2020 Battlefield Preservation Planning Grant Awards

Bombardment and capture of Fort Henry, Tenn.: By the federal gunboats under command of commodore Andrew H. Foote-Feby. 6th 1862

Currier & Ives print, Library of Congress

In May 2020, the National Park Service announced nearly $1.198 million in Battlefield Preservation Planning Grants for 14 battlefields across 9 states. Historians and preservationists will use these funds to assist in research, documentation, and interpretive planning for endangered battlefields representing more than 400 years of American history.

The American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) is one of more than a dozen programs administered by the National Park Service that provide states and local communities technical assistance, recognition, and funding to help preserve their own history and create close-to-home educational and recreational opportunities. Federal, tribal, state, and local governments, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education are eligible for these annual grants. Since 1996, the ABPP has awarded 652 grant awards totaling $23,034,400.84 to help preserve significant historic battlefields associated with wars on American soil.

This year's grants were awarded to:

• Georgia Southern University, GA, $116,247: "The Devil Came to Georgia: LiDAR Survey and Remote Sensing Investigation of two 1864 American Civil War Skirmishes in Jenkins/Burke Counties, Georgia." This project will use remote sensing and archeological survey to identify and evaluate the Battle of Buck Head Creek (GA026) and the Buckhead Creek to Lawton (or Lumpkin’s) Station Civil War skirmish sites.
• Friends of Cedar Mountain Battlefield, VA, $86,740: "Rapidan Front Landscape Study: Racoon Ford, Morton's Ford, and Somerville Ford Battlefields; 1863-64 Union Winter Encampment." This project will produce archival research and cultural landscape survey of the Racoon Ford, Morton's Ford, Somerville Ford Battlefields, and the 1863-64 Union Winter Encampment.
• Clarke County Historic Preservation Commission, VA, $39,427: "Battle of Berryville." This project will conduct historical research and KOCOA military terrain analysis of the Civil War Battle of Berryville in order to determine the boundaries of the battlefield in preparation for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
• Fairfield Historical Society, CT, $96,679: "The Battle of Pequot (Munnacommock) Swamp Interpretation and Preservation." This project will use information from two previous phases of archeological and historical research to develop exhibitions, waysides, and digital interpretive products that will enhance public awareness and understanding of how the 1637 Battle of Pequot (Munnacommock) Swamp shaped colonial New England's landscape and society.
• Ridgefield Historical Society, CT, $50,150: "Battle of Ridgefield: Research and Long-term Stewardship." This grant will provide seed funding to begin research on the Revolutionary War Battle of Ridgefield and encourage community input on future stewardship priorities.
• Preservation Maryland, MD, $78,000: "Building a Brand for the South Mountain Battlefield." Following the recommendations of a completed consensus building project, this project will bring together design professionals and stakeholders to develop a unified brand for signage for the Civil War Battle of South Mountain.
• Preservation Maryland, MD, $67,100: "Documenting and Exploring the Interpretation Potential of St. George's Island: Maryland's Largest Revolutionary War Battlefield." This project will kickstart historical research on the Revolutionary War battle of St. George Island and engage residents of the Island to estimate interest in future preservation and interpretation of the site.
• University of Florida, FL, $60,672: "The 1614 Spanish Campaign against the Calusas." This project will conduct historical and archeological investigation and documentation of 4 battlefields of the Spanish Campaign against the indigenous Calusas people.
• Palisades Park Conservancy, NY, $104,410: "Fort Lee Historic Park: A Battle to Save History and Celebrate the Future." This project will produce a Cultural Landscape Report for Fort Lee, New Jersey. Revolutionary War fort’s physical development, land use, existing conditions, and current integrity will be the starting point for a master planning process and revitalized interpretation.
• Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, VT, $66,873: "Arnold's Bay Project." This project will survey the land and underwater components of the Arnold's Bay Revolutionary War battlefield, bringing together remote sensing, underwater and terrestrial archeological survey, and collaborative training opportunities with Advanced Metal Detecting for the Archaeologist (AMDA).
• Florida State University, FL, $206,890: "Archaeological Excavations & Analyses of the Apalachee Revolt of 1647." This project will conduct an archaeological field school and laboratory analysis of finds from a site believed to be Mission Bacuqua – the location of the initial battle in the Apalachee Revolt against the Spanish colonial mission system.
• Southern Illinois University, IL, $93,220: "Archival and Remote Sensing Investigations at Fort Henry." This project will fund geophysical investigation of the eastern (land) side rifle pits and camp sits associated with the Civil War site of Fort Henry, TN, which was attacked by the Union Army in February of 1862.
• Ball State University, IN, $99,286: "Battle of Peckuwe Expanded Understanding and Interpretation: Site Identification and Documentation." This project will continue archaeological survey to define the boundaries of the 1781 Battle of Peckuwe in Ohio, the largest American Revolutionary War engagement west of the Allegheny Mountains, and collaborate with the Clark County Park District and descendant Tribal Nations for outreach and awareness.
• Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley, VA, $32,274: "Community Visioning to Preserve Cross Keys and Port Republic Battlefields." This project will gather local stakeholders in a community visioning process for the Civil War battlefields of Cross Keys and Port Republic in Rockingham County, VA, to identify threats, preservation priorities, and creative collaboration opportunities.

Congratulations to all of the 2020 Battlefield Preservation Planning Grant recipients! Learn more about the ABPP and grant opportunities on NPS.gov.