For Immediate Release
June 2, 2005
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Washington, D.C. As one historian has noted, this 175-mile-long corridor from Gettysburg, Pa., to Monticello, Va., “has soaked up more of the blood, sweat, and tears of American history than any other part of the country.”  Once this land was a hunting ground and trade route for the Susquehannock and Iroquois tribes.  Later it welcomed George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and countless other statesmen – many of whose homes still stand today.  Now referred to as the The Journey Through Hallowed Ground, the corridor also encompasses African American historic sites, numerous scenic rivers and byways, and the nation’s greatest concentration of Civil War battlefields. But now this once-tranquil landscape is being radically transformed by suburban sprawl from the fast-growing DC metropolitan area where new subdivisions sprout in the midst of cornfields, meandering country roads are straightened and widened to accommodate traffic, traditional “Main Street” towns find their character threatened by incompatible new development, and venerable landmarks are engulfed by sprawl.  A tri-state collaboration now seeks to find a 21st-century solution to balance economic development and historic preservation in ways that celebrate and protect the region’s heritage. This is The Journey Through Hallowed Ground initiative, a public-private effort that must succeed or four centuries of history could be obliterated in the name of so-called “progress.”

To highlight the threat to this vital piece of American heritage, the National Trust for Historic Preservation named “The Journey Through Hallowed Ground” Corridor to its 2005 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

“There aren’t many places that encompass a greater variety ofsignificant 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 National Trust.  “Without comprehensive planning to manage sprawl and encourage appropriate growth, much of the region’s heritage could be paved over.”

For the full press announcement at the National Historic Trust web site.