To any of you who aren't at all interested in this or by chance don't see the relationship between historic preservation and genealogy, you can stop reading this here and I apologize for cluttering your mailbox. Although being, myself, very unappreciative of non-genealogy-related subjects cluttering up our mailboxes, I personally think this could be very important...not only for this battlefield, but for historic preservation in general, and offer the following food for thought. This particular place does appear to be worth trying to help folks, for history's sake, because of those enterred there, and for genealogy's sake; but it's unclear just what we can do. Those leading the "fight" want you to "sign" an online petition, but it's very unclear just what steps they have already done or are trying to do to save this historic place, or how long they have been fighting. As we all know, multiple names appearing on online petitions aren't worth much, if anything, unless the site has you sign in with identification and it places a cookie to make sure that the same computer doesn't sign up twice. Even doing it that way, someone could technically argue that anywone with a particular interest could conceivably go to multiple computers themselves and place duplicate names. When I first heard of this through a Gen-List (VAAUGUST-L) several days ago, I e-mailed the Meigs County, Ohio, Historical Society to find out just what else they've been doing or plan to do. For instance, has there been a letter-writing campaign to legislatures, either federal or state? Have they contacted the National Foundation for Historic Trust? They haven't responded yet. If I do hear more, I'll pass it on. Based on my own experience in other areas (policing internet fraud and certain political issues), historic preservation certainly might be something that can be helped everywhere by bringing together many more people with the advantage of rapid communication over the Internet. Far too often local historical societies miss out on saving important places because they lack sufficient resources (people, finances, and sometimes experience) to wield any influence. Just as we do in researching genealogy, through the Internet, we have the power to gather millions of people to communicate and work together at the click of a button for something good...virtually anything. An online petition won't do it, though. Each person has to take the time to personally and individually communicate, in person, by telephone, through letters, and/or in e-mail with the people/organizations that count on the issues. More and more legislators and government offices in the country now use e-mail, so it is getting easier; but you should give them your name and snail-mail address, even in e-mail. Legislators and government offices really only pay attention if it begins to "inconvenience" them; i.e. stacks of mail, phone calls, and personal meetings take up their time so they have to pay attention...a mere list of names doesn't. Because of all of the above, I forwarded the message, with the above information, to the PACAMBRI-L, MDFREDER-L, MDWASHIN-L. (Since it came from VAAUGUST-L to me, I figured it would get around to other WV lists without me.) If you are interested in helping (this or any other "cause"), I do suggest following through on it and forwarding info on to others; however I recommend you list in the body of what you forward those lists to whom you have forwarded it, so we aren't getting hundreds of repeats. Diane Huyer Dallas (near Wheeling), WV