges a fee.
Regards
David

Date: September 29, 2011
Contact: Chris Mekow, 731-689-5696

"Effective this Saturday, October 1, 2011, the National Park Service will no longer charge an entrance fee to visit Shiloh Battlefield," Shiloh National Military Park superintendent Woody Harrell announced today. Since the 1970s, Shiloh Battlefield visitors have been required to pay a fee whenever entering park grounds. "Earlier this year, we undertook a thorough and comprehensive review of the fee program and its impact on both visitation and local tourism," said Harrell.

Due to the open nature of the park, with multiple roads crossing the battlefield, equitable fee collection has always been difficult. "To keep the cost of collection as low as possible, we have always collected the fee at the Shiloh Visitor Center, rather than at the park entrances," Harrell explained, "and given the location of the visitor center, on the extreme northeastern part of the battlefield, all visitors pass through a large portion of the park before they even arrive at the fee collection point."

"Because fees were being collected at the Visitor Center information desk, many people saw the fee as a charge just to enter the Visitor Center, which discouraged many park patrons from watching the orientation film, viewing exhibits, picking up driving tour maps, and asking questions of our park rangers," Harrell continued. "We were losing our best chance to interact with the public and also update them on current park information and ranger programs."

As a result of the study, superintendent Harrell proposed ending the entrance fee program as the park prepares for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh in April 2012. "We felt it was in the best interest of the park, especially in these uncertain economic times, to end fee collection and promote visitation to the park and the surrounding area." "I would hate to see an entrance fee discourage our citizens from making a trip to this important site," concluded Harrell. Shiloh Battlefield has several events being planned for the sesquicentennial commemoration, a tentative schedule of which can be found on the park website at www.nps.gov/shil.

In addition to the elimination of entrance fees, Shiloh will no longer be participating in the America the Beautiful, National Park and Federal Recreation Lands Pass program. Anyone with questions about the America the Beautiful passes, or a list of facilities that sell passes, are encouraged to contact the Shiloh Visitor Center at 731-689-5696 or go to the Federal Recreation Pass website at https://www.nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm.

Shiloh Battlefield to Eliminate Entrance Fees - Shiloh National Military Park (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

 

[bdtex]

I am unaware why many parks do charge and some do not but here is the reasoning that Shiloh no longer charges a fee.
Regards
David

Date: September 29, 2011
Contact: Chris Mekow, 731-689-5696

"Effective this Saturday, October 1, 2011, the National Park Service will no longer charge an entrance fee to visit Shiloh Battlefield," Shiloh National Military Park superintendent Woody Harrell announced today. Since the 1970s, Shiloh Battlefield visitors have been required to pay a fee whenever entering park grounds. "Earlier this year, we undertook a thorough and comprehensive review of the fee program and its impact on both visitation and local tourism," said Harrell.

Due to the open nature of the park, with multiple roads crossing the battlefield, equitable fee collection has always been difficult. "To keep the cost of collection as low as possible, we have always collected the fee at the Shiloh Visitor Center, rather than at the park entrances," Harrell explained, "and given the location of the visitor center, on the extreme northeastern part of the battlefield, all visitors pass through a large portion of the park before they even arrive at the fee collection point."

"Because fees were being collected at the Visitor Center information desk, many people saw the fee as a charge just to enter the Visitor Center, which discouraged many park patrons from watching the orientation film, viewing exhibits, picking up driving tour maps, and asking questions of our park rangers," Harrell continued. "We were losing our best chance to interact with the public and also update them on current park information and ranger programs."

As a result of the study, superintendent Harrell proposed ending the entrance fee program as the park prepares for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh in April 2012. "We felt it was in the best interest of the park, especially in these uncertain economic times, to end fee collection and promote visitation to the park and the surrounding area." "I would hate to see an entrance fee discourage our citizens from making a trip to this important site," concluded Harrell. Shiloh Battlefield has several events being planned for the sesquicentennial commemoration, a tentative schedule of which can be found on the park website at www.nps.gov/shil.

In addition to the elimination of entrance fees, Shiloh will no longer be participating in the America the Beautiful, National Park and Federal Recreation Lands Pass program. Anyone with questions about the America the Beautiful passes, or a list of facilities that sell passes, are encouraged to contact the Shiloh Visitor Center at 731-689-5696 or go to the Federal Recreation Pass website at https://www.nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm.

Shiloh Battlefield to Eliminate Entrance Fees - Shiloh National Military Park (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

Now that's a great explanation. Can't really fault the reasoning. Thanks for posting that.

