Vermont may weigh in on battle over Civil War battlefield

January 29, 2009 | Posted by javal

MONTPELIER — One hundred forty-four years after Vermonters waged a key Civil War battle on a Virginia field, the state is considering weighing in on another battle over the surrounding land.

Proposed development of a 144,000-square-foot Wal-Mart on land outside the Wilderness Battlefield in Locust Grove, Va., threatens the area near a monument that honors the 1st Vermont Brigade, which held the ground there for the Union Army in 1864, said Howard Coffin of Montpelier, a Vermont Civil War historian.

Coffin has asked the Vermont Legislature to help. He urged the Senate Economic Development Committee on Wednesday to pass a resolution laying out how important the area is to Vermont history and asking Wal-Mart and the Orange County, Va., Board of Supervisors to reconsider the project.

Click here to read the whole story then come back and comment on it.

Categories: Preservation | Tags: Vermont | No Comments »