JSpring1998 Issue No. 69 BATTLEFIELD UPDATE newsletter of the AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION PROGRAM U.S. Department of the Interior • National Park Service • Heritage Preservation Services 1998 BATTLEFIELD PRESERVATION PROJECTS SELECTED COIN FUNDS SUPPORT BRANDY STATION PURCHASE The American Battlefield Protection Program thanks everyone who applied for 1998 project funding. This year's competition was open to projects at battlefields On February 19, 1998, the Secretary of the associated with all wars and battles fought on American soil. As in the past, Interior approved The Civil War Trust's however, projects addressing sites listed on the Civil War Sites Advisory proposal to award $500,000 in Civil War Commission's Priority I and II lists took precedence. commemorative coin revenues to the Association for the Preservation of Civil The ABPP received 63 applications for eligible projects. The review panel of War Sites (APCWS). APCWS will use the ten historians and preservation planners recommended funding 20 projects that funds to assist in the purchase of battlefield exemplify strong battlefield land preservation strategies. Reviewers based their land at Brandy Station, in Culpeper County, ^selections on seven criteria: 1) significance of the site; 2) level of threat to the Virginia. After almost ten years of bitter battlefield; 3) battlefield land preservation opportunity; 4) clear project objec­ disputes between preservationists and tives, tasks, and schedule; 5) community support and participation in the project; developers, APCWS has successfully i6) qualifications of the applicant; and 7) clear and justified project budget. financed the acquisition of 571 acres of core battlefield land at Brandy Station. National Park Service Director Robert Stanton approved the list of projects on APCWS plans to place the entire acquisi­ March 2, 1998. Of the 20 projects selected for funding, twelve pertain to Civil tion under a perpetual conservation War battlefields, three are at Revolutionary War sites, and four focus on Indian easement, protecting the site from future •Wars battle sites. One project impacts both Civil War and Revolutionary War development. Past development plans for kites. 1998 ABPP competitive project funding totaled $532,000. the site included a Formula 1 racetrack and a large industrial park located at the heart ITie selected projects for 1998 are below. For additional information about of the battlefield. |. ndividual projects, please contact the person listed with the project. The Battle of Brandy Station began at dawn on June 9, 1863, when Union cavalry rjity of Peekskill - New York - $39,400 - Revolutionary War commanded by Gen. Alfred Pleasonton pie City of Peekskill will identify and collect all relevant documentary and launched a surprise attack on Gen. J.E.B. ;artographic historical data about, and conduct an archaeological survey of, the Stuart's Confederate horsemen at Brandy fort Hill site in order to determine areas of significant historic resources. Station. It was the largest cavalry engage­ Rachel Hyman, Planner, 840 Main Street, Peekskill, NY 10566, ment ever fought in North America and hi4) 737-3400. was the opening engagement of the Gettysburg Campaign. In June 1993, the bounty of Dinwiddie - Virginia - $7,300 - Civil War National Trust for Historic Preservation the County of Dinwiddie will use ABPP grant funds to work with its citizens to included Brandy Station battlefield on its list pentify and gain support for the development of hiking and biking trails that will of the eleven Most Endangered Historic tonnect the battlefields of the Petersburg Campaign. Places in America. Harch Altman, Senior Planner, County of Dinwiddie, Planning Department, In March 1997, APCWS purchased in f.O. Box 266, Dinwiddie, VA 23841, (804) 469-4500. excess of 1,500 acres of land at Brandy Station. The organization then sold roughly See 1998 PROJECTS, page 4 See BRANDY STATION, page 3 CAROLINA GROUP TO South Carolina, and Guilford Courthouse with the American Battlefield Protection National Military Park in North Program and the North and South PRESERVE REVOLUTIONARY Carolina-are working with the Alliance. Carolina Historic Preservation Offices WAR HISTORY A variety of other sites—including to identify and assess Revolutionary Historic Camden, Brattonsville, and War resources in the Carolinas' western Landsford Canal State Park in South regions. Preliminary work on this TheCarolinas' Backcountry Alliance Carolina, and the Hezekiah Alexander regional survey should be underway by recently formed to identify, preserve, Homesite, Old Salem, and Historic June 1998. and promote significant sites associated Hillsborough in North Carolina—have For more information about the with the Southern