ABPP Boundary Survey Adds Hunterstown & Fairfield, Pa.

By Deborah Fitts

HUNTERSTOWN, Pa. — Officials at the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) have expanded the boundaries of the Gettysburg battlefield to include land at Hunterstown and Fairfield in recognition of cavalry actions that took place in early July 1863.

 “It’s a really exciting thing for Hunterstown to finally be acknowledged as a battlefield site,” said Laurie Harding, head of the fledgling Hunterstown Historical Society. “We know the folks in Fairfield are ecstatic as well.”

At Hunterstown, the action by ABPP adds about 750 acres, Harding estimated. It includes the entire village, which comprises a number of historic structures.

Officials at Gettysburg National Military Park were quick to emphasize that the new ABPP survey, conducted in recent months, was totally unrelated to the park’s own congressionally legislated boundary.

In fact, said park spokesman Katie Lawhon, ABPP focuses its efforts on helping to preserve and promote non-federal battlefield land. The new boundary, she said, provides “a wonderful opportunity for local governments in Hunterstown and Fairfield to apply to ABPP for grants for planning, for preservation, and for other projects to preserve the Civil War heritage of these communities.”

Harding indicated that the timing was good for Hunterstown, where major development is looming. Her group, formed in February, is attempting to convince Straban Township officials to create protections for the historic village, which lies 4 miles northeast of Gettysburg. A meeting to that end attracted about three dozen people in late September.

The ABPP surveys at Hunterstown and Fairfield were in response to a request by Congress to update a report on battlefields in 1993 by the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission. A press release by ABPP, which is a branch of the National Park Service, explained that the update, which is “to aid in planning for the preservation of Civil War battlefields,” will “identify preservation opportunities and changes at the battlefield sites since 1993. The information can guide communities in making informed decisions about protecting battlefield resources.”

The release noted that as the new battlefield surveys are completed, the updated information will be released on a state-by-state basis.

At Gettysburg, the survey added not only Hunterstown and Fairfield, but also numerous hospital locations, plus approach routes used by both armies. The cavalry action at Hunterstown took place July 1, 1863, while the one at Fairfield followed two days later.

Harding acknowledged a hope that the new survey might eventually result in expansion of the boundary of Gettysburg National Military Park, which could provide additional protections. But Lawhon said the Park Service has “no intent” to expand the park boundary, which would require congressional approval.

Lawhon pointed out that, as it is, 1,200 acres of land within the current park boundary are privately owned, suggesting that the park has its hands full attempting to protect what it already has.