Tweet
JMU Faces Monumental Skirmish
Turner Ashby Site Eyed As Potential State Park
By Jeff Mellott
Harrisonburg Daily News-Record
March 7, 2007
HARRISONBURG — The local camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has asked Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to preserve Turner Ashby Lane and nearby property as a state park.
Much of the land the Sons included in their request is owned by James Madison University. The university plans to assess the historic significance of the property, which is the site of an 1862 Civil War skirmish, before going forward with building athletic fields as it has planned.
Preservation of the land near the Turner Ashby monument could bring additional visitors to the city, said John Mann, commander of the D.H. Lee Martz Camp No. 10 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Monument Protection
The park, as the Sons have proposed, would encompass nearly all the land around Turner Ashby Lane, Mann said. The proposed land for the park surrounds the Turner Ashby monument site and extends north of the site, he said.
The lane leads to the monument that marks where Confederate Gen. Turner Ashby was struck down in fighting with federal troops on June 6, 1862.
A 1992 National Park Service study, however, listed the skirmish as a military action that did not rise to the level of a battle.
The Turner Ashby Chapter 162 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy owns the site.
Nancy Gum, of the chapter, called the Sons’ efforts a "noble goal," and welcomed the protection a state park would give the monument.
Sons’ Request
In the Sons’ letter to Kaine dated Feb. 19, the group said preservation of the site would enhance the understanding of Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson’s Valley Campaign.
To preserve the site, the Sons asked the governor to direct JMU’s Board of Visitors, the governing board, to give the land along Turner Ashby Lane to the commonwealth for the proposed Harrisonburg Battlefield State Park,which will also encompass some city land.
Harrisonburg officials apparently are unaware of the Sons’ effort to create a state park, which would include some city property.
City Manager Roger Baker said on Wednesday that no one has talked to him about acquiring land for a park. To dispose of city property, Harrisonburg would have to put it up for bids, Baker said.
Mayor Rodney Eagle also was unaware of the efforts to create the park. Eagle said he would need information about the project before commenting.
University Response
JMU continues to plan to turn 16 acres of the property into athletic fields.
The university used student fees to purchase 47 acres for $1.7 million in 2003, said University Vice President for Administration and Finance Charles King.
The university, King said, will make an archaeological and historical assessment to determine where the battle occurred.
In a Feb. 28 letter to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, King said JMU would use an experienced faculty member during the assessment and rely on historians for the findings.
"We can assure you that we are sensitive to our responsibilities to our neighbors and our community," King wrote to Marc Holma, architectural historian for the Department of Historic Resources.
Eric
Turner Ashby Site Eyed As Potential State Park
By Jeff Mellott
Harrisonburg Daily News-Record
March 7, 2007
HARRISONBURG — The local camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has asked Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to preserve Turner Ashby Lane and nearby property as a state park.
Much of the land the Sons included in their request is owned by James Madison University. The university plans to assess the historic significance of the property, which is the site of an 1862 Civil War skirmish, before going forward with building athletic fields as it has planned.
Preservation of the land near the Turner Ashby monument could bring additional visitors to the city, said John Mann, commander of the D.H. Lee Martz Camp No. 10 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Monument Protection
The park, as the Sons have proposed, would encompass nearly all the land around Turner Ashby Lane, Mann said. The proposed land for the park surrounds the Turner Ashby monument site and extends north of the site, he said.
The lane leads to the monument that marks where Confederate Gen. Turner Ashby was struck down in fighting with federal troops on June 6, 1862.
A 1992 National Park Service study, however, listed the skirmish as a military action that did not rise to the level of a battle.
The Turner Ashby Chapter 162 of the United Daughters of the Confederacy owns the site.
Nancy Gum, of the chapter, called the Sons’ efforts a "noble goal," and welcomed the protection a state park would give the monument.
Sons’ Request
In the Sons’ letter to Kaine dated Feb. 19, the group said preservation of the site would enhance the understanding of Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson’s Valley Campaign.
To preserve the site, the Sons asked the governor to direct JMU’s Board of Visitors, the governing board, to give the land along Turner Ashby Lane to the commonwealth for the proposed Harrisonburg Battlefield State Park,which will also encompass some city land.
Harrisonburg officials apparently are unaware of the Sons’ effort to create a state park, which would include some city property.
City Manager Roger Baker said on Wednesday that no one has talked to him about acquiring land for a park. To dispose of city property, Harrisonburg would have to put it up for bids, Baker said.
Mayor Rodney Eagle also was unaware of the efforts to create the park. Eagle said he would need information about the project before commenting.
University Response
JMU continues to plan to turn 16 acres of the property into athletic fields.
The university used student fees to purchase 47 acres for $1.7 million in 2003, said University Vice President for Administration and Finance Charles King.
The university, King said, will make an archaeological and historical assessment to determine where the battle occurred.
In a Feb. 28 letter to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, King said JMU would use an experienced faculty member during the assessment and rely on historians for the findings.
"We can assure you that we are sensitive to our responsibilities to our neighbors and our community," King wrote to Marc Holma, architectural historian for the Department of Historic Resources.
Eric
It is right annoying! Yeah I know you want it near in case something happens to you. That does not matter to me right now since I'm young.
Comment