Boundary Stones
How Wolf Trap Became America’s Only National Park for the Performing Arts
10/9/2026 | 2m 48s
The origin story behind Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts.
In the early 1960s, Kay Shouse watched development creep toward her Northern Virginia farm, Wolf Trap. Her solution was unprecedented: give the land to the nation as a national park for the performing arts. She persuaded Interior Secretary Stewart Udall, won over a skeptical Congress, and paid for an amphitheater out of her own pocket. The result? The only national park of its kind in the country.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Boundary Stones is a local public television program presented by WETA
Boundary Stones
How Wolf Trap Became America’s Only National Park for the Performing Arts
10/9/2026 | 2m 48s
In the early 1960s, Kay Shouse watched development creep toward her Northern Virginia farm, Wolf Trap. Her solution was unprecedented: give the land to the nation as a national park for the performing arts. She persuaded Interior Secretary Stewart Udall, won over a skeptical Congress, and paid for an amphitheater out of her own pocket. The result? The only national park of its kind in the country.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Where to Watch Boundary Stones
Boundary Stones is available to stream on pbs.org and the PBS app.
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
Support for PBS provided by:
Boundary Stones is a local public television program presented by WETA