A plea for preservation
Photo by Hannah Wever
Robert Duvall, Academy Award winning actor and descendant of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee spoke at a news conference Monday held at Ellwood in Orange County against the location of a proposed Walmart Supercenter.
Review Staff Writer
Published: May 7, 2009
A steady drizzle did nothing to dampen the pleas of a famous descendant of a Confederate general, politicians, activists and preservationists at a news conference May 4 held at historic Ellwood in Orange County, coinciding with the 145th anniversary of the Battle of the Wilderness.
The press conference was hosted by the Wilderness Battlefield Coalition, a group of nine preservation, conservation and civic organizations. Participating organizations include the Friends of the Wilderness Battlefield, the Central Virginia Battlefield Trust, the Civil War Preservation Trust, Friends of Fredericksburg Area Battlefields, the National Coalition for History, the National Parks Conservation Association, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Piedmont Environmental Council and Preserve Virginia.
Speakers, which included Academy Award winner Robert Duvall, along with congressmen from Texas and Vermont and Friends of Wilderness Battlefield representatives spoke out against a proposed 138,000-square-foot Walmart Supercenter. As planned, the big-box store would be built on a Route 3 site near Wilderness Battlefield in Orange County.
“The Walmart corporation has it within its power its power to be a savior of the Wilderness Battlefield,“ said Duvall, whose ancestors include Gen. Robert E. Lee. “Simply by moving to an alternate location slightly further down from the battlefield, they have the ability to protect this critical piece of American history for generations to come.“
Similar appeals were made by U.S. Congressmen Ted Poe (R-Texas) and Peter Welch (D-Vermont). Both political leaders have been involved in the campaign to relocate the proposed super center since plans to build the store were announced last year. Earlier this year, the congressmen drafted a letter to Walmart executives, urging them to reconsider the location for the proposed store.
“This land, like other battlefields in our country, is consecrated with the blood of Americans. Many are still buried here and known only to God,“ Poe said. “We owe these Americans the right to keep this battlefield preserved for history and not to have a corporation, like Walmart, lay asphalt over their graves. I feel the definition of corporate responsibility must always extend to respecting America’s hallowed grounds. Those values should not be eroded for the sake of Walmart’s commercial gain.“
“I am hopeful that Walmart can appreciate out state’s crucial role in saving the Union,“ Welch said. “I am hopeful that Walmart will respect the history and tradition of the Wilderness site and reconsider its plan to build a store in such close proximity to this treasured landmark.“
Zan Miner, president of Friends of Wilderness Battlefield, said the intent of the Friends of Wilderness Battlefield was not to prevent development in Orange County.
“Instead, we simply ask county officials and developers to weigh all options and their consequences before breaking ground,“ Miner explained. “Once intense development begins near the battlefield, it will be all but impossible to stop. And once this hallowed ground is paved over, it is lost forever,“ she added.
The proposed site for the Walmart store is located near the intersection of Route 3 and Route 20 in Orange, on land that is already zoned for commercial development. Per Orange County’s large retail use ordinance, Walmart is required to obtain a special use permit prior to construction. The first in a series of public hearings before county officials is planned for the May 21 Orange County Planning Commission meeting.
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Reader Reactions
“OrdinaryWoman”, putting it out ther for all to see may not be the right thing in your mind but before ther is a mountain ther wus a molehill. Well, I would ABOLISH THE FED AND ISSUE MONEY PER THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION. Ther ain’t been but three people tat entered tat big white house tat had the American people on their mind…Lincoln, Jackson and Kennedy!
Lincoln didn’t want to pay the bankers 28% on we the people money so he printed “greenback” to finance the union army. Jackson told the bankers to buzz off and Kennedy in 1963 signed Executive Order 11.110. All three got their @ss shot. Until ther is a person tat steps into tat big white house tat ain’t got a “California Bander” stuck between their legs…guess nothing is gonna change. I’m looking into the State of Yap…they have the Rai for currency and it will take a many big person to spend one. Have a gr8 week and God Bless!
Since you are into repeating yourself, I’ll reiterate too. THE HORSE IS ALREADY OUT OF THE BARN.
We don’t need history lessons here, although it comes in handy for those who like to rewrite it in their favor. We all know what happened, and if we all truly want to fix it, we’ll vote everybody out that is currently in.
But that’s not going to happen for some time is it?? In the meantime, we have to exist.
