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Friends of Stafford Civil War Sites Director Glenn Trimmer says Vulcan Materials' donation will boost efforts to create a park at these former Union earthworks in the county. |
BY JONAS BEALS
Vulcan Materials Co. has promised to donate 5,000 tons of gravel to help build a Stafford County Civil War park.
With an estimated value of $85,000 to $100,000, it is the largest donation to the park effort so far, and organizers hope it will spur other companies and individuals to donate time, money and materials.
The planned park is on 25 acres of Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste Management Board property off Eskimo Hill Road.
Vulcan, which has a quarry in North Stafford, presented a commitment letter to the Friends of Stafford Civil War Sites at a meeting last night.
"It's going from a dream project to one that has a good shot at coming true," said Glenn Trimmer, director of the nonprofit group. "This thing is really moving along."
Trimmer and his organization want the park to stand as an example of Stafford's important but often overlooked role in the Civil War. No battles occurred in the county, but some 130,000 Union troops spent the winter of 1862-63 camped in Stafford, regrouping between the key battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.
The group wants to save the pristine natural area and open it to the public. Trimmer anticipates that his group will need $800,000 to open the park, which it hopes to do sometime between 2011 and 2015 to coincide with the Civil War sesquicentennial.
"It will rival anything you'd see in a national park," Trimmer said.
Three Union fortifications are at the heart of the preservation effort. Located on the northern edge of the Eskimo Hill Road landfill property, they may be the best example of original Civil War batteries left in the country.
The horseshoe-shaped dirt berms overlook the Accokeek Creek Valley. They were built to defend Union supply lines from Confederate attacks that never came. The site contains other important artifacts--roads, rifle pits, blockhouse foundations, camp sites and a prewar stone quarry.
"After seeing it, we really felt like it was a good project for us to get involved with," said Vulcan sales manager Kip Addison. "There's a lot of passion and energy behind it. It became sort of a no-brainer for us."
Addison hopes his company's donation spurs fundraising for the project.
"The Friends of Stafford Civil War Sites looks like they really got their act together on this one," he said.
Park organizers have already cleared a few major hurdles. Stafford County officials approved the project, the Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste Management Board donated the land, Dominion Virginia Power allowed access through its right of way and Sona Homes approved an entrance through its neighborhood.
"Having the material for the road is one thing," Trimmer said. "We've got to do the digging and the ground work. We've got a long way to go, and we certainly need some big donations."
For more information on the park, or to schedule a tour, fscws.orgJonas Beals: 540/368-5036
Email: jbeals@freelancestar.com
