The future of Historic Oak Hill State Park remains uncertain as the Virginia General Assembly nears the conclusion of its session.
The Conservation Fund continues to have discussions with members of the House and Senate on the proposal to make President James Monroe‘s former home a state park in Loudoun County, Virginia.
Although establishing Historic Oak Hill State Park would require no state funding, the legislation was excluded in the conference budget released today. The Virginia Senate referred the legislation back to the Senate Finance Committee, effectively killing it for this budget session.
“Now is our chance to collectively preserve Oak Hill, together ensuring this irreplaceable part of our state’s history and our nation’s heritage remains with us forever. We have a solution. Just as importantly, we have a duty. It’s time to get this done,” The Conservation Fund‘s lead on the project Heather Richards said.
Creation of the park would not impact the bottom line of Virginia‘s budget for 2026. All funding necessary to purchase, open and operate the park would come from local, private, federal and already dedicated state sources. Virginia has been offered a first-of-its-kind park that comes with an operating endowment and start-up capital to meet staffing and operational needs.
Now owned by the DeLashmutt family, the 1,200-acre estate 40 miles west of Washington, D.C. is where Monroe lived while he served as the 5th president of the United States from 1817 to 1825 and wrote the Monroe Doctrine. Afterward, in his retirement, Monroe lived at Oak Hill and wrote his autobiography.
When Richards spoke with Augusta Free Press in late January, the Fund’s hope was to have the park open in early 2026 for visitors. The Fund’s plans is to purchase the estate from the DeLashmutt family and hand over operations to the Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation. Funding is planned through private donations, grant funding and $22 million from Loudoun County.
“Loudoun County has been incredibly supportive of this. They really want to see this state park happen,” Richards told AFP.
A feasibility study determined that $52 million was needed to purchase the historic home and property, open the park and begin park operations. Within that price tag is $20 million for operating costs to “really make it a fully operating entity.”
On January 29, Richards was present for the House Agriculture Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee‘s 20 to 0 vote to approve legislation to move forward with the new park. On February 4, the fourth vote was held to support the park when the Virginia House approved the legislation.
The Virginia House and Virginia Senate each released proposals with different visions for the park. The House‘s vision included full funding to bring the opportunity to life, but the Senate‘s did not.
“Hope springs eternal. It’s not over until it’s over,” Richards told the AFP today. In the next 30 days, the Fund will continue to work with the administration to get Oak Hill back in the state budget.
She said that legislators she has talked with thought “this was an incredible deal for the Commonwealth.” The legislation does not lack support and the Fund will encourage an amendment to the state budget to include Oak Hill.
The feasibility study said that no state funding would be required. The Fund is only asking for legislative approval of “an incredible opportunity that’s presented by the project” for state park status in Virginia.
“This was a solid plan, it is a solid plan and we’re just going to continue to work to see if we can get the Governor to put it back in the budget,” Richards said.
Related stories:
Lawmakers request President Monroe’s home in Oak Hill designated as unit of National Park System
Loudoun County: President James Monroe’s Oak Hill home to be preserved as Virginia State Park
Loudoun County: Efforts proceed to preserve President James Monroe’s Oak Hill
Loudoun County: House committee approves preservation of Oak Hill as state park
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Rebecca Barnabi
