• Facebook
• Twitter
• Print

Economic Impact Study

Blue, Gray, and Green: Why Saving Civil War Battlefields Makes Money And Sense

In the spring of 2003, the Civil War Preservation Trust asked the consulting firm of Davidson Peterson Associates to conduct a study to determine who is visiting Civil War battlefields and what impact those visitors have on the local economy. We asked visitors at each site to complete a short survey telling us the length of their stay, approximating their expenditures, and giving basic demographic information, including age, income and education level. Davidson Peterson then used economic models to extrapolate the larger economic benefits to the community.

Over the past two years we have conducted thousands of surveys at 13 individual battlefields, from Gettysburg to Corinth and Antietam to Shiloh. And everywhere the results are the same. It turns out that preserving a Civil War battlefield makes great economic sense! Battlefield land, once preserved, attracts tourists. The tourists pay for services in the community, which means more local jobs, higher income for residents, and increases in local and state government revenue.

We've been saying for years that preserving battlefields is good for local communities, but now - thanks to this study - we can prove it.

If you have any questions about the Economic Impact study, please contact Maureen Redington at mredington@civilwar.org.