Preservation of the past is a luxury most societies do not consider until it is too late. It is only through the fore thought of motivated individuals that places and objects are saved for future generations to marvel at. Look at any museum and you will see objects that have been saved because they were important to someone. I have seen Lincoln's stove pipe hat and a Continental Army soldier's knapsack and have marveled that these items still exist. Someone recognized their importance to national and personal history and decided to save them for the future. Objects such as these are part souvenir saying "I was there" and part time capsule saying "I want you to remember".

Battlefields are probably the largest type of preserved historical artifact there is. They are just as fragile and evoke as many memories as any item in a traditional museum. Battlefields can be destroyed by people who only see their worth in dollars signs instead of the treasures they are. This has been the fate of many historical sites throughout the country and can only be stopped by caring individuals and groups willing to try and save them.

Below I have listed the excellent preservation groups I support, some monetarily and some in spirit.

Their good works have given me a place to live in the Cornhill section of Rochester, New York. If urban renewal had been allowed to tear down the 150 year old buildings in the Cornhill Historic District, I would be writing this from a cookie cutter condo instead of this wonderful brick home built in 1865.
 


Civil War Preservation Trust

 

The Gettysburg Foundation

 

Central Virginia Battlefield Trust


The Corn Hill Neighborhood Association


All digital photographs are Copyright 1995-2008 by Norm Lincourt unless otherwise indicated. Last Update - 3/03/08