The park was established in 1936 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.

The Henry Hill Visitor Center, on Sudley Road by the south entrance to the park, offers exhibits and interpretation regarding the First Battle of Bull Run, including Civil War-era uniforms, weapons, field gear and an electronic battle map.

The center offers the orientation film Manassas: End of Innocence, as well as a bookstore.

A recent find in 2014 unearthed bone fragments that led to the discovery of the skeletal remains of two Union soldiers in what is now thought to be a Surgeon's Pit.

Carbon dating shows that the pair died during the Battle of Second Manassas, also known as Second Bull Run, in August 1862.