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Perryville battlefield site acquires more land
Preservationists add more land to Perryville battlefield site
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Perryville battlefield preservationists have acquired 2 1/2 acres on the periphery of Kentucky's biggest Civil War battle in a deal valued for its tactical importance.
Because of the purchase, officials will be able to restore some of the battlefield's bloodiest ground to look much like it did in 1862.
The tract purchased last week by the Perryville Battlefield Preservation Association includes a house that will become the park manager's residence.
That will allow the razing of the manager's current house, which sits on some of the most significant ground at the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site in central Kentucky. It was on that ground t
hat an Indiana regiment suffered a casualty rate of 63 percent - the highest of any regiment in the battle, said Chris Kolakowski, the preservation group's executive director.
Officials have intended to demolish the 35-year-old house ever since that property was added to the battlefield site a few years ago, he said.
"We knew sooner or later we were going to want to take that home out and restore that critical ground to the way it looked in 1862," he said.
With the house out of the way, officials will expand walking trails and interpretive signs and place cannons to show where a Union artillery battery was deployed, he said.
"We'll be able to tell this story a lot better ... and be able to explain the importance of this ground more than we have in the past," Kolakowski said in a phone interview Wednesday.
Kolakowski referred to the latest purchase as "the first domino in a chain that's going to benefit the battlefield greatly."
State Rep. Mike Harmon, R-Junction Ci
ty, said preserving more land as part of the battlefield site "will enhance the community, the history and the tourism of the area."
Nearly 7,500 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed or wounded in the October 1862 battle on the hills outside Perryville. A Confederate withdrawal after the battle secured Kentucky for the Union for the duration of the war.
State funds were used to purchase the 2 1/2 acres, and the preservation group will deed the property to the state Department of Parks, which manages the battlefield site. With the latest acquisition, the historic site takes in 520 acres.
Kolakowski declined to disclose the purchase price in the latest deal.
On the day of the battle, a Confederate brigade composed mainly of Tennesseans plus some soldiers from Arkansas camped on the site before moving out to fight, he said.
"This area saw some movement and a little bit of fighting," he said.
Preservationists currently are negotiating with other landowners in hopes
of obtaining another 154 acres where fighting occurred, Kolakowski said. If those deals are completed, it would amount to "a giant step" in preserving the key parts of the battlefield, he said.
The battlefield attracts about 100,000 visitors each year.
This fall, the Perryville battlefield site will play host to the 2006 National Civil War Re-enactment. The event scheduled for Oct. 7-8 is expected to draw about 5,000 re-enactors and 30,000 spectators.
Preservationists add more land to Perryville battlefield site
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Perryville battlefield preservationists have acquired 2 1/2 acres on the periphery of Kentucky's biggest Civil War battle in a deal valued for its tactical importance.
Because of the purchase, officials will be able to restore some of the battlefield's bloodiest ground to look much like it did in 1862.
The tract purchased last week by the Perryville Battlefield Preservation Association includes a house that will become the park manager's residence.
That will allow the razing of the manager's current house, which sits on some of the most significant ground at the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site in central Kentucky. It was on that ground t
hat an Indiana regiment suffered a casualty rate of 63 percent - the highest of any regiment in the battle, said Chris Kolakowski, the preservation group's executive director.
Officials have intended to demolish the 35-year-old house ever since that property was added to the battlefield site a few years ago, he said.
"We knew sooner or later we were going to want to take that home out and restore that critical ground to the way it looked in 1862," he said.
With the house out of the way, officials will expand walking trails and interpretive signs and place cannons to show where a Union artillery battery was deployed, he said.
"We'll be able to tell this story a lot better ... and be able to explain the importance of this ground more than we have in the past," Kolakowski said in a phone interview Wednesday.
Kolakowski referred to the latest purchase as "the first domino in a chain that's going to benefit the battlefield greatly."
State Rep. Mike Harmon, R-Junction Ci
ty, said preserving more land as part of the battlefield site "will enhance the community, the history and the tourism of the area."
Nearly 7,500 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed or wounded in the October 1862 battle on the hills outside Perryville. A Confederate withdrawal after the battle secured Kentucky for the Union for the duration of the war.
State funds were used to purchase the 2 1/2 acres, and the preservation group will deed the property to the state Department of Parks, which manages the battlefield site. With the latest acquisition, the historic site takes in 520 acres.
Kolakowski declined to disclose the purchase price in the latest deal.
On the day of the battle, a Confederate brigade composed mainly of Tennesseans plus some soldiers from Arkansas camped on the site before moving out to fight, he said.
"This area saw some movement and a little bit of fighting," he said.
Preservationists currently are negotiating with other landowners in hopes
of obtaining another 154 acres where fighting occurred, Kolakowski said. If those deals are completed, it would amount to "a giant step" in preserving the key parts of the battlefield, he said.
The battlefield attracts about 100,000 visitors each year.
This fall, the Perryville battlefield site will play host to the 2006 National Civil War Re-enactment. The event scheduled for Oct. 7-8 is expected to draw about 5,000 re-enactors and 30,000 spectators.