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By Josh Shaffer
jshaffer@newsobserver.com
MORRISVILLE — In 1865, this tiny railroad town saw some of the Civil War’s last days – its concluding cannon blasts, the final thundering of soldiers’ feet.
If you stand in Morrisville Square – now home to a Vietnamese restaurant and an Islamic Center – you can see the forest where Confederate troops dug their rifle pits.
If you look down Morrisville-Carpenter Road past Town Hall, you can see where Union cavalry fired artillery, chasing the rebels toward surrender.
It’s an obscure chapter in the war, a minor skirmish forgotten in the pages of history.
But many in Morrisville hope the town will preserve at least part of the battleground, now threatened by development. They hope history can reshape the identity of their small and fast-growing town, best known for being next door to the airport.
“What’s more valuable?” asked Ernest Dollar, director of the City of Raleigh Museum. “More houses or a truly unique place that will drive a tourism business?”
To read the rest of the article at the News Observer:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/03/...risvilles.html
jshaffer@newsobserver.com
MORRISVILLE — In 1865, this tiny railroad town saw some of the Civil War’s last days – its concluding cannon blasts, the final thundering of soldiers’ feet.
If you stand in Morrisville Square – now home to a Vietnamese restaurant and an Islamic Center – you can see the forest where Confederate troops dug their rifle pits.
If you look down Morrisville-Carpenter Road past Town Hall, you can see where Union cavalry fired artillery, chasing the rebels toward surrender.
It’s an obscure chapter in the war, a minor skirmish forgotten in the pages of history.
But many in Morrisville hope the town will preserve at least part of the battleground, now threatened by development. They hope history can reshape the identity of their small and fast-growing town, best known for being next door to the airport.
“What’s more valuable?” asked Ernest Dollar, director of the City of Raleigh Museum. “More houses or a truly unique place that will drive a tourism business?”
To read the rest of the article at the News Observer:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2014/03/...risvilles.html