These 10 additional battlefields round out our ranking of the top 20
most endangered sites. To learn more about them, and how you can help
watch over their preservation, be sure to visit our website at www.civilwar.org.
Belmont, Kentucky and Missouri Nov. 7, 1861
Unlike many of the other sites profiled in this report, the primary
threat to Belmont (and nearby Columbus) isn't development, but Mother
Nature. If action is not taken soon, the battlefield will likely succumb
to erosion by the nearby Mississippi River.
Buckland, Virginia Oct. 19, 1863
Located along U.S. Route 29, Buckland suffers from many of the traffic
and sprawl pressures experienced at nearby Manassas Battlefield. Fortunately,
there is still time to save this historic town and battlefield.
Cedar Mountain, Virginia Aug. 9, 1862
Located near Culpeper, the fastest growing town in the Commonwealth,
Cedar Mountain is rapidly becoming a hotbed of preservation activity.
Continued growth will put many parcels of core battlefield under direct
threat.
Cynthiana, Kentucky June 11--12, 1864
Development is rapidly snaking northward along U.S. Route 27, including
inside the National Historic Landmark boundary, while residential
development east of town is encroaching on already preserved parts
of the battlefield.
Kennesaw Mountain,
Georgia June 27, 1864
The National Park Service estimates that 160,000 cars travel through
the park each day. Pressure is mounting for officials to widen roads,
while sprawl continues to engulf the areas surrounding the park.
Manassas, Virginia July 21, 1861 and Aug. 28--30, 1862
Longstanding issues of traffic congestion continue to plague Manassas,
which has already seen its share of preservation fights. A proposed
bypass around the park may ease the traffic, but possibly at the expense
of increasing development pressure on the park.
Mansfield, Louisiana April 8, 1864
Rather than sprawl, preservationists at Mansfield are facing off against
a mining company. Although an active grassroots network is in place,
the company has thus far been unwilling to enter serious negotiations.
Shepherdstown, West
Virginia Sept. 19-20, 1862
Recently, local headlines have been dominated by a developer's attempts
to put 100 houses on a 112-acre parcel known as the Far Away Farm.
Numerous proposed developments in the region mean preservationists
are facing an uphill battlefield to secure all 600 acres of core land.
Spring Hill, Tennessee Nov. 29, 1864
Despite early preservation actions, in which CWPT and Maury County
secured 110 acres in the mid-1990s, continued development is rapidly
swallowing up what remains of the battlefield.
Wyse Fork, North Carolina March 7--10, 1865
Only 58 of the roughly 6,000 acres have been preserved at the site
of the second largest battle in North Carolina. Plans are on the table
for a highway bypass that could bisect the battlefield, but preservationists
and a growing number of locals are working hard to change the situation.
