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BY T. DEVON ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
PETERSBURG — Before last July, Fort Hays, located along Flank Road in southern Petersburg, was a dense tangle of trees, briars and other undergrowth.
In July, members of the Col. James D. Brady Camp No. 63 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War began the restoration of the Union fort.
At 11 a.m. Saturday, a restored portion of the fort was dedicated along with a Civil Wars Trails sign with a brief summary of the fort.
Fort Alexander Hays was a part of the siege line extending from the Appomattox River to about the location of the fort, said Chris Calkins, chief of interpretation for the Petersburg National Battlefield.
The string of forts and earthworks found along what is now Flank Road was also to counteract Confederate forces entrenched along what is now South Boulevard and Defense Road, Calkins said.
The fort continued the tradition of Union forts in the Petersburg area that were named after fallen officers.
Brig. Gen. Alexander Hays was a Pennsylvania native who saw action in the Second Battle of Manassas and Gettysburg before being killed May 5, 1864, during the Battle of the Wilderness outside of Fredericksburg.
Hayes also had a second fort named after him in Kansas. Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan., is on a portion of the frontier post named for him.
The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War were able to raise money for improvements through T-shirt sales and other donations, said Neil Hanlon, commander of the camp.
“You couldn’t see anything in here,” Hanlon said of the fort before they began.
A corner of the earthen fort nearest to Flank Road has been exposed and the surrounding area has been cleared by the organization.
In the 1970s, the land was not incorporated into the National Park Service because it was deemed to have lost its historical integrity, said Bob Kirby, superintendant of the Petersburg National Battlefield.
“I think it was a travesty for the National Park Service to forgo this property,” Kirby said. He also said that the Petersburg National Battlefield would aid the city as well as restoration partners to continue to preserve the site.
“We are extremely grateful to the renovation team,” said Mayor Annie M. Mickens. She said that City Council has a vision to enhance the historical aspects of the city and give an accurate portrayal of what took place in the city.
“This history is making us what we will be,” she said.
Mickens said that the ultimate goal is to showcase the city’s historical attributes and the city itself as “The Jewel of Southside Virginia.”
“‘The Jewel of Southside Virginia’ is not a trite phrase,” Kirby said. “We have the real deal, folks.”
• T. DeVon Robinson may be reached at 722-5160 or at trobinson@progress-index.com.
Online at: http://www.progress-index.com/site/n...d=462946&rfi=6
BY T. DEVON ROBINSON
STAFF WRITER
PETERSBURG — Before last July, Fort Hays, located along Flank Road in southern Petersburg, was a dense tangle of trees, briars and other undergrowth.
In July, members of the Col. James D. Brady Camp No. 63 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War began the restoration of the Union fort.
At 11 a.m. Saturday, a restored portion of the fort was dedicated along with a Civil Wars Trails sign with a brief summary of the fort.
Fort Alexander Hays was a part of the siege line extending from the Appomattox River to about the location of the fort, said Chris Calkins, chief of interpretation for the Petersburg National Battlefield.
The string of forts and earthworks found along what is now Flank Road was also to counteract Confederate forces entrenched along what is now South Boulevard and Defense Road, Calkins said.
The fort continued the tradition of Union forts in the Petersburg area that were named after fallen officers.
Brig. Gen. Alexander Hays was a Pennsylvania native who saw action in the Second Battle of Manassas and Gettysburg before being killed May 5, 1864, during the Battle of the Wilderness outside of Fredericksburg.
Hayes also had a second fort named after him in Kansas. Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kan., is on a portion of the frontier post named for him.
The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War were able to raise money for improvements through T-shirt sales and other donations, said Neil Hanlon, commander of the camp.
“You couldn’t see anything in here,” Hanlon said of the fort before they began.
A corner of the earthen fort nearest to Flank Road has been exposed and the surrounding area has been cleared by the organization.
In the 1970s, the land was not incorporated into the National Park Service because it was deemed to have lost its historical integrity, said Bob Kirby, superintendant of the Petersburg National Battlefield.
“I think it was a travesty for the National Park Service to forgo this property,” Kirby said. He also said that the Petersburg National Battlefield would aid the city as well as restoration partners to continue to preserve the site.
“We are extremely grateful to the renovation team,” said Mayor Annie M. Mickens. She said that City Council has a vision to enhance the historical aspects of the city and give an accurate portrayal of what took place in the city.
“This history is making us what we will be,” she said.
Mickens said that the ultimate goal is to showcase the city’s historical attributes and the city itself as “The Jewel of Southside Virginia.”
“‘The Jewel of Southside Virginia’ is not a trite phrase,” Kirby said. “We have the real deal, folks.”
• T. DeVon Robinson may be reached at 722-5160 or at trobinson@progress-index.com.
Online at: http://www.progress-index.com/site/n...d=462946&rfi=6