Bentonville Battlefield lands restoration grant

A grant from the National Park Service will benefit Bentonville Battlefield State Historic Site.

The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources will use the $100,000 grant to produce a cultural landscape report to guide the restoration of key portions of Bentonville Battlefield.

The report will document what the landscape looked like during the battle, assess current conditions and provide recommendations to restore the historic landscape to day-of conditions.

“At historic sites, we often ask ourselves to consider what the land witnessed,” said Michelle Lanier, director of the N.C. Division of State Historic Sites. “This generous grant from the National Park Service will help us to more deeply understand and share the story of this incredibly significant battlefield as more than just a site of war.”

With more than 2,200 acres preserved at Bentonville, the landscape report will document the battlefield’s historical and natural resources, evaluate the changes in land use and recommend long-term strategies to restore the forested lands to their historic 1865 appearance.

The report will involve feedback from landowners, tenant farmers, tribal entities, preservation specialists and the Bentonville community.

The American Battlefield Protection Program’s Battlefield Restoration Grants support preservation partners across the country in their effort to restore eligible battlefields from the American Revolution, War of 1812 and Civil War.

Funding comes through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which uses revenue from offshore oil and natural gas leasing to help strengthen conservation and recreation opportunities across the nation.

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