Land easement donated to Gettysburg Foundation

Baltimore Pike property protected for future generations

(Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) - 7/26/2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE …

 

CONTACT:

Dru Anne Neil

Director of Communications and Marketing

Gettysburg Foundation

(717) 338-1243, ext. 2102

[email protected]

 

 

The Gettysburg Foundation today accepted the donation of a scenic, historic and open space conservation easement on property owned by Gettysburg resident David M. LeVan.

 

The 61-acre property is along the Baltimore Pike corridor adjacent to the Culp’s Hill area of the Gettysburg battlefield as well as the National Park Service Museum and Visitor Center. The property is within the boundary of the Gettysburg National Military Park.

 

“The Gettysburg Foundation – as part of its partnership with Gettysburg National Military Park – has a history of land preservation, including the Baltimore Pike corridor,” said Foundation President Robert C. Wilburn. “The easement will protect this important parcel of land from future development and will preserve its historical integrity for generations to come.”

 

With this donation, the Gettysburg Foundation has preserved close to 700 acres of land significant to the Battle of Gettysburg.

 

“I make this gift in honor of my father’s vision and commitment to the preservation and conservation of this property,” said LeVan. “I’m happy that I am now the one who is able to do this in his honor.”

 

“A gift of this significance that preserves this land forever and ever is not just of local significance; it’s of national significance,” said Gettysburg National Military Park Superintendent John A. Latschar, who read an acknowledgement letter concerning the donation from Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

 

Gettysburg Foundation Chair of the Board Robert A. Kinsley thanked David and Jennifer LeVan for their very generous gift and for their early and continuing support of the Gettysburg Foundation.

 

The Gettysburg Foundation is a private, nonprofit educational organization working in partnership with the National Park Service to enhance preservation and understanding of the heritage and lasting significance of Gettysburg. The Foundation raised funds for and now operates the Museum and Visitor Center at Gettysburg National Military Park.