Although this site concentrates on stories concerning Ohio’s historic resources, revitalization, heritage tourism and sustainable growth, occasionally stories from elsewhere impact the past of our state or highlight universal preservation issues. We will look at two such stories this week, the first concerning the Gettysburg battlefield in Pennsylvania.

Ohio has a special connection to that hallowed ground. The Ohio At Gettysburg website, for instance, profiles the numerous Buckeye infantry, cavalry and artillery units that were a part of that three-day battle in July, 1863. Over 4,400 Ohioans participated in the conflict, and almost thirty percent of them were killed. Without question, Ohio was well-represented in this pivotal battle and has a vested interest in what happens to the battlefield.

With good reason, therefore, Ohioans joined other Americans in advocating for keeping Gettysburg free from overtly non-sympathetic commercial intrusion. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Civil War Preservation Trust, collections of Civil War historians and others lobbied the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to reject an application for a 5,000 slot machine casino that would have been constructed a mile from the battlefield. Casino backers had the strong support of the Adams County business community and local politicians, and suggested that at least 2,000 jobs would be created in the project.

On December 20, the application was rejected.

As this coverage in Preservation Online points out, however, the victory may be a somewhat hallow one, as the site already features a Wal-Mart and commercial strip center.

Photo: Marker for 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Gettysburg Battlefield, Erected by the State of Ohio - jeffq/Creative Commons License