H.R. 1945

America’s National Churchill Museum National Historic Landmark Act

STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BEFORE THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON FEDERAL LANDS, CONCERNING H.R. 1945, A BILL TO DESIGNATE THE AMERICA’S NATIONAL CHURCHILL MUSEUM NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK.

JULY 16, 2025

Chairman Tiffany, Ranking Member Neguse, and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to present the Department of the Interior’s views on H.R. 1945, a bill to designate the America’s National Churchill Museum National Historic Landmark, and for other purposes.

H.R. 1945 would designate America’s National Churchill Museum in Fulton, Missouri, as a national historic landmark. The bill would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into cooperative agreements with, and provide technical and financial assistance to, public and private entities to protect and interpret the site. The bill includes provisions to ensure that the landmark designation would not impact property rights or the administration of the site. H.R. 1945 would also direct the Secretary to conduct a special resource study of the designated landmark to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing the site as a unit of the National Park System.

Established in 1969, the Museum is dedicated to remembering and honoring the life and legacy of Sir Winston S. Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. On March 5, 1946, Churchill delivered a speech on the campus of Westminster College in Fulton that came to be known as the “Iron Curtain” speech. To memorialize the event, the 17th-century church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, was relocated from London to Fulton in the 1960s. Bombed and badly damaged in the Second World War, the building, designed by Sir Christopher Wren, now houses the Museum. The site also features the largest continuous section of the Berlin Wall in North America, now transformed into a sculpture by Edwina Sandys, Winston Churchill’s granddaughter. The Museum was recognized as “America's National Churchill Museum” by Congress in 2009.

We appreciate the bill’s goal to bring greater recognition to the history of the National Churchill Museum. However, National Historic Landmark designation is established through the long-standing administrative process. This process provides an opportunity for local input and scholarly review, ensuring that all nominated properties meet the required criteria for National Historic Landmark designation, including that the Museum demonstrates exceptional national importance in American history and has historical authenticity. The administrative process protects the integrity of the National Historic Landmark designation by ensuring that properties satisfy the meritorious standards required.

In addition, NPS is focusing resources on addressing the critical needs of parks in its existing portfolio, including reducing the deferred maintenance and repair backlog. Provisions of the bill authorizing the Secretary to provide technical and financial assistance to protect the Museum’s historic resources and to provide programs for the public at the site, and to conduct a special resource study of the Museum to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing the site as a unit of the National Park System would divert the NPS from its core mission. We welcome the opportunity to work with the sponsor and the subcommittee on appropriate recognition of the National Churchill Museum.

Thank you for the opportunity to submit this statement for the record.