Resaca Battlefield To Be Acquired by State of Georgia
ATLANTA, March, 24, 2000 – After several years of intense negotiations, the highly sought after Resaca Civil War Battlefield in Gordon County, the site of the first battle in General Sherman’s Campaign for Atlanta, will be preserved for eventual development and interpretation as Georgia’s newest state historic site. Sara Clark, Chairman of the Georgia Board of Natural Resources, announced today that a signed option to purchase the tract has been received from the owner, and the Board of Natural Resources will be asked to approve the acquisition at its March meeting in Atlanta on March 29.
In making the announcement, Chairman Clark praised the leadership and assistance of a group of individuals and organizations without whose help this successful initiative would not have happened. She singled out for praise Governor Roy Barnes, property owner Scott Fletcher, members of both the Georgia Civil War Commission and the Friends of Resaca, Representative Tom Shanahan and Senator Bill Stephens, Bowater Timber Company and DNR Board Members Tom Wheeler and Jamie Reynolds, who assisted in negotiations. “It was a terrific team effort that has resulted in completing a willing seller-willing buyer deal that many believed might not happen,” stated Mrs. Clark.
Under the agreement, the state of Georgia will purchase in fee simple 505 acres which will include all of the Confederate trenches, a conservation easement on approximately 60 acres that will protect about 90% of the remaining Union trenches, and an outstanding timber contract for standing timber on the property. The state will also receive a recordable right of first refusal to purchase the balance of Mr. Fletcher’s property in the future if he decides to sell it. As a part of this bargain sale, Mr. Fletcher intends to claim a charitable contribution to the state.
When notified about the agreement, Governor Roy Barnes said, “I want to thank Scott Fletcher and his family for their cooperation in this effort. Without their help and support, we would not be able to preserve this historic site.”
The Board of Natural Resources and the state Properties Commission will be asked to approve acquisition of this site at a cost of $2,355,375. Funding for this project will come from a variety of sources, including state general obligation bond funds, the Georgia Civil War Commission, The Civil War Preservation Trust – a non-profit, national battlefield preservation group, and private funds, including a significant gift from the family of Scott Fletcher.
The Battle of Resaca, May 14 and 15, 1864, was the first major battle in the Campaign for Atlanta. Today, the battlefield site remains largely undisturbed and is the only remaining Civil War battlefield site in Georgia having a large enough quantity of open land suitable for a historic park of this nature. There are miles of virtually undisturbed trenches, gun emplacements and other fortification on this site. Due to its proximity to both metropolitan Atlanta and Chattanooga, the location makes it attractive for development as a state historic site. Once acquired, the Department of Natural Resources will then request funds for its development in subsequent budget requests to the General Assembly, and opening the site will be dependent upon receiving such development and operational funding.
