National Monuments Established by Acts of Congress

Frequently Asked Questions

The tables on these pages include answers to frequently asked questions, including the names of national monuments established by acts of Congress; the number of national monuments established by presidents; name or designation changes to national monuments; abolished national monuments; and statistics related to the administration of national monuments by federal agency.

National Monuments Established by Acts of Congress

A number of national parks were established by acts of Congress, not by presidential proclamation under the authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906. The term “national monuments” in both Presidential and Congressional cases is an indication of management status.

National Monument / Congress / Date Est. / Statute No. / Starting Acreage (exceptions noted)
Kill Devil Hill / 69th / 3/2/1927 / 44 Stat. 1264 / 314
Colonial / 71st / 7/3/1930 / 46 Stat. 855 / 2,500 (authorized)
Canyon de Chelly / 71st / 2/14/1931 / 46 Stat. 1161 / 8,3840
George Washington Birthplace / 71st / 1/23/1930 / 46 Stat. 58 / 393.68
Ocmulgee / 73rd / 6/14/1934 / 48 Stat. 958 / 678.48
Appomattox / 74th / 8/13/1935 / 49 Stat. 613 / 1
Patrick Henry / 74th / 8/15/1935 / 49 Stat. 652 / Repealed. Dec. 21, 1944
Fort Stanwix / 74th / 8/21/1935 / 49 Stat. 665 / 15.52 (current)
Ackia Battleground / 74th / 8/27/1935 / 49 Stat. 897 / 49
Andrew Johnson / 74th / 8/29/1935 / 49 Stat. 958 / 17 (current)
Homestead / 74th / 3/19/1936 / 49 Stat. 1184 / 160
Fort Frederica / 74th / 5/26/1936 / 49 Stat. 1373 / 80
Perry's Victory / 74th / 6/2/1936 / 49 Stat. 1393 / 14.25
Whitman / 74th / 6/29/1936 / 49 Stat. 2028 / 45.94 (affected)
Pipestone / 75th / 8/25/1937 / 50 Stat. 804, 805 / 115.86
Badlands / 76th / 1/24/1939 / 45 Stat.1553 / 130,000 (affected)
Fort McHenry / 76th / 8/11/1939 / 53 Stat. 1405 / 43.46 (current)
George Washington Carver / 78th / 7/14/1943 / 57 Stat. 563 / 210 (current)
Harpers Ferry / 78th / 6/30/1944 / 58 Stat. 645 / 1,500 (authorized)
Custer Battlefield / 79th / 3/22/1946 / 60 Stat. 59 / 765.34 (affected)
Castle Clinton / 79th / 8/12/1946 / 60 Stat. 997 / 1
Fort Vancouver / 80th / 6/19/1948 / 62 Stat. 532 / 209 (affected)
Fort Sumter / 80th / 4/28/1948 / 62 Stat. 204 / 125
Saint Croix / 81st / 6/8/1949 / 63 Stat. 168 / 28.44 (affected)
Fort Union / 83rd / 6/28/1954 / 68 Stat. 298 / 720.6
Booker T. Washington / 84th / 4/2/1956 / 70 Stat. 86 / 199
Grand Portage / 85th / 9/2/1958 / 72 Stat. 1751 / 709.97
Agate Fossil Beds / 89th / 6/5/1965 / 79 Stat. 123 / 3,065
Pecos / 89th / 6/28/1965 / 79 Stat. 195 / 342
Alibates Flint Quarries / 89th / 8/31/1965 / 79 Stat. 587 / 1,371 (current)
Biscayne / 90th / 10/18/1968 / 82 Stat. 1188 / 17,2924.07 (current)
Florissant Fossil Beds / 91st / 8/20/1969 / 83 Stat. 101 / 5,998.09 (current)
Hohokam Pima / 92nd / 10/21/1972 / 86 Stat. 1047 / 1,690 (current)
Fossil Butte / 92nd / 10/23/1972 / 86 Stat. 1069 / 8,198
John Day Fossil Butte / 93rd / 10/26/1974 / 88 Stat. 1461 / 14402.23
Congaree Swamp / 94th / 10/18/1976 / 90 Stat. 2517 / 21,867.53 (current)
Salinas National Monument (incorporated Gran Quivira NM) / 96th / 12/19/1980 / 94 Stat. 3231 / 466 (authorized)
Mount Saint Helens (both president and congress) / 97th / 8/26/1982 / 96 Stat. 301 / 110,000
El Malpais / 100th / 12/31/1987 / 101 Stat. 1539 / 114,277
Poverty Point / 100th / 10/31/1988 / 102 Stat. 2803 / 402
Hagerman Fossil Beds / 100th / 11/18/1988 / 102 Stat. 4575 / 4,351
Petroglyph / 101st / 6/27/1990 / 104 Stat. 272 / 7,236
Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains / 106th / 10/24/2000 / 114 Stat. 1362 / 272,000 (current)
Tule Springs Fossil Beds / 113th / 12/19/2014 / H.R. 4435 / 22,650
Valles Caldera National Preserve / 113th / 12/19/2014 / H.R. 4435 / 89,216

