Jonathan Starkey

The News Journal

A national park expansion in Delaware won final approval in the U.S. Senate on Friday as part of a $577 billion defense spending bill that also included funds for the war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

The Senate passed the bill 89-11, sending it to President Obama for his signature. House lawmakers gave their approval last week.

The legislation, which includes the Pentagon's budget and $64 billion for wars overseas, created the First State National Historical Park. The park will include sites designated last year as Delaware's First State National Monument.

Those sites include the 1,100 Woodlawn property near Brandywine Creek State Park, The Green in Dover and the New Castle County Court House complex in New Castle. The legislation also gives the National Park Service authority to include additional sites in the park from all three counties.

Potential new sites, which would be added through preservation easements, include Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church in Wilmington, the John Dickinson Plantation near Dover, Ryves Holt House in Lewes and Fort Christina National Historic Landmark.

Congress did not allocate additional money for administration of the park. The sites celebrate Delaware's colonial heritage and the state's role in the signing of the U.S. Constitution.

U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., who has steadfastly sought a park designation for Delaware, released a statement after the vote on Friday. "Now, Delaware can have a national park that preserves and teaches the lessons of our state's heritage and our country's history," he said.

U.S. Rep. John Carney, D-Del., called the historical park a "tremendous achievement," in a written statement, saying "I look forward to taking my family and visitors from out of state to visit the natural and historic sites in our park."

Contact Jonathan Starkey at (302) 983-6756, on Twitter @jwstarkey or at jstarkey@delawareonline.com.