Incorporating newly protected land into existing parks is a perpetual goal for the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT). During 2009, the organization participated in the preservation of land at two key sites — Davis Bridge, Tennessee, and Cedar Creek, Virginia — where the acreage was transferred to a state or national park. CWPT also donated 176 acres of the 1862 Harpers Ferry battlefield to the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.
The full roster of sites protected by CWPT during 2009 has a total transaction cost of more than $38 million:
- Florida: 55 acres at Natural Bridge;
- Minnesota: 60 acres at Wood Lake;
- Mississippi: 66 acres at Raymond and 12 acres at Tupelo;
- Tennessee: 643 acres at Davis Bridge and five acres at Parkers Crossroads;
- Virginia: 68 acres at Aldie, 47 acres at Appomattox Station, 433 acres at Brandy Station, 85 acres at Chancellorsville, 11 acres at Glendale, 178 acres at Malvern Hill, 35 acres at Sailor’s Creek, 730 acres at five Shenandoah Valley battlefields, 253 acres at Trevilian Station and 94 acres at the Wilderness.
Gettysburg Preservation Continues
CWPT recently announced a new fundraising campaign to preserve a crucial in-holding on the Gettysburg Battlefield. Originally part of the historic Philip Snyder farm, the property lies directly along the Emmitsburg Road and is surrounded by Gettysburg National Military Park.
The two-acre parcel, located only a half mile from Little Round Top and due west of Devil’s Den, has been a top land acquisition priority for historians and preservationists for many years. Purchasing this land has been such a priority for the National Park Service that it already had funds on hand, approved by Congress, for the effort. But during late 2009, when the landowners expressed a desire to sell, the property, which also includes two modern homes, was appraised well beyond the park’s ability to pay.
Acting before a new private landowner could purchase and further develop the property, CWPT stepped in and put it under contract. After closing, CWPT will sell the land to the National Park Service for the $300,000 expense initially allocated by the federal government.
Gettysburg Railroad Station
U.S. Rep. Todd Platts is proposing legislation to include the downtown Gettysburg Railroad Station within the boundaries of the Gettysburg Battlefield. The historic depot was the station used by President Abraham Lincoln when he arrived and departed the town during November 1863 to commemorate the battle and dedicate the cemetery with the Gettysburg Address.
The National Park Service is negotiating with the Borough of Gettysburg to obtain the station — in a deal believed to be valued at $722,000 — but the sale cannot move forward until the two-story depot is included within the park’s boundary.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Gettysburg Railroad Train Station served as a hospital during the battle. Trains stopping at the depot transported wounded soldiers after the battle. The legislation also includes language to include 45 acres of donated land along Plum Run in Cumberland Township within the park’s boundaries.
Mike Virgintino - Mike Virgintino is a marketing communications executive who has directed corporate, nonprofit and product branding initiatives that rely ...