Do you have any remedies, or do you just want to keep saying the same thing about how we got in this mess?
well, “OrdinaryWoman” what you need to red…oops! read ain’t in no SEC filing.
http://wakeupwalmart.com/news/article.html?article=1188
and when it comes to your “we depend on federal tax dollars too” comment tat is what is wrong with “we the people” now… thinking they have to depend on a government tat has put this country $57 trillion in the hole.
http://mwhodges.home.att.net/nat-debt/debt-nat.htm
You have people running around playing the elephant and jack@ss game and the government keeps spending money it ain’t got. LBJ wus the first to take $30 billion from tat Social Security chest and from tat day on every dipstick tat went in tat big white house did the same until now they looking at over a $2 trillion SHORTFALL.
http://mwhodges.home.att.net/deficit-trusts.htm
Yes, we the people need to start at the local level and put people in office with one thing on their mind…SAVE not SPEND. There has been over 5 million jobs in America tat went in file 13 because the first thing on everyone’s mind is the word “cheap.“ That word ain’t found in those pieces of paper tat the few fat farmers with the penmanship of poets wrote back in 1776. Sad tat there wus only a $2.6 billion National Debt in the year 1910 and it wus over $10.8 trillion by the end of 2008 and ther wus no dang income tax back then…now the turnips are taxing the dang air we the people breathe jus to put more money in the hands of the turnips tat run this land. The Federal Government has a roll to play within the “states” and it ain’t shoving crap down everyone’s throat….if I want crap shoved down my own throat I’ll do it myself.
Well, madmilker, stop being so mad and listen. If you put people to work, they don’t go on welfare and take your tax money. And as I said before, I’ve read all the SEC filings for Wal-Mart, and they pay a hefty percentage in taxes, whether that stays locally or not, I’m not sure, but I know also that we depend on federal tax dollars too, and I do know that tax money goes to them. So to answer you “tax base” question, you may need to take some blinders off too.
If you want to change things, elect the right people. And start here at home. Get tree-huggers like Pace and the LOW rep off our county board, and move on up from there to the state level, and watch who you vote for, then all the way to the top in the federal government. Then you will really see our tax base increase.
“cleacoe”....how can your city have a bigger tax base if the items are cheaper at the store with the star in the name? you people jus don’t get it…it’s like the blind leading the blind…..sad!
This is a desion for Orange County Residents, not for Tree huggers from around the nation. I have been a life long resident of Orange County, and in my opinion I can’t see why they havent started construction already. It is time for Orange to have a bigger tax base other than putting it all on the resident’s shoulders.
Walmart has the Overwhelming majority of Orange County Resident’s vote
“OrangeResident”..you and “oleflatulence” need to take the time and red…oops! read…
quote*Now let us look at Wal-Mart again; you buy a product there, 6% goes to the employees, 10-18% is profit to the company, 25% goes to other costs and 50% goes to re-stock or the cost of goods sold. Of the 50% about 20-25% goes to China, a guess, but you get the point. Now then, how long will it take at 433 Billion dollars at year for China to have all of our money, leaving no money flow for us to circulate? At a 17 Trillion dollar economy less than 40-years minus the 1/6 they buy from us. Some say that if we keep putting money into our economy, it would take forever, but if we do not then eventually all the money flow will go. If China buys our debt then eventually they own us, no need to worry about a war, they are buying America, due in part to our own mismanaged trade, so whose fault is that? Not necessarily China, as they are doing what’s in the best interests, and we should make sure that trade is not only free, but fair too.*end quote!
http://www.worldthinktank.net/pdfs/TheFlowofTrade.pdf
oh! did you know it cost ALL the American taxpayers over $9 billion in hidden taxes jus to clean fish from the ballast tanks of ships…and with Wal*Mart putting 95% made in China in their stores in China why don’t they push American made to the nice people there…
Well said “Orange Resident” Get on with building the Walmart that the people want.
I am sure if I were a traveler and interested in seeing Civil War battlefields, etc. I would look at my “things of interest” in the area I were seeing, it would read “Widerness battle fields overlooked by Walmart store” and we would not visit.
What bovine defecation!!!!!
Bev Slaughter
Robert Duvall and congresspersons from other states should mind their own business. This is not their county. The people have overwhelmingly spoke that they want a Wal*Mart.
It is so selfish of people who don’t live, shop or anything here to think they should shape and persuade the thinking of those that do.
There are THREE, let me say it again, THREE Wal*Mart’s on each corner of Gettysburg, and tourist, including us still come, and are glad there are places like Wal*Mart to pick up what we need while traveling.
I also find it selfish, of those who have all they want, to try and prevent others from having what they want.
I hope all of you come out and let your elected officials know where you clearly stand on this issue. Otherwise, those with the money and power, will not listen to you.
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