Buddy SecorStones River (shown here) is one of 40 priority battlefield sites that will benefit most fully from interpretive efforts through the Trust’s “Our Enduring Legacy” campaign.
In recognition of America’s upcoming 250th birthday, the American Battlefield Trust has announced the largest and most ambitious effort in battlefield preservation history: a $125 million capital campaign that will revolutionize the organization’s ability to pursue its mission.
“Our Enduring Legacy: The Campaign to Preserve, Educate, and Inspire” will enable the Trust to safeguard our nation’s historic battlefields for future generations by providing the critical resources needed to expand preservation efforts, meet today’s challenges, and seize tomorrow’s opportunities.
The effort is about more than the Semiquincentennial. Historic sites are disappearing at an alarming rate due to relentless development pressures. Demand for raw land is exploding as we experience a generational shift in land use. Residential development is being supplanted by massive solar farms, data centers, and distribution infrastructure, driving land prices up exponentially. Without immediate action, we risk losing not only the land but also the powerful stories of courage, sacrifice, and freedom from America’s defining conflicts.
In the midst of these unprecedented threats come unprecedented opportunities. With “Our Enduring Legacy,” the American Battlefield Trust is seizing the moment to safeguard our nation’s history.
For nearly 40 years, the Trust has led the nation in preserving our nation’s battlefield land, educating the public about what happened there and why it matters, and inspiring young and old alike to think about, and learn from, our nation’s turbulent first century. Through this ambitious effort, we are deepening our commitment to preserving these sacred places to bring history to life through innovative educational experiences. Our purpose is to inspire appreciation of America, its history, and its promise of liberty through a deeper understanding of the wars fought on its soil.
The money raised in this campaign will power the Trust’s first-ever Battlefield Readiness Fund, letting us act quickly and compete effectively against deep-pocketed developers with compelling cash-forward offers. We will be able to proactively cultivate transactions with added confidence and tackle more ambitious restoration and rehabilitation projects, returning properties to more closely resemble their wartime appearance.
The funds will help us bring battlefields to life with high-quality, customized physical and digital interpretation designed to create an immersive experience built on the unique aspects of that site. We will be able to promote the power of place by providing 10 million students with a battlefield visit, either through our History Field Trip Grant Program or our award-winning Virtual Field Trips.
Raising $125 million by July 4, 2026, is an ambitious goal, but thanks to generous donors who answered the call in its earliest phases, we are already more than 80 percent of the way there. Please join us in this bold endeavor to preserve our past and ensure that its lessons continue to resonate for generations to come. Learn more at ourenduringlegacy.org.
David Duncan is president of the nonprofit, nonpartisan American Battlefield Trust, which is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds—Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War—and educating the public about their significance.
