Kym Hall visited Jamestown Island on a family vacation 12 years ago, thinking she wanted her National Park Service career to bring her there.
In July she took over as superintendent of the Colonial National Historical Park.
“I saw the resources and saw the stories, and said this is phenomenal,” Hall said, sitting in her glass-fronted office with the green park spilling out behind her. “This is the birth of our country and I want to work here someday — I want to be the superintendent here someday. This is great.”
She didn’t think it likely, but when her friend Dan Smith got ready to retire from the job last year, he encouraged her to apply. She still can’t quite believe it has all come together, and is quickly working to build relationships with local officials and organizations.
“Since that time, I think they’ve done a lot of the work on the Yorktown end of things,” Hall said. “They’ve redone the Riverwalk and I’ve gotten to see Main Street, and kind of think about what could happen there in terms of bringing that back to life in a more vibrant way.
Yorktown, where American and French soldiers won the Revolution, celebrated the 234th anniversary of the British surrender and the official ending of fighting in the colonies on Oct. 19, 1781.
A contingent from the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps traveled from Washington to perform Monday…
Yorktown, where American and French soldiers won the Revolution, celebrated the 234th anniversary of the British surrender and the official ending of fighting in the colonies on Oct. 19, 1781.
A contingent from the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps traveled from Washington to perform Monday…
(Daily Press)
“So to me it was just like there’s all kinds of possibilities of things that we can do here.”
Hall, 48 and the mother of three sons, is a 28-year veteran of the National Park Service who grew up on the West Coast. She comes to Colonial after short stints as acting superintendent for the Outer Banks Group parks in North Carolina and Glacier National Park in Montana.
Hall had worked as deputy superintendent at Glacier since 2011. She began her career at Olympic National Bank in Washington state before working on various regulations at the NPS headquarters in Washington, D.C., as well as serving as superintendent of the Southeast Arizona Group parks and acting superintendent of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Arizona.
When Matthew Jones II began erecting a house on Mulberry Island overlooking the James River about 1720, he quickly distinguished it from most other Virginia dwellings by its scale and ambition.
Like almost all buildings in the Chesapeake, his 1 1/2 -story timber-frame structure was supported by…
When Matthew Jones II began erecting a house on Mulberry Island overlooking the James River about 1720, he quickly distinguished it from most other Virginia dwellings by its scale and ambition.
Like almost all buildings in the Chesapeake, his 1 1/2 -story timber-frame structure was supported by…
(Mark St. John Erickson)
The York County Board of Supervisors warmly welcomed her at its Sept. 1 meeting. Hall hit a few key points, then addressed several issues raised by board members in a 45-minute portion of the meeting.
Hall told the board members she wants to get businesses into vacant buildings in Yorktown Village, and asked for their patience while she looks at a parking plan for the Fourth of July and other big events. When asked, she also briefly addressed the controversial replica tobacco press that was installed in the village and a road safety issue on the Colonial Parkway near Queens Lake
“They are issues that need to be dealt with,” Hall said, stressing that her approach is to always try to be a “good neighbor” and to work collaboratively with other groups to find solutions.
Those issues have been prioritized, and Hall said this past week that she is addressing attracting businesses and parking first. The tobacco press, for right now, is being left in place until more research on its historical authenticity can be done.
Officials from the NPS regional office will visit next week to start assessing buildings and working on details about putting out bids and making leases with potential businesses.
Parking for big events will stay the same right now, but Hall is seeking money from the park service to do an archaeological study on the Yorktown Battlefield and village areas. In the past, parking around the village and setting off fireworks have been points of contention for the Fourth of July because of possible damage to the historical grounds and the risk for lightning strikes.
“I don’t know that there’s a perfect answer,” Hall said. “But I think we’ve got a plan of at least how we’re going to try to get some answers on that issue.”
The park service will celebrate its centennial in 2016 and special events will run throughout the year to try to draw people into the parks. In line with that, Colonial will step up its outreach to the community.
“We’re going to try to have a more significant presence,” she said. “Not just asking people to come to us, but trying to step outside the boundaries and come to them. Whether that’s schools, tourism meetings, collaborate discussions on challenges within our counties and communities.
“We want to be seen as part of the community in a variety of ways.”
Hall said that she appreciates those who have advocated for preserving views at Jamestown Island with regard to Dominion Virginia Power’s proposal to install overheard power lines across the James River there.
“The view should be protected,” she said.
Her biggest request for the general public is to drive more carefully on the parkway and battlefield roads, watching speed limits and being mindful of bicyclists and people stopping to enjoy the views. All, of course, while not littering.
“Obey speed limits, be cautious, use it as a time to slow down and really take in the beauty of where we live,” Hall said. “We do get sort of numb to it. Every day I get on that parkway and think, man this is beautiful. Feel free to slow down and enjoy that.”
Williams can be reached by phone at 757-247-4644.
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