Continued residential, commercial and industrial development of the once rural areas in the United States can be a boon to local governments seeking to expand their tax base, but it also can be a threat to the nation’s historic landscapes. Sometimes the hurry to build simply overwhelms legitimate concerns about possible loss of the United States’ historic patrimony. There are individuals and groups, however, who willingly shoulder the often thankless and formidable task of preserving the nation’s patrimony.
The Civil War Preservation Trust is one such organization. It has worked tirelessly for years to preserve and to protect Civil War battlefields. It has been singularly successful over the years, though it has not prevailed in every skirmish with developers and others intent on converting historic landscapes into the infrastructure necessary to sustain the nation’s mobile and suburban lifestyle. Still, its successful campaigns are worth noting.
The latest victory for the organization is the preservation of an 84-acre tract on Spring Hill battlefield in Middle Tennessee. Announced earlier this month, the $2 million purchase from General Motors means that the land will be protected from development forever.
“The completion of this landmark transaction is great cause to celebrate,” said James Lighthizer, CWPT’s president. “The 84 acres, when added to the 100 acres of protected land immediately surrounding Rippavilla Plantation – plus 90 acres CWPT owns elsewhere on the battlefield – have created a true destination for anyone seeking to understand the critical Franklin-Nashville Campaign of 1864.”
As is usually the case in such matters, the CWPT did not work alone in the effort to safeguard the land. Officials at GM wholeheartedly participated in the preservation effort once the corporation decided to sell the land. The American Battlefield Preservation Program and the Tennessee Historical Commission played pivotal roles as well. Private donations helped underwrite the campaign, too. Such public-private cooperation is often the catalyst for successful preservation efforts.
The Spring Hill site, long under pressure for development as an industrial site or a bedroom community for a growing Nashville, once occupied a prominent spot on the CWPT’s yearly list of the nation’s 10 most endangered Civil War sites. That, obviously, will no longer be the case. Unfortunately, there are many other threatened sites to take its place.
The preservation struggle continues. Numerous places – Civil War battlefields and others – are caught in the crossfire between those who want land for development and those who want to preserve historic sites. Finding a balance between the two is often difficult, but preservation groups like the CWPT help remind us that Americans have an obligation to preserve and protect sites that have played major roles in the nation’s history.