Name and Designation Changes to National Monuments

National Monument / Date Name Changed / Changed to
Admiralty Island / 12/1/1978 / Incorporated into TongassNF
Aniakchak / 12/2/1980 / Aniakchak National Preserve
Arches / 11/12/1971 / ArchesNational Park
Becharof / 12/1/1978 / Becharof National Wildlife Refuge
Bering Land Bridge / 12/2/1980 / BeringLand Bridge National Preserve
Big Hole Battlefield / 5/17/1963 / Big Hole National Battlefield
BlackCanyon of the Gunnison / 10/21/1999 / BlackCanyon of the GunnisonNational Park
BryceCanyon / 6/7/1924 / BryceCanyonNational Park
Capitol Reef / 12/18/1971 / CapitolReefNational Park
CarlsbadCave / 5/14/1930 / CarlsbadCaveNational Park
ChacoCanyon / 12/19/1980 / Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Channel Islands / 5/31/1980 / Channel IslandsNational Park
Chesapeake & OhioCanal / 1/8/1971 / Chesapeake & OhioCanal National Historical Park
Cinder Cone / 8/9/1916 / Lassen Volcanic National Park
Colonial / 5/6/1936 / Colonial National Historical Park
Denali / 12/2/1980 / DenaliNational Park and Preserve
Edison Laboratory / 9/5/1962 / Edison Laboratory National Historic Site
First State / 12/19/2014 / First State National Historical Park
FortJefferson / 10/26/1992 / Dry TortugasNational Park
FortLaramie / 4/29/1960 / FortLaramie National Historic Site
FortWood / 5/11/1965 / Statue of LibertyNational Monument
Gates of the Arctic / 12/2/1980 / Gates of the ArcticNational Park and Preserve
Giant Sequoia / 4/15/2000 / Redesignated into Sequoia National Forest
Glacier Bay / 12/2/1980 / Glacier BayNational Park and Preserve
Gran Quivira / 12/19/1980 / SalinasPuebloMissionsNational Monument
Grand Canyon / 2/26/1919 / Grand CanyonNational Park
Grand Canyon "II" / 1/3/1975 / Grand CanyonNational Park
Great Sand Dunes / 11/22/2000 / GreatSandDunesNational Park and Preserve
Jackson Hole / 9/14/1950 / Grand TetonNational Park
Joshua Tree / 10/31/1994 / JoshuaTreeNational Park
Katmai / 12/2/1980 / KatmaiNational Park and Preserve
Kenai Fjords / 12/2/1980 / Kenai Fjords National Preserve
KobukValley / 12/2/1980 / KobukValley National Preserve
LakeClark / 12/2/1980 / LakeClarkNational Park & Preserve
Lassen Volcanic / 8/9/1916 / Lassen Volcanic National Park
LehmanCaves / 10/27/1986 / Incorporated into Great BasinNational Park
MarbleCanyon / 1/3/1975 / Incorporated into Grand Canyon NP
Meriwether Lewis / 8/10/1961 / Included in the Natchez Trace Parkway
Misty Fjords / 12/2/1980 / Redesignated within TongassNational Forest
Mound City Group / 5/27/1992 / Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
MountOlympus / 6/29/1938 / Olympic National Park
Mukuntu-weap/Zion / 11/19/1919 / ZionNational Park
Noatak / 12/2/1980 / Noatak National Preserve
Oregon Caves / 12/19/2014 / Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve
Petrified Forest / 3/28/1958 / Petrified ForestNational Park
Saguaro / 10/14/1994 / SaguaroNational Park
Santa Rosa Island / 7/30/1946 / Incorporated into Gulf IslandsNS
Sieur de Monts / 1930 / AcadiaNational Park
Sitka / 10/18/1972 / Sitka National Historical Park
Sunset Crater / 11/16/1990 / Sunset Crater VolcanoNM
Tumacacori / 8/6/1990 / Tumacacori National Historical Park
Wrangell-St. Elias / 12/2/1980 / Wrangell-St.EliasNational Park and Preserve
Yukon Flats / 12/2/1980 / Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge
Yukon-Charley Rivers / 12/2/1980 / Yukon-Charley Rivers Preserve
Zion "II" (Kolob Section) / 7/11/1956 / ZionNational Park

Abolished National Monuments

National Monument / Date Abolished / Reason
Castle Pinckney / 03/29/1956 / Declared extraneous; transferred to South Carolina
Father Millett Cross / 09/07/1949 / Declared extraneous; transferred to New York, now FortNiagaraState Park
Fossil Cycad / 08/01/1956 / Resources depleted; transferred to BLM
Holy Cross / 08/03/1950 / Difficult to reach and develop, poor visitation; transferred to U.S. Forest Service
Lewis and Clark Cavern / 08/24/1937 / Transferred to Montana, now Lewis & ClarkCavernsState Park
Misty Fjords / 12/02/1980 / Difficult to access and develop, poor visitation; transferred to US Forest Service, now part of TongassNational Forest
Old Kasaan / 07/26/1955 / Transferred to U.S. Forest Service, now part of TongassNational Forest
Papago Saguaro / 04/07/1930 / Transferred to Arizona, now PapagoPark
Shoshone Cavern / 05/17/1954 / Transferred to Wyoming, cannot be visited
Verendrye / 07/30/1956 / Historically inaccurate; transferred to North Dakota
Wheeler / 08/03/1950 / Transferred to U.S. Forest Service, now part of Rio GrandeNational Forest