National Park Service awards over $42,900 to protect 15 acres of a Revolutionary War battlefield in South Carolina
April 6, 2018
The National Park Service announced a $42,903 grant from the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) to help protect 15.47 acres of a Revolutionary War battlefield in South Carolina threatened with damage or destruction by urban and suburban development. The grant will be used to acquire a portion of the Hanging Rock Battlefield, site of a battle for the backcountry of South Carolina held as part of the British’s Southern Strategy.
“Some of the most defining moments in our nation’s history were decided by conflicts that played out on these hallowed grounds,” National Park Service Deputy Director Dan Smith said. “In partnership with local communities and preservation groups, these grants will help preserve these battlefields for future generations to reflect on the history they represent.”
The grant is administered by the ABPP, one of more than a dozen programs operated 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 recreation opportunities. Consideration for the battlefield land acquisition grants is given to battlefields listed in the National Park Service’s Civil War Sites Advisory Commission’s 1993 Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields and the ABPP’s 2007 Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the United States.
Grants are awarded to units of state and local governments for the fee simple acquisition of land, or for the non-federal acquisition of permanent, protective interests in land (easements). Private non-profit groups may apply in partnership with state or local government sponsors.
The grants are funded from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which uses revenue from federal oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf to purchase land, water and wetlands for the benefit of all Americans, instead of taxpayer dollars. Since its establishment in 1964, LWCF has conserved land in every state and supported tens of thousands of state and local projects, including protecting important water sources, expanding access for hunting and fishing, preserving historic battlefields, and creating ball fields and other places for kids to play and learn.
For more information about ABPP, including these grants, please visit www.nps.gov/abpp/.
About the National Park Service
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees who care for America’s 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at http://www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/
