News from the National Historical Park

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 1, 2026

As the nation prepares for its 250th birthday festivities, the San Juan Island National Historical Park has much to celebrate as well. A new welcoming center will be opening up this month, improvements at English Camp are in the works, staff will be having one-on-one time with the public during meet-the-staff events and the park is in the early stages of a Philanthropic Partner Organization Launch to continue furthering their goals.

The new Welcome Center

“We are thrilled to reclaim a public-facing point of contact in downtown like we used to have on Spring Street,” said Elexis Fredy, National Historical Park superintendent. “Our ability to connect with the community and island visitors will be supported by our steadfast local volunteers, and enhanced by our partnership with Discover Your Northwest, who will support the operation of a small bookstore to purchase park memorabilia.”

The new Welcome Center is located at the headquarters building at 650 Mullis Street in the Tech Center. The Center will be open year-round, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to Fredy, and is “designed to assist with information, trip planning, and connecting with park staff and volunteers.”

“The opening of the new Welcome Center couldn’t be better timed,” Fredy told the Journal, “as the park had to make the difficult decision not to open the English Camp Barracks as a summer visitor contact station due to a lack of long-term volunteers and mounting issues with the building.”

Issues stem from age, including structural damage and rodents.

The grand opening for the Welcome Center will be on July 13.

English Camp improvements

There are, according to Fredy, approximately 20 accessibility deficiencies and a 52-foot elevation difference between main parking and the Parade Grounds, making it difficult for those with mobility issues. As a result, the park will be launching the Correct Accessibility Deficiencies at English Camp Project this year. Public meetings will be held in the fall on the preliminary phase of the design. The plan is to eventually relocate the summer visitor contact station, formerly operating out of the English Camp Barracks building, to the Crook House, with the new ADA project creating a connected path between the parking lot, scenic overlook, the Crook House and parade grounds.

The park is working with park-associated tribes and Rolluda Architects on the new design. The design will include locating a formal transit loading/unloading area, an expanded bicycle parking/storage area, a new prefabricated pit toilet facility, locating and designing a receiving plaza for delivery of information and wayfinding, connecting to accessible parking spaces to restrooms and pathways within the parking area and developing an accessible pathway from the parking area to the Crook House.

A primary scenic overlook between the parking area and Crook House, of the English Camp Parade Grounds, will be designed along with resting areas that have benches and/or picnic tables. This would require some scenic vista clearing; however, there will be increased opportunities for interpretation and education. Fredy cited ranger-led talks and wayside exhibits as a couple of examples.

Meet the staff

The first of three “Meet the Staff” events occurred on June 11. Park staff hosted an open house-style event where community members and visitors were invited to stop by, learn about the park, ask questions and share feedback. The June 11 event was an astounding success, Fredy says, “the day was filled with thought-provoking questions, meaningful community engagement, transparency, and plenty of fun and great conversations.”

Got questions, comments? Want to get to know the park and park staff? The next Meet the Staff will be held Thursday, July 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the last one will be Aug. 6, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. “Thank you to everyone who attended!” Fredy said.

Getting to know park visitors

Studying who visitors are and what they want from their park, San Juan Island National Historical Park was randomly selected to participate in the U.S. Park Service Socioeconomic Monitoring Visitor Surveys this summer, so the park is welcoming a team of researchers from the University of Montana. The team will be on the island from July 24 to Aug. 4, busily conducting surveys throughout American Camp and English Camp, collecting data on park user demographics, trip planning, spending and experiences. These surveys will assist park staff to better understand who visits, what activities people are doing and what the economic contributions are to the local and regional economies. Fredy explained, “We want to hear from locals, too, so please don’t be shy if asked to participate! Ultimately, surveys will inform park management and decisions, so your voice and information matter to us – thank you in advance for supporting this effort.”

Philanthropic Partner Organization Launch

Park staff have big plans for the future, but without a fan club, many of them are difficult to achieve. This year, Fredy is working to stand up a founding board of directors for a new corporation organized exclusively for charitable, educational and scientific purposes under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

She emphasized the preliminary objectives would be to support the park by:

• Supporting the preservation, protection, interpretation and enhancement of the cultural, historical, natural and recreational resources of San Juan Island National Historical Park.

• Advancing public education and awareness of the park’s historical significance, ecological values, cultural heritage and recreation opportunities.

• Promoting stewardship through youth engagement and community partnerships within the park and surrounding areas.

• Facilitating philanthropic contributions, grants and volunteer engagement to enhance the park’s programs, facilities, operations and outreach efforts.

• Providing support for the professional development, training and well-being of park staff, including travel for official business, participation in conferences and access to skill development and training.

• Providing support for acquiring and maintaining access to affordable housing solutions for park staff, interns and volunteers.

• Providing support for collaboration between the National Park Service and tribes whose ancestral territories include lands within San Juan Island National Historical Park.

• Partnering with local and state governmental agencies, nonprofit organizations and community stakeholders to further the mission of San Juan Island National Historical Park.

“There are so many community members who care so deeply; we want to hear your ideas,” Fredy said.

Please contact Fredy at 360-298-8123 or email elexis_fredy@nps.gov if interested in serving on this newly forming board of directors or have ideas to contribute about the organization’s goals and objectives.