Lawrence SwiaderThe Trust will soon take ownership of the site of the defunct Gettysburg Country Club (above), most of which will be marked for landscape renovation as a Civil War battle site.
Some 15 years after Gettysburg Country Club closed, the looming threat of the historic site on which it had operated being lost to development has resolved, with the American Battlefield Trust launching a $3 million national fundraising campaign to acquire the last 15 acres, remove modern structures, and undertake interpretation. Thanks to the critical involvements of a lender and a donor, the Trust will take ownership of the land on November 20 and seek to raise the remaining purchase money over the next several years.
Located along the Chambersburg Pike between McPherson Ridge and Herr’s Ridge, and just past Willoughby’s Run, the property saw intense fighting in the opening phase of battle on July 1, 1863. Just last summer, it was proposed for residential development but won a reprieve after significant local advocacy to save the historic site. The landowner, denied permits for a sprawling apartment complex, appealed the decision—but gave preservation groups an opportunity to purchase the property.
The site’s preservation journey had begun in 2008, when Gettysburg Country Club declared bankruptcy. The site was identified as an acquisition priority by the Gettysburg National Military Park and preservationists for its significance: The first bloodletting at Gettysburg occurred along the banks of Willoughby’s Run, on and around the country club land. After the fighting moved to the east, a field hospital was established and at least 23 combatants were buried on what became country club land.
An initial sheriff’s sale failed to find a buyer and the site was acquired by a developer. But behind the scenes, preservationists continued to negotiate and, in 2011, The Conservation Fund, assisted by the Trust and other allied organizations, successfully transferred 95 acres of the former golf course to the National Park Service.
However, the portion of the property fronting the road, including modern clubhouses, tennis courts, and a swimming pool, had been subdivided out. Those amenities went unused for several years and the site remained vulnerable. The situation came to a head last summer, when Cumberland Township considered plans for a large-scale apartment complex. Local residents and preservation advocates came out in opposition, and the township’s Board of Supervisors denied permit approval.
In good-faith negotiations, the Trust and the developer were able to reach mutually agreeable terms for the Trust’s purchase of the land in collaboration with other preservation allies. After it takes ownership, the Trust will begin envisioning a landscape restoration plan that removes intrusive modern-day elements but allows Gettysburg Day Spa to continue leasing the original country club clubhouse.
In the last two-plus decades, the Trust has helped protect nearly 1,240 acres across the Gettysburg Battlefield and made significant investments in landscape restoration. Learn how you can help at Battlefields.org.
The nonprofit, nonpartisan American Battlefield Trust (battlefields.org) is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds—Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War—and educating the public about their significance.
