On June 23 the National Park Service announced $1.19 million in grants to support 20 projects at significant battlefields across the country. The projects will research, document, or interpret dozens of battlefields representing more than 300 years of history.
“From the shores of the Mariana Islands, to an old Dutch fort in Delaware, to a man-made mountain defense in Vermont;these places hold important clues to our past,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis.”Preserving and understanding these sites allows us to better understand the complex history of these conflicts, as well as stories of sacrifice and heroism that ultimately shaped our nation today.”
This year’s grants provide funding for projects at endangered battlefields from the Hawaiian Civil Wars, Indian Wars, Revolutionary War, French and Indian War, World War II, War of 1812, and the Civil War.
Awards were given to projects in 14 states entailing archeology, mapping, cultural resource survey work, documentation, planning, education, and interpretation.
The grants are administered by the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program. Federal, tribal, state, and local governments, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions are eligible for the battlefield grants, which are awarded annually. Since 1996, the program has awarded 559 grants totaling $18,442,955 to help preserve significant historic battlefields associated with wars on American soil.
Vermont’s Mount Independence chosen
In Vermont, the Department of Housing & Community Affairs received $24,000. This project will create a comprehensive geospatial map of the southern portion of Mount Independence in Orwell, Vt., which represents one of the largest defenses built by the Americans during the Revolutionary War. Completed in 1777, Mount Independence was a critical site in the naval defense of Lake Champlain and points south. The project will map all landward features using GIS software, and the data will be compared to historic maps and archives to assess the engagements along the defenses. The resulting product will be crucial for the proper stewardship of these resources and will provide an important platform for future site interpretation and public education.
More information about the American Battlefield Protection Program battlefield grants is available at: www.nps.gov/abpp/grants/planninggrants.htm.
