Post to Park Transfer

As the post became a park, National Park Service rangers raised the flag for the first time over Vancouver Barracks. NPS Photo

Visiting Fort Vancouver National Historic Site today, you’ll see history spanning hundreds of years and countless cultures. One sight you can’t miss is the former United States Army post, known as Vancouver Barracks, in which 23 buildings located to the north and west of the fur trade era fort have transferred from the US Army to the National Park Service. The remaining barracks buildings on Officers' Row and in the West Barracks are now owned by the City of Vancouver.

Built in 1849, Vancouver Barracks was initially home to 240 soldiers brought to encourage American settlement and development of the Pacific Northwest; soldiers were sent to fight in conflicts against Indigenous peoples and forcibly remove them to reservations. The barracks also served as a major headquarters, supply depot, and training and mobilization center for the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, the Philippine War, World Wars I and II, and other foreign engagements. It’s one of our nation's most historic military posts.

But after World War II, the Army had less use for the buildings – they served as a training center for the Army Reserve and Washington National Guard for the next 65 years. In 1961, Congress passed legislation ensuring the National Park Service would protect the historic East and South Barracks once the Army vacated the site, and on Memorial Day 2012, these portions of Vancouver Barracks were transferred to the NPS.

The American People look to the National Park Service as keepers of our histories. Due to their complex history and sensitive heritage resources, the East and South Barracks are clearly nationally significant and merit inclusion into the national park system.

Where this belongs

• Fort Vancouver National Historic Site

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