 

[Mark Roth]

"Because fees were being collected at the Visitor Center information desk, many people saw the fee as a charge just to enter the Visitor Center, which discouraged many park patrons from watching the orientation film, viewing exhibits, picking up driving tour maps, and asking questions of our park rangers," Harrell continued. "We were losing our best chance to interact with the public and also update them on current park information and ranger programs."

And they mean that. When we went, the staff seemed almost sad that we didn't have time for the movie and wanted to start the driving tour before they had the ranger programs for the day posted.

While we were there first thing in the morning on a Tuesday, the only non-employees we saw were two joggers as we strolled in.

 

[Ole Miss]

In all of my visits to National Parks, I have never met a ranger who did not enjoy my reactions and pure joy! They are an incredible group of professionals who have put up with some of the most ill-behaved and ignorant visitors. I had a ranger at Shiloh who mentioned that one visitor was extremely upset that the Confederate soldiers had not been exhumed from the know burial trenches and reinterred in the National Cemetery. Try as he might he could not placate her and she left fuming. I wonder if that woman is still upset?
Regards
David

 

[infomanpa]

Off the top of my head I cannot see any rhyme or reason, but here is where I have been and as best I remember paying or not.

Site	Paid	Notes
Antietam	No
Gettysburg	No

There is a fee for Antietam. You probably didn't walk into the visitor center.

 

[infomanpa]

Some Battlefields have public roads running through the Battlefield. Gettysburg for example is " littered" with public roads. All the 1863 roads are still there and are still public roads. It would be next to impossible to limit public access in that case. I have been to Harper's Ferry and Antietam several times and I recall paying a vehicle fee for accessing those Civil War sites. But those two historic sites had more limited access. I know we took a park service bus down to Harper's Ferry, I think it was $10 or $15 for the car. I do recall driving right to the Antietam visitor center and I think we paid $10 for my wife and I. However I don't recall any Park access areas either.


I know visitor centers have admission fees for movies and museums. In Gettysburg's case, the " new" visitors center had private funds used for the construction. I don't know if Gettysburg NMP receives any revenue from the visitor center.

I like your explanation. In the example of Gettysburg, it would be impractical to collect a fee since so many public roads criss-cross the battlefield.

 

[lupaglupa]

Am I a cynic if I say they charge when they think someone will pay?

I do think access is a big part of it - when, as in the many examples cited here, folks can easily get to the site it's hard to charge. Where entry is limited, like in the visitor centers, they can get a charge more easily. Some places are seasonal - Saratoga, which @Mark Roth mentioned, charges in the summer but not the winter. I bet if they had the funding the National Park Service would drop the fees everywhere. As @Ole Miss said the rangers are always delighted to have people come and show an interest.

 

[Gettmore]

Just came across this
As part of its ongoing efforts to address aging park infrastructure and improve future visitor experiences, entrance fees for Antietam National Battlefield will increase on January 1, 2019.

"These modest fee increases will allow us to make progress on important maintenance projects and we look forward to showing the results," Superintendent Susan Trail said. "We will invest these funds to improve safety, replace older infrastructure and preserve the resources that make Antietam so special."

All money collected from entrance fees remains in the National Park Service, with at least 80 percent retained locally at Antietam National Battlefield. Fee revenue supports visitor programs and services and helps the park improve comfort stations, accessible walkways, cabins, trails and other visitor facilities. The other 20 percent is spent on projects that benefit visitors in national parks that don't collect entrance fees.

The fee schedule will change according to the following:

Antietam National Battlefield
	Per Vehicle	Per Person	Per Motorcycle	Antietam National Battlefield Annual Pass
Current	$10	$5	$7	$30
Jan. 1, 2019	$15	$7	$10	$30
Jan. 1, 2020	$20	$10	$15	$35

The per vehicle entrance fee covers anyone in a vehicle up to a 15-passenger van and is valid for seven days. The price of the annual America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass and Lifetime Senior Pass will remain $80.

Despite record-breaking visitation of 1.5 billion visitors over the last five years, the combination of aging infrastructure and increased visitation has put a strain on park roads, bridges, campgrounds, waterlines, bathrooms, and other visitor services, leading to a $11.6 billion deferred maintenance backlog nationwide.

The new fee schedule at all National Parks is a result of public comments received on a fee proposal released in October 2017 by the Department of Interior. It includes modest fee increases for all fee-charging parks instead of the higher peak-season fees initially proposed at 17 highly visited national parks.

 

[Mark Roth]

There is a fee for Antietam. You probably didn't walk into the visitor center.

You are correct.

I paid, I incorrectly wrote that I did not, and while I was last there did notice that it would have been easy to get around paying.