Walmart Enters the Civil War- Literally

Southern Appeal has a link of how Walmart is in the middle of a big ole Civil War Preservation Controversy. See “Wal-Mart finds itself in Civil War preservationists’ crosshairs”

I am pretty big on preserving Civil War sites but I can see both sides here after looking at the article. In many ways the whole town was a battlefield. I sort of see Wal Marts point here though. I very much like how the Vicksburg Mississippi does this though. They have a very nice nice park that is pretty huge. The interesting preservation question there of course deals with the battlefield. When you enter the battlefield at many points you have a hard time visualizing the battlefield because a beautiful woodlands have grown up between much of the lines. It took me several years to realize and many visits to realize those trees were not there over a hundred years ago Of course the Park is loved by citizens that don't want the trees and wildlife to bulldozed down. Again another facet of balancing preservation and common sense.

Anyway the whole town is a huge park basically outside the Federal Park. You are running in Signs and copper monuments all over the town. In fact I can not imagine how it was before WWII. The Govt during war came in took many of these copper monuments and such for the war effort.

I actually find the both the Park and the fact that so many Civil War Monuments and Signs ( Capt So of the Illinois so so held this line from June 4 to July 4 1864 etc etc) amid signs of modern living kinda of striking. In the end there has to be a balance and real human beings that love their history too have to live there. Not everything can look like 1864.

It is a difficult balance.