Agreed.

Eric

H-town is outside the park boundary, although it could easily be added. It’s just outside.

There are certainly opportunities for groups like the Friends to step up to the plate, and they have failed to do so.

The same issues, by the way, hold true with the pristine little battlefield at Fairfield.

Eric

Your point about the Friends group and CWPT is well-taken.

The Friends do what the Superintendent says. If he said “fart the Star Spangled Banner”, that’s what they would do. CWPT is spread a bit thin, but my guess is that they would support such a campaign. That’s based on prior discussions a couple of years ago.

Eric

I’m with you entirely on this. I think that the Friends group is in thrall to the superintendent, which is why I refuse to join it.

Eric

Maybe I’m missing something here — from what you’ve written, it would seem to me that the Gettysburg superintendent should be applauded for the restoration work he has undertaken within the confines of the GNBP. That’s his responsibility, right? And if he’s fortunate enough to have been allocated the dollars, then he needs to use them.

That said, is the Hunterstown battleground part of the GNBP? I’ve always assumed that privately owned tract housing could never be built on government-owned parkland. If true, then what authority or control does the GNBP superintendent have over what is transpiring on that acreage? Please let us know if my assumption is incorrect.

Regards, Paul

PS. Dahlgren clippings are en route to you. Hope you find a nugget or two!

Would I like to have more ground around Gettysburg preserved? Absolutely. Do I give that responsibility to the NPS, and particularly Gettysburg NMP, no. Do they have a role? Absolutely.

But when Gettysburg NMP, or any other national park for that matter, spends part of their operational budget to better preserve the history they have (and certainly this tree-clearing applies), then I cannot particularly find fault with them.

I’d be concerned to know where the Friends have been with these opportunities more than worrying about the G’burg NPS administration.

Dave

Couldn’t agree with you more. The rate at which previously undeveloped sites are being lost is disturbing, even at places in close proximity to well known and preserved battlefields, such as Gettysburg. Alas, no site is immune to the bull dozer. I hate to think of the restoration of existing sites and the preservation of undeveloped fields as being mutually exclusive. That having been said, I too applaud the terrain restoration taking place at Gettysburg. As an example, the removal of trees between Confederate Avenue at the Louisianna and Mississippi monuments, the Trostle farm and the monuments to Father Corby and the First Minnesotta has completely restored the line of site between Barksdale’s starting point and his objective, making his movement much easier to understand and explain. I hope the Park Service will keep this up, but it sure would be nice to have the funds (and the foresight) to restore AND preserve.

Randy