Civil War battlefields in the Fredericksburg area have been in a running battle with sprawl for years.

Now, a national preservation group is sounding the alarm for other battlefields, historic sites and scenic areas in a 175-mile corridor from Monticello--Thomas Jefferson's Charlottesville home--to Gettysburg, Pa.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation on Thursday named "The Journey through Hallowed Ground" corridor to its 2005 list of America's Most Endangered Places.

"There aren't many places that encompass a greater variety of significant historic sites--from Founding Fathers' homes to Civil War battlefields--or that face a more serious range of threats," said Richard Moe, president of the trust.

He added that without plans to manage sprawl and encourage appropriate growth, "much of the region's heritage could be paved over." The idea is to focus attention on threatened sites while there's still time to protect them.

According to the trust, the corridor is home to more American history than any other swath of land in the country and contains internationally significant and unique historical, cultural, scenic and natural sites.

The corridor encompasses hundreds of historic sites including six homes of U.S. presidents, the nation's largest collection of Civil War battlefields, American Indian and African-American historic sites, and numerous state-designated scenic rivers, roads and landscapes. It roughly follows U.S. 15 through the Piedmont.

The National Trust report warns that, in the face of rapid residential and commercial development along the corridor, "There is little or no recognition of the loss of unique and irreplaceable historic places, or the negative impact of suburban sprawl on the economic engine of heritage tourism"

To protect the land, a tri-state public-private initiative, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Collaborative, headquartered in Loudoun County, is working to balance growth and historic preservation.

In its own report released last month, the Washington, D.C.-based Civil War Preservation Trust found that efforts to keep sprawl from encroaching on battlefields pays off in more tourists, who in turn spend more money here.

Last year, CWPT purchased and preserved more than 100 acres of Chancellorsville battlefield, which had been slated for development.

Date published: 6/4/2005