News---The Civil War Trust Launches New Initiative to Save 20,000 Acres in Four Years

Civil War Trust Gathers In Gettysburg To Announce National Sesquicentennial Preservation Initiative, Liz Jacoby, Development Coordinator for the Civil War Trust, June 21, 2011.

On Thursday, June 30, the eve of the anniversary of the Civil War’s bloodiest battle, officials from the Civil War Trust will gather in Gettysburg to announce the start of an ambitious national fundraising initiative that, if successful, will permanently protect an unprecedented amount of hallowed ground during the Civil War sesquicentennial commemoration.

The “Campaign 150: Our Time, Our Legacy,” initiative will seek to permanently preserve 20,000 acres of battlefield land before the conclusion of the Civil War’s 150th anniversary commemoration. Doing so will allow the Trust to eclipse the 50,000-acre mark for total battlefield land set aside for future generations to learn from and enjoy. Joining Civil War Trust president James Lighthizer at the news conference will be two tireless advocates for battlefield preservation: country music superstar Trace Adkins and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian James McPherson.

The announcement of the national fundraising campaign will be made at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 30 in Schmuker Grove on the grounds of the historic Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. The seminary is an important landmark on the first day’s battlefield and served as both as a rally point for Union troops on July 1 and as a hospital during the battle that cared for more than 700 wounded soldiers.

The Civil War Trust is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the United States. Its goal is to preserve our nation’s endangered Civil War sites and to promote appreciation of these hallowed grounds through education and heritage tourism. To date, the Trust has preserved more than 30,000 acres of battlefield land in 20 states. Please visit the Trust’s website at www.civilwar.org, the home of the Civil War sesquicentennial.

More information is available from Liz Jacoby, Development Coordinator for the Civil War Trust. Her office is located at 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20005. Her telephone and fax numbers 202.367.1861 x7215 and 202.367.1865. Her email address is ljacoby@civilwar.org

CWL chips in three or four times a year to the Civil War Trust. Glad to save and help preserve the Glendale battlefield and the Breakthrough Farm at Fredericksburg; both important in the Pennsylvania Reserve Division's history. To the left is Don Troiani's The Iron Brigade: The 24th Michigan at Gettysburg, July 1, 1863. The cupola of Schmucker Hall is in the top center/right of the print that hangs in CWL's office at work.