Perryville, Ky new edition

[kaelin]

Just thought I would share this with you all....

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

Feb 28, 11:55 AM EST

State to connect central Ky. battlefield, city
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PERRYVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- The state has purchased 76 acres of land in central Kentucky and will build a walking and biking trail connecting a Civil War battlefield and nearby city.

The Kentucky Department of Parks recently purchased the land off of U.S. 150 in Perryville for $416,933.

Parks Department spokesman Gil Lawson said the land will be used to connect Perryville with the site where the Battle of Perryville was fought on Oct. 8, 1862.

Lawson says that plans call for an "interpretive walking trail" several miles in length and are part of an effort by the state to preserve what he said is one of Kentucky's most valuable landmarks.

"The Battlefield is very significant, and was one of the largest in the Civil War," Lawson told The Advocate-Messenger. "It's also been very well preserved, especially when compared to other battlefields in the state. To our knowledge, it still looks very similar to the time of the battle."

The trail will follow a stretch known at the time as Mackville Road, which was basically an undeveloped wagon trail which connected Perryville to Mackville in Washington County and saw heavy traffic during the war.

Lawson said Mackville Road was apparently very significant during the battle, in that it connected the battlefield to the city.

The state funded the purchase from grant money in Kentucky's Heritage Land Conservation Fund. The fund gets its revenue from the purchase of specialized nature license plates, the state portion of the unmined minerals tax and environmental fines.

Of the total revenue in the fund, the Department of Parks receives a 10 percent allocation.

Plans for the trail come after a failed attempt to develop the property.

The Danville-Boyle County Planning and Zoning Commission last year approved a request from Pete Coyle, a developer and member of the commission, to change a portion of the now state-owned land from agricultural to highway-commercial, single-family and multifamily houses.

The Perryville City Council, however, voted against the change, citing in part historical preservation.

After the state purchased the land, Coyle described the deal as a "win-win" situation.

"This is just going to be a great thing for the city and the battlefield," said Coyle, citing the project's dual ability to preserve history and mark the area.

Lawson agreed.

"The land will be conserved and continued to be made appropriate for wildlife development," the spokesman said.

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[John Meece]

What a beautiful site in the midst of virtually nothing but a few farms. I along with several others from the 6th Ohio spent the day there this Saturday (4/4) to tear down an old collapsed barn that is on the Perryville Battlefield.

Three of us arrived on Friday night a camped across from the Confederate Cemetary in antipcation of our work. While it was dark two of us wandered around and viewed the few memorials that have been erected, read each of the names engraved in the monument in the cemetary.

The night was clear witha beautiful half moon and and thousands of twinkling stars. I could not help but think of soldiers that may have been there prior to and/or after the battle. I looked out over the rolling hills and could envision the campfires, perhaps still hearing soldiers crying out for aid and and even those attempting to gather the dead for burial.

Seeing this sight, working on it and anticipating the upcoming reenactment later this year gave me a deep appreciation for those involved in the CWPT and for those who fought and died from both sides for that which they believed.

[flattop32355]

Very good news, indeed.

The present day Mackville Road is not the period road of the same name; that is now called the Hays Mays Road, and follows somewhat the old roadway up to the key Dixville Crossroads the Confederates sought to capture.

The Perryville field is one of the few battlefields that can be said to resemble the way it looked during the war. The series of ridges has not been scarred by development and it has not become overgrown with foliage; if anything, it is missing some bands of trees/woods that appear to have been present in the letters and reports of the battle.

[Phantom Captain]

Excellent!

I have toured and explored quite a number of civil war battlefields, some of them multiple times, and it's one of my favorite things to do. Mostly these have been solo trips and very personal. Since, a few members of my unit and I have toured (what's left of) the Franklin battlefield after our Atlanta event this past fall. This year we again are attending the national Atlanta event and have planned to stop and tour Perryville on the way home. It's one of the major ones I've not visited personally and I'm really excited to wander it with other like minded pards in my unit. Vicksburg is the other major one I've not been too. We are planning now on trying to make a yearly pilgrimmage, campaign style and in uniform, to some battlefield a regular occurance. Really looking forward to planning a doing an eastern battlefield trip with the fellows as I've only seen them by myself and it will really make the experience richer to go with others who are so interested as me. Glad to see that preservation is still going on an important to some.

P.S. I'm also a proud member of the CWPT as it seems quite a few of you are as well. Nothing could be nobler in my humble opinion and I thank all other members for their time, money and dedication.

[Lorna]

EXCELLENT! We have spent time at the battlefield and I think this is going to be a wonderful addition to the area. What a great way to preserve the area! Thanks for sharing!

:-)