Local landmark’s addition to National Park System has bipartisan support
Dayton Daily News – Local lawmakers want to make the Col. Charles Young Home in Xenia part of the National Park System.
Young was the first black to reach the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army, but was forced into early retirement after a physical revealed he had high blood pressure. He proved that he was in good health by making a 500-mile horse back ride from Wilberforce to Washington, D.C.
Young also was a professor, fluent in several languages and the first black superintendent of a national park. He built a list of accomplishments and historical firsts during his lifetime.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and U.S. Rep. Steve Austria, R-Beavercreek, have introduced legislation in the Senate and House to add the Young home to the park system.
