The civic record

Read. Follow. Verify.

FEDERALhearing transcript

Hearing on the Proposed Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Original title: C. & O. Canal National Historical Park: hearing before the Subcommittee on Public Lands of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, United States Senate, Eighty-seventh Congress, first session, on S. 77, to provide for the establishment of Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, April 12, 1961.

Record date · July 20, 2026

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

What This Bill Does

This document is a transcript of a 1961 U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing regarding , a bill proposed to establish the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal as a National Historical Park. The hearing served as a formal legislative review to discuss the potential designation and management of the canal lands.

Why it matters

The hearing represents the legislative process that led to the federal protection and management of the C&O Canal, which currently serves as a public recreational and historical site managed by the National Park Service.

Who It Affects

Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

National Park Service

The agency would be responsible for the management and administration of the land if the bill were enacted.

Directly affected

Public land users

The designation of the area as a National Historical Park changes the regulatory framework for public access and land use.

Key Facts

The hearing was held on April 12, 1961, by the Subcommittee on Public Lands.
The subject of the hearing was S. 77, a bill to establish the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park.
The hearing took place during the Eighty-seventh Congress, first session.
The purpose of the hearing was to gather testimony and evidence regarding the proposed park designation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the purpose of this hearing?

The hearing was held to discuss and review the merits of , which proposed creating the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park.

When did this hearing take place?

The hearing was held on April 12, 1961.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Follow the record

Votes, people, money & the original source

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Historical Park Designation

The hearing marks the formal legislative transition of the C&O Canal from a decommissioned waterway to a protected federal historical site.

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal

Connected Entities

Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, Subcommittee on Public Lands

OrganizationCommittee on Interior and Insular Affairs“The parent committee overseeing the subcommittee.”Map →

OrganizationSubcommittee on Public Lands“The Senate subcommittee responsible for reviewing the bill.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy10
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz5
Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools