Detail of proposed land exchange between CBP and NPS in Harpers Ferry (from NPS 2021 map).
The four members of West Virginia’s Congressional delegation have introduced legislation to authorize a long-planned transfer of 71.5 acres of land from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to the National Park Service (NPS) in exchange for 25 acres of land to be transferred from NPS to CBP.
The land to be transferred to NPS consists of three parcels that lie just to the east of Schoolhouse Ridge (see full map image below) and fills in the gap surrounded by existing NPS land that sits along Route 340 and Millville Road.
The 25 acres of current park land to be transferred to CBP are located just south of the existing CBP training facility, adjacent to the CSX rail line. NPS has restricted public access to this area since 2019 because of the danger posed by several sinkholes in the vicinity of the trail that runs along the southern portion of Schoolhouse Ridge (the trail that runs northward from the Schoolhouse Ridge parking area remains open).
Senators Jim Justice and Shelly Moore Capito introduced legislation on July 15 2025 (S. 2280) to authorize the transfer. Congressman Riley Moore, along with Congresswoman Carol Miller, introduced the corresponding legislation in the House (H.R. 6062) on November 17. The text of the House bill is not yet published, but it likely mirrors both the Senate legislation and an earlier version of the House legislation that was included in the markup for the FY26 appropriations bill that included the Interior Department budget.
According to an NPS spokesperson, “The 71.5 acres proposed for transfer to the National Park Service would become part of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park’s Schoolhouse Ridge cultural landscape, which is nationally significant for its role in the 1862 Battle for Harpers Ferry and John Brown’s 1859 raid. The proposed land transfer would improve access and stewardship of park lands and allow for the expansion of Customs and Border Protection’s Advanced Training Center. This has been a shared goal of the National Park Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for more than a decade.”
Congressional Action To Complete The Transfer
The General Services Administration administers land held for both NPS and CBP. Individuals familiar with the GSA told The Observer that the land exchange process can take many years. According to the land exchange process outlined on the GSA website, the requirements include surveys, environmental studies, and public review. The map for this project was completed in May 2021, suggesting that the survey and other preliminary work were completed several years earlier.
The information available on the GSA website indicates that transfers typically involve property of equivalent value. The Observer’s sources say that Congressional approval is required for property valued above a certain amount. While the value of the parcels involved in this exchange is unclear, the disparity in the acreage between the two parcels likely triggered a requirement for Congressional approval.
CBP Plans For New Land Not Announced
Congressman Moore issued a press release on November 17 indicating that expansion of the Harpers Ferry CBP Advance Training Center (ATC) had been constrained and that this new land would “clear the final barrier to expanding the ATC’s critical training infrastructure.”
Despite the characterization of constraints at ATC, CPB celebrated the ribbon cutting for the newly-constructed Monarch Hall on June 24, 2025 (both Congressman Moore and Senator Capito attended that ribbon cutting ceremony) and there appears to be ongoing construction on the site. CPB has not provided any information about whether they have any immediate plans for construction on the parcel they expect to receive.
National Park Service Map — Proposed Land Transfers
Published 2025 Nov 19. Updated 2025 Nov 20 (NPS map image).
By Steve Pearson