Wal-Mart could get the green light to build near a civil war battlefield

ORANGE, Va. (AP) - Wal-Mart is one vote away from building a Supercenter near a famed Civil War battlefield that preservationists contend is already endangered. The proposal is headed to the public Monday night and county supervisors could vote after the hearing, provided it doesn’t run too late. Supervisors, who are believed to be leaning toward approving the proposal, are also scheduled to meet Tuesday night. The planned 138,000-square-foot store would be within a half-mile of the Wilderness battlefield in Locust Grove, where 29,000 Union and Confederate soldiers were injured or killed 145 years ago. Preservationists have said that is too close to hallowed ground that was recognized earlier this year as one of the most endangered Civil War battlefields in the nation. Wal-Mart has argued the store would be located in a commercially zoned area that is already home to two strip malls and 20 retailers. While the preservation community has recoiled at the proposal, some residents welcome the shopping and economic boost the store would bring to this county of approximately 32,000 about 50 miles southwest of Washington, D.C. Wal-Mart, which builds 240 new stores worldwide each year, said the Orange County Supercenter would create 600 jobs, including those for construction workers, and generate $800,000 a year in tax revenue. The world’s largest retailer has said its big box development would not be anywhere near the battlefield’s core, and is one-half mile from portions of the preserved battlefield. Preservationists including more than 250 historians, congressmen from Texas and Vermont and a handful of celebrities have urged Wal-Mart to find a different location in Orange County. Earlier this month, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and House Speaker William J. Howell also urged Wal-Mart and the county to find an alternative site. They called the Wilderness “supremely important” among Virginia’s many Civil War battlefields. Last week, Wal-Mart sent out 4,200 mailers urging Orange County residents to show up to Monday’s hearing. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Subscribe to read this story ad-free

Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.