Massachusetts is launching a new grant program designed to preserve objects and sites in the state that are significant to the history of the Civil War.
Robert von Wolfgang, chairman of a state commission to honor the 150th anniversary, said the grant program will not only help preserve the state’s past, but will also serve as a reminder that the Civil War is a lot closer in time than most people think.
Posted in Preservation
Tagged Mass.
A century and a half after battle raged during the American Civil War, a new wave of volunteers will descend upon America’s battlefields. On Saturday, April 6, 2013, history buffs and preservationists from around the country will help clean and restore America’s Civil War-related battlefields, cemeteries and shrines.
Park Day is the Civil War Trust’s annual hands-on preservation event with the goal of assisting local groups in maintaining these historic sites. It is underwritten with a grant from History™, formerly The History Channel, and has been endorsed by Take Pride in America, a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Participation in the Trust’s nationwide clean-up effort has ballooned since its conception in 1996. This year, more than 100 sites in 24 states plan to participate in the effort, with activities ranging from trash removal to trail building. These dedicated men and woman, armed with paint brushes, hammers and trash bags, enlisted to keep America’s hallowed ground not only preserved, but pristine. In exchange for their hard work, volunteers will receive t-shirts or patches and learn about the site’s history from local experts.
Participating sites select activities tailored to their individual maintenance needs. Volunteers of all ages and ability levels are welcome, and many activities are appropriate for groups, like scout troops or corporate outings. For a complete list of participating Park Day sites, visit www.civilwar.org/parkday.
WHAT: “Park Day” historic preservation event
WHEN: April 6, 2013
WHERE: More than 100 participating sites in 24 states
The Civil War Trust is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the United States. Its mission is to preserve our nation’s endangered Civil War battlefields and to promote appreciation of these hallowed grounds. To date, the Trust has preserved more than 35,000 acres of battlefield land in 20 states. Learn more at www.civilwar.org, the home of the Civil War sesquicentennial.
Posted in Preservation
Tagged US
The Civil War Trust and Franklin’s
Charge have made history once again—seven acres of battlefield have been
purchased from underneath of development, and fundraising is complete.
The Trust closed at the end of December on the Dominos strip center, the
centerpiece of a three-year campaign that included multiple parcels and
fundraising totaling more than $3.2 million. Today, $67,000 in pledges to Franklin’s
Charge is all that remains for the property to be owned by the battlefield
preservation organization, free and clear.
“Ten years ago, we named this one of the most endangered battlefields in
America, and demanded that Franklin stop paving over its history,” said Jim
Lighthizer, President of the Civil War Trust. “Now we offer Franklin up as a national
example of what can be done when a community is willing to make protection
and appreciation of its history a priority. Franklin’s Charge came together
around the need, and what’s been accomplished is truly unprecedented.”
Three houses will be relocated from the property, and tenants will remain in
the strip center until they can be moved to new locations. By early 2014, the
lot should be cleared, and a team of historians along with Franklin’s Charge,
President, Paul Gaddis—Dr. Carroll Van West, Thomas Flagel, and Eric
Jacobson—will begin archaeological surveying and research.
By the Sesquicentennial of the Battle of Franklin in November of 2014, the
Carter Cotton Gin Park will be open to the public.
The Domino’s strip center property is being purchased through a federally
funded Enhancement Grant administered by the Tennessee
Department of Transportation, along with funds from the Trust’s fundraising
and local efforts by Franklin’s Charge.
“The City of Franklin is nationally recognized for its work to preserve and
restore sections of the Battle of Franklin battlefield, and this property will
help provide new details of the battle,” said TDOT Commissioner John Schroer.
“I’m pleased TDOT is able to assist with securing this historic site.”
Franklin’s Charge’s Julian Bibb received the Shelby Foote Preservation Legacy
Award from the Civil War Trust in 2011, Franklin’s Charge received the same
award in 2006, and is considered to be one of the most successful battlefield
preservation collaboratives in the nation. Its membership consists of
representatives of the African-American
Heritage Society, the Battle of
Franklin Trust, the Carter House
Association, the Civil War
Trust, the Williamson
County Chamber of Commerce, the Harpeth River
Watershed Association, the Heritage
Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County, Historic
Carnton, Inc., the Land Trust
for Tennessee, Inc., Save the
Franklin Battlefield Association, the Tennessee
Civil War Preservation Association, the Tennessee
National Civil War Heritage Area, the Tennessee
Preservation Trust, and the Williamson
County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Posted in Preservation
Tagged Tennessee
Franklin could have a regular and plentiful source of money for buying its Civil War battlefield land, if aldermen approve a $250,000-a-year financial agreement with the Washington, D.C.-based Civil War Trust.
Trust officials say they can collect donations and pledges totaling at least $250,000 or more every year to buy battlefield property, if Franklin city leaders will set aside that amount every year in the city budget.
Posted in Preservation
Tagged Pennsylvania
I wouldn’t miss this — it’s a good thing for a good cause, fixing the Pennsylvania monuments on the Gettysburg battlefield,” said 75-year-old motorcyclist Milton Hunt of Erie, after making the 290-mile trip from his home on Saturday.
“This is always a good ride, but today was one of the best, the safest ride so far,” agreed Scott Christopher of Gettysburg, who has taken part every year since the ride began in 2001 and who also sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” before the start of the ride at the state Capitol in Harrisburg.
Posted in Preservation
Tagged Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
History books, real-estate listings and cash are again saving part of Franklin’s Civil War battlefield.
On the night of Nov. 30, 1864, the first shots of the Battle of Franklin erupted and claimed the firefight’s first casualties, who happened to be Federal troops standing along what is present-day Columbia Avenue. Ultimately, the short, brutal Battle of Franklin would claim 8,500 casualties in a few hours’ time.
Posted in Preservation
Tagged Tennessee
The effort to preserve history in Petersburg received a big boost recently with the help of the state and a private group.
Recently, the state announced nearly $850,000 in transportation grants to help preserve Civil War sites in the city including historic South Side Depot, a key structure for the survival of the city during the nearly 10-month siege of Petersburg during the Civil War.
Posted in Preservation
Tagged Virginia
A national landmark divided. On one side the Civil War’s Union soldiers and on the other, the Confederate soldiers and one civilian, a woman by the name of Elizabeth Temms.
“This cemetery is simply an outdoor museum, a time capsule. Everyone in here has a unique story. Elizabeth Temms story is just a little bit more unique,” said J. Michael Higgs, with the Cave Hill Heritage Foundation.
Posted in Preservation
Tagged Kentucky
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