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WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Henry E. Brown, Jr. (SC), a member of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, made the following statement after the House passed legislation Tuesday encouraging the private sector to preserve, conserve and enhance nationally significant Civil War battlefields:
“Bringing new life to the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Program could not come at a better time. In just three years, America will commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. I know that in my District the planning has already started and many residents of coastal South Carolina are planning to observe this important date from where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. This swift passage of the Civil War Battle Field Preservation Act will help in the preparation, preservation and conservation of many of these hallowed sites in time for this important milestone.”
Congressman Brown was an original cosponsor of H.R. 548, the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act of 2009. This legislation expands our ability to preserve and protect nationally significant Civil War battlefields, while creating partnerships among state and local governments, regional entities and the private sector to expand preservation activities ahead of the upcoming five-year sesquicentennial commemoration of the Civil War in 2011. Under the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Program, the National Park Service works with landowners and groups like the Civil War Preservation Trust to protect battlefields and important locations in Civil War history. H.R. 548 will ensure that this important work continues well into the future. Civil War battlefields, a common sight for many residents in coastal South Carolina, provide a means for all Americans to understand this tragic period in the history of the United States.
“Without a doubt, the Civil War Battlefield Protection Program is the greatest tool in our preservation arsenal. Without the unique matching grant program authorized in this legislation, the Civil War Preservation Trust and countless regional preservation groups across the country would face an uphill struggle to ensure that the hallowed ground of our Civil War battlefields is not lost to development,” said Jim Lighthizer, President of the Civil War Preservation Trust last year as he worked with Congressman Brown to move the legislation through the Natural Resources Committee.
“Today these historic sites are being lost at an unprecedented rate – some 30 acres are paved over each and every day. Yet, thanks to the support of visionary legislators like Rep. Henry Brown, we have the opportunity to protect this land for future generations. His long-term and continued support of the Civil War Battlefield Protection Program will allow millions of Americans to walk on the land where history was made, literally following in the footsteps of heroes,” Lighthizer said.
Among the locations that will be eligible to receive funding for preservation and conservation in coastal South Carolina include Fort Sumter and Morris Island, as well as battle sites at Secessionville, Grimball's Landing, Simmon's Bluff and sites in and around the Charleston Harbor. Read about Congressman Brown’s previous efforts to protect South Carolina’s Civil War Battlefields.
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