Philanthropist Catherine Shouse donates farm to create America’s only arts-focused national park
At age 71, Catherine Filene Shouse gave nearly 100 acres and funds to establish Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, the sole U.S. park devoted to the arts.
Amid the 1960s cultural boom, Washington arts advocate Catherine Filene Shouse conceived a national-park venue for music and theater. Drawing on her ties to the Kennedy Center board and support from Interior Secretary Stewart L. Udall, she proposed turning her Virginia farm into a public arts destination. After an initial rejection by the National Symphony Orchestra, Congress passed legislation on October 15, 1966, establishing Wolf Trap Farm Park in Fairfax County.
At 71, Shouse donated almost 100 acres and financed an outdoor amphitheater, now called the Filene Center. The park blends natural scenery with performances, offering a model unlike any other national park. It remains the only U.S. national park dedicated solely to the performing arts, complementing a vibrant regional cultural scene that includes venues such as the Kennedy Center and Merriweather Post Pavilion.
Why it matters
It illustrates how private donation and federal support created a unique public space that broadens access to live arts.
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