Lawmakers want Detroit fort site designated as national park

DETROIT (AP) - Two lawmakers are pushing to have the site of a military fort in southwest Detroit designated as a national park.

Democratic state Sen. Stephanie Chang and Detroit City Councilwoman Raquel Castaneda-Lopez want the city to deed Historic Fort Wayne to the federal government. Nearly 3,000 signatures have been gathered on a petition to support the initiative.

The star-shaped fort was built between 1842 and 1851 and features an 1848 limestone barracks building, commanding officers house, Spanish-American War guard house and a Tuskegee Airmen Museum. The grounds also contain a Native American burial site dating back more than 1,000 years.

The fort is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Chang said in release that as a national park, Historic Fort Wayne would receive “dedicated funding and resources.”