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| Historians oppose slot machines near Gettysburg battlefield |
Posted 12/19/2006 1:02 PM ET USA Today
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — More than 100 Civil War historians have signed a letter to Pennsylvania's gambling regulators asking them to deny a license to a slot-machine casino proposed near the historic battlefield.
Calling it the second battle of Gettysburg, the letter comes as the state Gaming Control Board is expected to vote on license applicants Wednesday.
The slots parlor would be a mile-and-a-half from the border of the 6,000-acre Gettysburg National Military Park in southcentral Pennsylvania. A casino so close would sully the family-friendly and thoughtful atmosphere of the battlefields where thousands died in 1863, the historians said.
"It is our solemn duty to protect this resource, not squander it through misguided choices," said the letter, which was organized by preservation groups including the Washington-based Civil War Preservation Trust.
Among the 111 signers were James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Battle Cry of Freedom."
At the park, some 1,300 monuments and plaques mark the spots where 162,500 troops from the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac fought, and where 10,000 died. Gettysburg is regarded as the Civil War's biggest battle, and its turning point.
Investors in the Crossroads Gaming Resort & Spa told state gambling regulators in testimony last week that the facility will not visible from the park's highest points. In addition, they say, the land they are building on played only a peripheral role in the three-day battle and is surrounded by development, including a Wal-Mart, hotel and convention center.
Connecticut-based Silver Point Capital LP is the majority investor in Crossroads, which is competing with four other applicants for one of two standalone slots licenses available outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.