Civil War Trust
The Civil War sesquicentennial is indisputably upon us. Across the nation, a wide variety of commemorative events has begun and will continue to expand and unfold over the next four years. Public interest in this tumultuous and seminal period in American history has not been so high in a generation or more. And we at the nation’s leading nonprofit dedicated to protecting battlefield land are marking the occasion with some fanfare of our own. In early January, the organization responsible for some of the most high-profile land preservation efforts in American history — including the Slaughter Pen Farm at Fredericksburg and the First Day at Chancellorsville — announced another major milestone. Following a successful year in 2010, protecting land at 18 sites in 6 states, we crossed the 30,000 acre threshold, a true testament to the importance that tens of thousands of Americans place on protecting our Civil War heritage. With this legacy in mind, and looking forward to redoubling preservation efforts during the sesquicentennial, on Jan. 11 we announced that we had officially shortened our name to the Civil War Trust and unveiled a corresponding new logo. Neither decision was made lightly, but we feel strongly that they will strengthen the organization significantly as we move forward. Let me be clear: the name of the organization is shorter, and the logo has been updated, but the core mission of the Civil War Trust remains exactly the same. Rest assured that we are every bit the same vibrant and dynamic organization that has earned an outstanding reputation for efficiency and effectiveness, as well as the passionate support of 55,000 members. It is common practice in the corporate world to periodically update and improve logos. After more than two decades in use, we felt it was time for us to explore the possibility of modernizing our image, particularly at the beginning of the sesquicentennial period, when we will endeavor to encourage battlefield preservation as a fitting and lasting legacy of the commemoration. Despite the numerous successes we have enjoyed over the years, our efforts remained relatively unknown outside the Civil War community. This was compounded by frequent use of the acronym “CWPT.” While the abbreviation helped combat an unwieldy name, it offered no clear illustration of our mission. The Civil War Trust, on the other hand, far better conveys that this organization is the world leader in protecting these historic landscapes and promoting their appreciation through education programs on-site, online and in the classroom. Although there were aspects of the previous logo that served us well, the graphic didn’t adequately convey our organizational goals. The staff and Board of Trustees had long pondered whether updating our name and logo would better serve the organization’s mission. With the assistance of an independent market research firm, we queried thousands of our members and other individuals with a proven interest in American history about their reactions to a name change and a wide variety of prototype graphics. Using the thoughtful opinions and suggestions made during that process, we decided to move forward. Much care and thought went into the numerous iterations of the logo design that existed before we settled on our final choice, which better conveys both our core goals and the driving passion behind them. Unlike our previous logo, this new graphic directly references the very heart of our mission, the hallowed ground of our Civil War battlefields and all that they represent. Moreover, the two soldiers — each bearing the flag under which he fought — reminds us of the human toll of war. After all, it is out of respect for the memory of such brave Americans that we pursue our work. Following the guidance provided by our members and supporters, we also decided to include more information in our logo than the previous iteration. Respondents were nearly universal in wanting our mission spelled out unequivocally. So, in addition to referencing historic landscapes visually, the new logo contains our official tagline, “Saving America’s Civil War Battlefields.” In today’s always-connected world, Web sites are critically important, and so we proudly display the address of our state-of-the-art online presence in our new logo. I understand that these changes may prompt questions from both longtime members and new supports, so I invite you to visit www.civilwar.org/logo to learn more about our decision-making process and its implications. As the president of the Civil War Trust, we hope for your continued passionate and generous support of our efforts to protect and safeguard our nation’s heritage. In exchange, we promise to continue our record of protecting core battlefield land for this and future generations of Americans.
James Lighthizer is president of the Civil War Trust. Prior to taking the helm at the Trust, he served two terms as County Executive of Anne Arundel County, Md., and served as Maryland Secretary of Transportation.
|
