Letter to the Editor, Winchester Star, 3/22/07
by Diedre Cockran

The press conference last week regarding the fate of the Cedar Creek Battlefield was impressive.  What was not impressive were the responses from the owner of the quarry operation, Chemstone/O-N Minerals of Cleveland.

To the Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation’s statement that 60% of the 639-acre parcel that Chemstone wants rezoned for five new quarries is “core” battlefield (where the most significant fighting took place) as defined by the National Park Service, Chemstone General Manager Spencer Stinson responded, “ . . . our land was not considered significant enough to be placed in the (NPS) park boundaries”.

To the Civil War Preservation Trust’s assertion that 9,000 soldiers, both Blue and Gray, spilled their blood on this battlefield, Chemstone company spokesman Bill Hardigg responded that donating the land, or an historic easement on the land, would “ . . . not be a wise business move”.

What doesn’t Chemstone understand?  This parcel of land is sacred.  What happened at Cedar Creek is important to us all.  This land must be protected for all Virginians, as well those in every state in this nation.

We have been under this threat for too long.  It’s time for the Frederick County Board of Supervisors to educate such corporate “neighbors” that the time is long past when this kind of attitude can prevail.