NEWS FLASH - The Natural Bridge Historical Society, Inc. (NBHS) is excited to announce that on Thursday November 20, Governor Charlie Crist and the Florida Cabinet approved the purchase of the Rakestraw property where the most intense fighting occurred during the Civil War Battle of Natural Bridge. The addition of these 54 acres of the original battlefield greatly expand the current Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park protected by the State. The NBHS, a Citizen Support Organization (CSO), was instrumental in having this property recognized nationally as one of the 10 most endangered Civil War sites by the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT). Together, the NBHS and CWPT helped make State officials understand the importance of acquiring and protecting the battlefield from future residential development.

With the purchase of the Rakestraw property, the NBHS-CSO will focus on assisting the State interpreting the site. The first step will be to apply for a grant through the Division of Historic Resources to fund an archeological survey of the property. The Rakestraw property contains relics of the Civil War and prehistoric settlements dating back 12,000 years. The St Marks River rises and falls through sinkholes and underground caves at least eight times on the property. "It's an incredibly significant piece of property both archaeologically and historically," said Fred Gaske, the director of the Division of Historical Resources, who also serves as the state historic-preservation officer. Cal Jamison, who represents Wakulla Springs State Park as its designated "ambassador," said the property is "every bit as awesome to me as Wakulla Springs."

Other plans for the property include converting the Rakestraw house into an interpretive center. The NBHS plans to work closely with the Park Service to establish a museum to describe the events which occurred on March 6, 1865 during the Battle of Natural Bridge. The front rooms of the house are ideally suited to house showcases to display relics and other materials collected from the area over the years. Other rooms will be used as office space by the Park Service, including a place for the NBHS to hold meetings and to store CSO records. We also anticipate working with the reenactment community to expand the annual reenactment of the Battle of Natural Bridge. Hopefully, the 145th Anniversary of the Battle of Natural Bridge (March 2010) will include action on the original main battle field.

Members of the Rakestraw family said they were glad the state purchased the property and would preserve the land. "I think it's a great deal for the people of Florida that they acquired this property," Jim Rakestraw said. We wholeheartedly agree and thank the Rakestraw’s for their stewardship of the land for so many years. Special thanks also goes out to the members of the NBHS that helped make this possible and especially to the CSO Board of Directors: Mark Rominger, President; Henry Brewer, Past President; Buzz Gifford, Vice President; Bob Trapp, Secretary/Treasurer; John Boger, Director; and Sharon Brewer, Director, whose tireless efforts over the past ten years have finally resulted in this phenomenal acquisition. We would also like to acknowledge: Barry Burch, Park Manager; Wes Smith, Past Park Manager; and Tom Nobles, Past Assistant Park Manager, as well as all the Park Service personnel that have encouraged and supported the activities of the CSO.

With the acquisition of this additional acreage the NBHS will play a major part in planning for the future at the Natural Bridge Historic State Park. With this in mind, we would like to invite and to urge  all reenactors, living historians, and interested private individuals and corporations to join and become a member of this organization. The more members we have the more we can accomplish. Please visit our web site at www.nbhscso.com for a membership application or email Bob Trapp, our Secretary/Treasurer at btrapp@nbhscso.com  .