The Fort Sumter-Fort Moultrie Historical Trust, "The Trust," serves as a supporting arm of the Fort Sumter National Monument and the National Park Service's efforts to preserve, protect and enhance the park for the benefit and education of the public. With more than 330 million visitors each year, America's National Parks are faced with increasing visitor use and infrastructure demands while real appropriated dollars and budgets decrease. Today, Fort Sumter National Monument and Fort Moultrie do not have sufficient support to complete important education, preservation, and interpretive projects without the benefit of private dollars and volunteer help. Created as a 501c.3, the Trust will work to raise private dollars, increase park partners, and promote volunteers in the park to supplement voids in federal funding as well as to secure preservation of the Park and its resources for future generations.

Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie play a significant role in our American history. As Charleston continues to gain prominence as one of the nation's most popular destinations, Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie are increasingly popular.  Thus, visitor use, concerns and needs are multiplied. The National Park Service is meeting some of the growing needs of its parks as manifested at Fort Sumter with the recently opened Fort Sumter Tour Boat Facility and Visitor Education Center. The new facility provides the park a venue to interpret the important American history leading to the beginning of the Civil War and Fort Sumter. It also allows Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie and the associated site (Charles Pinckney National Historic Site in Mt. Pleasant) an opportunity to more formally link interpretively with park partners such as the South Carolina State Parks, South Carolina Heritage Corridor, and other major attractions in the South Carolina Lowcountry to more fully explore America's history and the expansion of liberty in our Nation.

These are exciting times for Charleston, a city that has realized unprecedented growth and renewal, positioning itself among the top of the leading attractions in the United States. Charleston's history and prominence cannot be remarked without comment on the National Park Service's presence and participation in the community. Unfortunately, many visitors and citizens do not realize that Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie share a common thread with the wondrous attractions that generally characterize America's National Parks such as Yellowstone, Great Smokey Mountains, and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Fort Sumter-Fort Moultrie Historical Trust has set an ambitious course for the future. Among its immediate objectives is new Federal legislation establishing the Fort Sumter-Fort Moultrie National Historical Park that will bring national attention to Fort Moultrie and low country Revolutionary War history. In addition, numerous activities and programs are planned for the Civil War Sesquicentennial to solidify The Trust's position in the community and to bring the park greater national exposure.