Group Seeks to Preserve 84 Acres at 3 Civil War Battlefields

HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) — A battlefield preservation group is raising funds to protect 84 acres at three Civil War sites in western Maryland and West Virginia.

Spokeswoman Meg Martin said Monday the Civil War Trust aims to raise about $413,000 by year's end to match about $1.1 million in mostly public funds.

The targets are nine acres at the Antietam National Battlefield, 65 at Maryland's South Mountain State Battlefield and 10 acres near Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

The Antietam parcel is near the Dunker Church landmark.

The South Mountain parcel is in the unincorporated Frederick County community of Frostown.

The Shepherdstown parcel is near a Potomac River crossing called Boteler's Ford. It's part of a 510-acre site that the National Park Service said last year would make a suitable addition to Antietam, if Congress desires.

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