September 2009

. We recently had our 10-year anniversary. Formed to help protect and preserve the Natural Bridge Battlefield, a core group of members have tirelessly toiled for many years to raise money and find ways to purchase or acquire more of the actual battlefield. These efforts however made only very modest progress.

There’s a saying, that timing is everything. In early 2008 things began to change. First, we reinvigorated and changed the Board of Directors. Next, we partnered with the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT), the largest most respected civil war focused not-for-profit in the country. The CWPT listed Natural Bridge in their literature as one of the 10 most endangered battlefields in the country. With this new ammunition, several of us on the Board began to work anew behind the scenes to get the State to take a “fresh” look at the possible purchase of the Rakestraw property.

Then, with the assistance of the Florida Park Service (FPS), several of us on the Board began to attend state meetings on the purchase of the Rakestraw property. In November 2008 the land purchase details were worked out by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), with support from the CWPT. Nearly everything we had hoped for was finally coming to fruition but, we had to wait until the spring of 2009 before the land was finally acquired.

In June 2009 as recognition for all our efforts, the CWPT bestowed on the NBHS the prestigious 2009 Brian Pohanka award for Best Preservation Group of the Year.

Now the real work is just beginning. The FPS has guided us through the application process for a grant to pay for a phase I archaeological survey of the property, which must be conducted. The grant was approved for $25,000 and the work is tentatively scheduled to begin this fall. We now need your participation more than ever. Part of the grant is based on using NBHS members to help with the archaeological work. We need to increase our membership and any active dues paying member can actually participate alongside the archaeologists exploring and excavating the property.

In closing, I want to thank all the NBHS members for their support over the years. A special thanks to:

• Bob Trapp - Secretary/Treasurer for all his administrative / financial work and negotiations with the Elks;

• Buzz Gifford - Vice President for his outstanding help with grants and contracts;

• John Boger - Director for getting the NBHS website going. You should take time and visit the website at www.nbhscso.com

• Sharon Brewer – Director who has been most helpful and made herself available for business;

• Chris Ellrich NBHS Member who has been meeting with the Riley House Museum and is near having a memorandum of understanding (MOU) and working agreement with them.

We need your participation NOW more than ever! I challenge you to bring in new members from your friends, neighbors and people of like minds interested in preservation of history. I look forward to seeing more of you in the months to come as we work on NBHS issues together.

Mark Rominger - President