A groundbreaking ceremony to initiate construction of the Homestead Heritage Center at Homestead National Monument of America will take place on Friday, April 21, 2006, at 10:30 a.m. Visitors are asked to park at the current visitor center and they will be shuttled to the Heritage Center site. All visitors must be parked by 10:15 a.m. in order to be sure there is ample time to transport everyone to the site. Participating in the ceremony will be members of the Nebraska Congressional Delegation. Confirmed speakers include Senator Chuck Hagel and Congressman Jeff Fortenberry. Community leaders will also participate in the ceremony. Other distinguished guests providing remarks include National Park Service Midwest Regional Director Ernest Quintana, Friends of Homestead President Laureen Riedesel, and Ms. Laura Maricle, a descendant of homesteaders. Ms. Laura Maricle, an Albion High School senior, will give a special presentation sharing her family?s Homestead Heritage. The new Homestead Heritage Center will share with the public the national aspects of the Homestead Act of 1862 and its effects on the people, land, and world. The center will be a 10,600 square foot facility housing a museum and a curatorial storage area. It will also serve as repository for the Homestead Land-Entry Case files. This distinctive, two story building will provide a visual connection to natural and cultural resources found on the Freeman Homestead Claim and is expected to achieve a Silver Leed rating for sustainability. Superintendent Mark Engler states ?Even the parking lot plays an educational role in the project. The parking lot will be one acre in size which will be able to answer a common visitor question of how large one acre is.? For more information, please contact Homestead National Monument of America at 402-223-3514. Visit us at www.nps.gov/home/. The National Monument is located 4 miles west of Beatrice on Nebraska Highway 4. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 to 5:00 p.m. on weekends. All events are free of charge.
