Columbus-Belmont State Park Receives LCWRT Preservation Grant

The Louisville Civil War Round Table is pleased to announce the winner of the 2010 LCWRT Preservation Grant. This grant is given annually to a Civil War site in the State of Kentucky. This years recipient is Columbus-Belmont State Park in Columbus, Ky., a 156-acre site of fortifications built by the Confederates and later occupied by Union forces. The 1861 Battle of Belmont, a raid fought to test the strength of this Confederate stronghold, marked the opening of the Union's Western Campaign. It was also Union General Ulysses S. Grant's first active engagement in the Civil War. Some of the artillery, which shelled the Union troops, and the six-ton anchor that held the great chain stretching across the river, are on display in the park. The $1000 Preservation Grant will be used to aid in the repair and restoration of a quarter mile length of original earth-works. These earth-works will be a featured attraction for both the 20th Anniversary of Civil War Days at Columbus-Belmont State Park as well as events for the coming Sesquicentennial of the Civil War in 2011. Columbus-Belmont State Park has approximately 100,000 visitors a year.

In the ten years since the LCWRT began funding a grant for preservation, we have given over $11,000 to organizations in the state. Previous recipients include Camp Wildcat Preservation Foundation, Tebbs Bend Battlefield Association, Perryville Battlefield Association, Friends of Fort Duffield, and Middle Creek National Battlefield Foundation. Cindy Lynch, the Manager of Columbus-Belmont State Park, will receive the grant at the May 2010 regular meeting.