Letter to the Editor

Winchester Star Open Forum
May 8, 2006

Regarding the O-N Minerals (Chemstone) expansion in Middletown, Virginia I would like to express my concern for Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Park should the application for rezoning be approved.

The application before the Frederick County Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors proposes the rezoning of 639.13 acres of land adjacent to the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Park. This land is currently undeveloped and zoned rural agricultural. If the application is approved, the land will be zoned for extractive manufacturing and used to expand the current quarrying operation that is visually intrusive from the park itself. If this expansion takes place, the National Historic Park will suffer greatly. While waste piles, silos, dust clouds, bright lights, and noise currently pollute the historic setting and panoramic mountain views from the battlefield grounds, an expansion this significant would devastate the National Historic Park.

The sites for the proposed new quarries are expansive and historically significant. I believe much, if not all, of the property in question was originally slated to become part of the National Historic Park because of its significance. While I am uncertain why this property was unable to be included in the final boundary of the park, I do know that uses such as extractive manufacturing should not be allowed on ground that plays such an important role in our nation’s history. Uses allowed with extractive manufacturing zoning include the extraction and processing of minerals, concrete and asphalt manufacturing plants, water treatment facilities, and other uses that are inappropriate for battlefield land. The applicant has documented plans for a water treatment facility as well as numerous large-scale mineral extraction pits as deep as 250 feet beneath the ground our ancestors fought and died on.

The historical significance of the proposed quarry site is well documented. Custer’s decisive flanking attack on John Gordan was staged there. The site of Merritt’s bivouac, the ruins of the 18th-century Nieswander’s Fort, and many other historical sites and staging areas will be eradicated if quarrying is allowed to move forward. Historians and ancestors of those who fought in the battle retrace the steps of the soldiers each day. Quarrying on this large a scale would be among the most detrimental land uses for the battlefield area. The ground that plays such a significant role in the history of the Civil War would literally be removed, leaving the land unrecognizable even after reclamation.

We have reached a turning point with the Cedar Creek Battlefield. The current quarrying facility has been in operation for many decades and has only a few years of extracting left until the desired minerals from the site are exhausted. We can either take a stand, put a stop to the expansion, and eventually reclaim the scenic views of the battlefield for future generations to enjoy, or allow it to happen and watch our National Historic Park decline in support and public interest. All of us who respect the importance of the Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historic Park should urge the Frederick County Board of Supervisors to deny the application for rezoning.

Jeffrey M. Carter
Middletown