Marsh-Billing-Rockefeller National Historical Park – Vermont

Marsh-Billing-Rockefeller National Historical Park is the only National Park Service site in Vermont. Unlike other parks created to preserve wilderness or historic battles, this park tells the story of the birth and evolution of conservation through stewardship.

In the early 19th century, George Perkins Marsh, who grew up on this land, published the book: Man and Nature. He introduced the revolutionary idea that nature requires thoughtful care, and his work laid the intellectual foundation for modern conservation.

Later in the 1800s, the property was purchased by Frederick Billings. Much of Vermont’s hillside had been deforested and Billings began a deliberate program of reforestation and soil restoration. The estate became a working model that proved that forest could be productive and healthy when managed with intention.

In the 20th century, stewardship passed to Laurance and Mary Rockefeller, some of the most influential conservationists in American history. They played a role in expansion and protection of the National Park System. Here in Vermont, they continued the legacy of careful land management.

The Rockefellers chose not to keep the estate to themselves but donated the property to the American people. In 1992, the estate was designated a National Historical Park and signed into law by George H. W. Bush.

This site became the first and only national park dedicated to the history of conservation itself and is a living testament that caring for the land is an act of citizenship.