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HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL PR 2013-12-13 Leesburg Plants 108 Living Legacy Trees MEDIA ADVISORY Contact: Shuan Butcher FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 540-882-4929 shuan@jthg.org Town of Leesburg Dedicates 108 Trees as Part of Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership’s Living Legacy Project New Plantings Part of Enhanced Transportation Project and Will Tie in With Region’s Civil War History Leesburg, VA (December 13, 2013) – As part of an elaborate landscaping plan with the Town of Leesburg’s South King Street widening project, 108 newly planted trees will be geotagged as part of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership’s Living Legacy Project. This project of national significance was created to commemorate the Civil War Sesquicentennial by planting or dedicating one tree for each of the 620,000 soldiers who died, as a living memorial for their individual and combined sacrifices. Phase One of the South King Street project will be complete once all the trees have been planted, which is expected to take place within the coming weeks. The project included widening South King Street from two to four lanes from Governors Drive to Greenway Drive, adding a landscaped median, and planting the referenced trees as well as additional trees and shrubs. A second phase of the South King Street project, which will include similar improvements and additional Living Legacy Project trees, will get underway in 2014. In addition, the realignment of Virt’s Corner has added a new gateway feature to the Town’s southern limits and Living Legacy Project trees will be included in the landscaping as part of the new gateway. Trees planted as part of the Living Legacy Project will eventually stretch along the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Scenic Byway, a 180-mile swath of land that runs from Gettysburg, PA to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville, VA. The Town of Leesburg not only sits on the scenic byway, but it is near the geographic center of the region. In addition, the town has been an active partner of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership from the organization’s beginning. Currently, Leesburg Mayor Kristen Umstattd chairs the organization’s Council of Elected Officials. “We are delighted to have been able to coordinate the landscaping plan for our South King Street widening project with the Journey’s Living Legacy Project,” said Mayor Umstattd. “It is a tremendous honor to be part of this project, and we are looking for other opportunities to include additional trees within the Town limits.” Upon completion, the Living Legacy Project will be the first 180-mile landscaped allée in the world and the only allée dedicated to honoring the most defining moment in American history. The project will create a unified color palette that reminds visitors that they are, indeed, on hallowed ground. It was upon the battlefields within this region that many of the soldiers who fought, died during the American Civil War, one of our country’s most defining moments. A signature palette of seasonal trees and plantings, including redbuds, red oaks, red maple, and red cedar have been selected to represent the courage and valor of the individuals being honored with this project. The native selection is appropriate to the diverse landscapes along this historic corridor, and remains sensitive to the local ecology, scenic views, and development patterns. The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership is actively engaged in raising the necessary funds to complete this $65 million initiative. Individuals, businesses, schools, and community groups from around the world can contribute to this project. The JTHG Partnership is seeking $100 contributions to support and plant each tree. Donors may select a soldier to honor, as the trees will be geo-tagged to allow Smart Phone users to learn the story of the soldier, providing a strong educational component to engage interest in the region’s historical heritage and literally bring the tree to life. Over 350 organizational partners of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership are already engaged with the Living Legacy Project. “Fifty years from now, during the bicentennial of the Civil War, the Living Legacy Project will be considered the finest example of homage in our country,” said JTHG President Cate Magennis Wyatt. “Now is the time to create and implement a living legacy for those who gave ‘the last full measure,’ many of whom have never been honored.” For more information on the Living Legacy Project, visit www.hallowedground.org. -oOo- The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area is a 180-mile long, 75-mile wide area stretching from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia that contains a vibrant natural, historical, and cultural landscape. With 400 years of European, American and African-American heritage, it’s known as the region Where America Happened™. It contains more history than any other region in the nation and includes: National and World Heritage sites, over 10,000 sites on the National Register of Historic Places, 49 National Historic districts, nine Presidential homes, 13 National Park units, hundreds of African American and Native American heritage sites, 30 Historic Main Street communities, sites from the Revolutionary War, French-Indian War, War of 1812 and the largest collection of Civil War sites in the nation.