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| Kennesaw and Little Kennesaw mountain rise behind the 21 acres (TPL) |
The national nonprofit
recently announced it had closed on the property that belonged to the Hensley
family of Marietta, Ga., which previously sold 34 acres to the National Park Service in
2008.
George Dusenbury,
Georgia director for the TPL, said the NPS paid the fair market value of $2.58
million using funds from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. The parcel is north of Burnt Hickory Road.
“TPL worked in
partnership with NPS to complete the necessary property due diligence and
secure the federal funding needed for the acquisition,” he told the Picket.
The property is largely
meadow with some woods. A stream that flows through the property was
dammed in the 1950s to form a small pond; it will remain as a fire suppression
resource. The property is surrounded on three sides by land already owned
by the NPS.
Union troops
that moved through the parcel were part of the extreme left of Logan’s XV
Corps, said Ray Hamel, park ranger and chief of interpretation at Kennesaw
Mountain. Troops serving under brigadier generals Harrow, Williams and Fuller
and the 64th Illinois skirmish line were among those present. (See Logan's, Harrow's and others' names at left, map courtesy American Battlefield Trust)
“Troops here
did not take part in the assault on Pigeon Hill,” said Hamel. “Confederate
defenses were east of the property. Nearest was a skirmish line of the 9th Texas."
The TPL said “The newly acquired property, now under National Park Service ownership, safeguards not only the rural, open character of the area but also any Civil War-related archaeological resources that may lie beneath its surface."
The Picket
reached out to the Hensley family for comment but has not yet
received answers to questions about the transaction.
The National Park Foundation provided funding to assist with associated costs, such as
the demolition of an old
barn, said Dusenbury.
The park --
the most-heavily visited national battlefield in
the country -- recently commemorated the 161st anniversary of the
Atlanta Campaign battle in Cobb County.
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| Click to enlarge to see details of newly acquired tract in orange; park boundaries in green (TPL) |
The TPL said is goal is to help create a cohesive park that “supports
public exploration and learning.”
“This
acquisition isn’t just about adding acreage -- it’s about preventing the
fragmentation of this irreplaceable landscape and keeping it from being lost to
suburban development,” Dusenbury said in the announcement.
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield spans 2,923 acres, including three battlefield areas and 11 miles of preserved Civil War earthworks.
The TPL said its
land additions to the park include:
Early 2000s: Approximately 50 acres to expand park
access and continuity.
2008: Acquisition of 34 acres from the
Hensley family, featuring forests, fields and a lake.
2013: Addition of the 42-acre Hays farm,
home to Nodine’s Hill, with remnant Union entrenchments, rifle pits and cannon
placements.
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| Another view of the 21 acres recently added to the NPS park (TPL) |
“Our parents never let us forget that we stand
on hallowed ground. They always told us that it was never going to be developed
and that we would never see rooftops on this property,” said Sam Hensley Jr. during a ceremony in 2008 concerning the 34 acres. (Sam's brother Shuler is a notable Tony Award-winning actor and singer.)
“That became a very difficult thing to
accomplish over the years. There was not a week that went by that my father did
not have an unsolicited call from a developer or somebody that wanted to build
a subdivision out here.”
