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7 acres may be added to park
BY MARKUS SCHMIDT
STAFF WRITER
05/02/2008
PETERSBURG — The morning fog laid over the land like a veil. Then sudden gunfire. The date was June 9, 1864, and at sunrise, Union Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler dispatched 4,500 of his cavalry and infantry against 2,500 Confederate defenders. The fight over Petersburg had begun.
Seven acres of the land that saw some of the most severe fighting of that very first battle are now preserved for history. Farrish Properties from Chesterfield donated it to the Civil War Preservation Trust in Washington. Eventually, the property will become part of the Petersburg National Battlefield Park.
The land is located along the Dimmock Line, only a stone’s throw away from the national park. H. Keith Farrish, owner of Farrish Properties, decided to donate this flat piece of land in late 2007. “People found bullets all the time,” he says. “And since I’m a Civil War buff myself, I decided that these acres must be preserved.”
He does not want to reveal the money value of the land.
Farrish talked to Chris Calkins, chief of Interpretation for the Petersburg National Battlefield. “Mr. Calkins recommended I’d give the land to the Civil War Preservation Trust,” Farrish said. A direct donation to the National Park would not have been possible.
“We are waiting for legislation for Petersburg that allows us to expand the territory of the park,” Calkins said. In the meantime, the preservation trust serves as holder of the property.
The battlefield in Petersburg has been a priority for the preservation group. In 2007, the Civil War Preservation Trust named Petersburg one of the top 10 threatened battlefields in the nation. The area around Petersburg, the site of more than 18 major battles, is threatened by suburban sprawl that will be fueled by the expansion of nearby Fort Lee, the group said.
“We are always excited about getting work done in Petersburg,” said preservation trust spokeswoman Mary Koik. “Our main goal is to eventually sign over the property to the National Battlefield.”
Koik finds it almost ironic that a property developer would decide to not develop property on this land and donate it instead.
The piece of property — with a 400-foot bluff — would be hard to develop and was possibly donated for tax purposes, Calkins said.
Either way, Calkins is happy. “This property is part of the 7,238-acre expansion of the national park that we are planning,” he said.
The donated piece did not only see some action on June 9, 1864. Parts of the battle on June 15 were fought there as well. That day, the Army of the James, led by Maj. Gen. William F. Smith’s XVIII Corps, launched another attack on the Dimmock Line. Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard’s men were driven from their defensive positions back to Harrison Creek. “It’s safe to say that we had some earthworks there during the war,” Calkins said.
All of that is long gone, yet the land is an important piece of history. “Every piece counts,” Koik said. “Petersburg ranks among the most endangered battlefields in the country.”
• Markus Schmidt may be reached at 722-5172 or mschmidt@progress-index.com.
©The Progress-Index 2008
Online at: http://www.progress-index.com/site/n...d=462946&rfi=6
BY MARKUS SCHMIDT
STAFF WRITER
05/02/2008
PETERSBURG — The morning fog laid over the land like a veil. Then sudden gunfire. The date was June 9, 1864, and at sunrise, Union Maj. Gen. Benjamin Butler dispatched 4,500 of his cavalry and infantry against 2,500 Confederate defenders. The fight over Petersburg had begun.
Seven acres of the land that saw some of the most severe fighting of that very first battle are now preserved for history. Farrish Properties from Chesterfield donated it to the Civil War Preservation Trust in Washington. Eventually, the property will become part of the Petersburg National Battlefield Park.
The land is located along the Dimmock Line, only a stone’s throw away from the national park. H. Keith Farrish, owner of Farrish Properties, decided to donate this flat piece of land in late 2007. “People found bullets all the time,” he says. “And since I’m a Civil War buff myself, I decided that these acres must be preserved.”
He does not want to reveal the money value of the land.
Farrish talked to Chris Calkins, chief of Interpretation for the Petersburg National Battlefield. “Mr. Calkins recommended I’d give the land to the Civil War Preservation Trust,” Farrish said. A direct donation to the National Park would not have been possible.
“We are waiting for legislation for Petersburg that allows us to expand the territory of the park,” Calkins said. In the meantime, the preservation trust serves as holder of the property.
The battlefield in Petersburg has been a priority for the preservation group. In 2007, the Civil War Preservation Trust named Petersburg one of the top 10 threatened battlefields in the nation. The area around Petersburg, the site of more than 18 major battles, is threatened by suburban sprawl that will be fueled by the expansion of nearby Fort Lee, the group said.
“We are always excited about getting work done in Petersburg,” said preservation trust spokeswoman Mary Koik. “Our main goal is to eventually sign over the property to the National Battlefield.”
Koik finds it almost ironic that a property developer would decide to not develop property on this land and donate it instead.
The piece of property — with a 400-foot bluff — would be hard to develop and was possibly donated for tax purposes, Calkins said.
Either way, Calkins is happy. “This property is part of the 7,238-acre expansion of the national park that we are planning,” he said.
The donated piece did not only see some action on June 9, 1864. Parts of the battle on June 15 were fought there as well. That day, the Army of the James, led by Maj. Gen. William F. Smith’s XVIII Corps, launched another attack on the Dimmock Line. Confederate Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard’s men were driven from their defensive positions back to Harrison Creek. “It’s safe to say that we had some earthworks there during the war,” Calkins said.
All of that is long gone, yet the land is an important piece of history. “Every piece counts,” Koik said. “Petersburg ranks among the most endangered battlefields in the country.”
• Markus Schmidt may be reached at 722-5172 or mschmidt@progress-index.com.
©The Progress-Index 2008
Online at: http://www.progress-index.com/site/n...d=462946&rfi=6
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