Campaign of the also joined the trail initiative. The Carolinas' Backcountry Alliance, Revolutionary War in western North Alliance has found enthusiastic support contact the group's Chairperson, and South Carolina. from the South Carolina Parks, Jayne Scarborough, Executive The first objective of the new group Recreation and Tourism Commission Director, Olde English District is to develop a Revolutionary War and the North Carolina Department of Commission, in South Carolina at "trail" that will link the Carolinas' back Commerce, Travel and Tourism Division (803) 385-6800, or Vice Chair Bob country sites. Three National Parks- for producing a new full-color brochure Vogel, Superintendent, Guilford Cowpens National Battlefield and Kings about the trail. Courthouse NMP, in North Carolina Mountain National Military Park in Another Alliance goal is to work at (336) 288-1776. BATTLEFIELD UPDATE Published by the National Park Service PRESERVATION PARTNERSHIPS Robert Stanton In addition to the 1998 competitive battlefield preservation projects (see story on Director page 1), the ABPP has entered into cooperative agreements with two of the Katherine H. Stevenson nation's leading Civil War preservation organizations, the Association for the Associate Director, Cultural Resources Preservation of Civil War Sites (APCWS) and The Civil War Trust (CWT). The cooperative partnerships will result in three exciting projects this year. de Teel Patterson Tiller Chief, Heritage Preservation Services APCWS and the ABPP are working to establish a quad-state Civil War heritage trail. The project, in large part based upon Virginia's successful Civil War Trails H. Bryan Mitchell initiative, will promote and interpret battlefields associated with military campaigns- Chief. American Battlefield -such as the Maryland Campaign of 1862 and the Gettysburg Campaign of Protection Program 1863~that unfolded across Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Initial meetings are being planned to establish a commission to oversee the initiative. Tanya M. Gossett Editor Project budget: $28,000. Contact Jeff Driscoll, Director of Education, APCWS, at (301) 665-1400 for more information. Jerry Buckbinder Production Manager This year The Civil War Trust and the ABPP will work on two cooperative projects. The first is a national battlefield preservation electronic list serve (an Battlefield Update is published quarterly e-mail discussion group) for stewards of historic battlefields. The list serve will and is available free of charge. Send be moderated and discussion topics will include battlefield preservation, articles, news items, and correspondence to interpretation, and management issues. Project budget: $6,500. The second the Editor, Battlefield Update, National project involves sponsoring charettes (intensive meetings) at two Civil War Sites Park Service, Heritage Preservation Ser­ Advisory Commission Priority I or II sites needing focused attention from the vices, American Battlefield Protection Program, 1849 C Street, NW, (NC330) battlefield preservation community. The Civil War Trust and the ABPP will work Washington, DC 20240; (202) 343-3449; with local officials, preservation advocates, and battlefield landowners and FAX (202) 343-3921; neighbors during the meetings. Project budget: $30,000. For additional information [email protected]. about these cooperative projects, contact Elliot Gruber, Executive Director, CWT, www2.cr.nps.gov/abpp/ at (703) 516-4944. 2 ISTEA REAUTHORIZATION NEWS BRANDY STATION, from page 1 929 acres—some to a sympathetic neighboring landowner and Congress is currently working to reauthorize or reinvent the some with conservation easements in place. APCWS Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 retained 571 acres. The initial purchase was financed by the (ISTEA) by May 1,1998. Congress is under pressure from seller of the property. The Industrial Development Authority governors, businesses, and labor groups to complete action of the Town of Culpeper then issued industrial revenue bonds quickly to avert delays in billions of dollars worth of planned totaling $5.45 million to help APCWS refinance the purchase highway and bridge construction projects. On March 12, at a much lower interest rate. This was the first time ever that industrial revenue bonds have been used to benefit the Senate passed ISTEA 2 (S. 1173), a $214 billion bill. As this newsletter goes to press, the House is still debating its revised ISTEA bill, known as BESTEA (H.R. 2400). Issues in both reauthorization bills may affect battlefield preservation. These issues include 1) whether to maintain existing funding levels for transportation enhancement projects; 2) whether to keep historic preservation as an enhancement category; and 3) whether