Rogers pushing bill to make Mill Springs
member of U.S. National Park Service

Kentucky Congressman Hal Rogers has reintroduced legislation to preserve Mill Springs Battlefield as a member of the U.S. National Park Service.

The bill, introduced in January, seeks to place the battlefield, located in Pulaski and Wayne counties, on solid footing for future generations.

The battle on Jan. 19, 1862, was the third largest in Kentucky. The conflict resulted in a Union victory and blazed a trail for Union troops to move from Kentucky into Tennessee.

The measure calls for a National Park Service study on incorporating the battlefield into the national parks system. Currently, the battlefield is being preserved through private sources.

The Mill Springs Battlefield Association has led efforts to preserve the battlefield, which has been visited by more than 50,000 Civil War enthusiasts. Rogers pointed out that the battle “notally affected the outcome of the Civil War and impacted our nation’s history,” and that he was proud to stand with members of a Kentucky delegation seeking to make it part of the national park service.

Other co-sponsors of the bill are Kentucky congressmen John Yarmuth, Brett Guthrie and Andy Barr.

New Mill Springs Battlefield Executive Director Stephen McKinney said he was prepared to work toward the national goal, but pointed out that it is more difficult to achieve now than it was before 2008 because of an economy that has forced the government to significantly reduce funding for national park projects.

“We have to tailor our operations to be efficient and to have a high educational value and to aid tourism in both Pulaski and Wayne counties,” McKinney said. “ ... We have to have our feet in the door.

“We need businesses, industries and families to support the Mill Springs Battlefield Association because we are not receiving federal funds right now.”

Currently, the battlefield is being preserved and maintained through private sources. That includes some backing from Pulaski County government.

“The county support for this organization has been absolutely fabulous,” McKinney said. “The county judge-executive (Barty Bullock) has been a wonderful asset and the kind of support we get from the county is very highly appreciated.”

Rogers reintroduced binding legislation (H.R. 298) that asks the National Park Service to conduct a study to evaluate incorporating the battlefield into the national park system. If approved by Congress, the federally led analysis would consider the economic and educational impacts that inclusion of Mill Springs would have on surrounding communities, impact to landowners, and cost of federal government operation.

If the legislation passes in the House of Representatives, it’ll then go before the Senate, and then to President Barack Obama’s desk.

Previously, Rogers had secured more than $1.35 million in federal funding to enhance the visitor experience at Mill Springs.   If the battlefield achieves national park status – something McKinney says could take anywhere from two to seven years once Obama signs off on the bill – they’ll receive federal funding, which would relieve the county of its own financial obligations.

“There are a lot of upsides to being part of the national park service,” McKinney noted, “but they have criteria for traffic and land use and how they will interpret what we do is uncertain.

“My goal is to have Mill Springs positioned to be included within the national park system and my efforts are going to be tailored to meeting that goal,” McKinney commented. “And, in the meantime, we have to expand our membership base and bring more tourist dollars into Pulaski and Wayne counties.”