CENTER GETS BATTLEFIELD PRESERVATION GRANT

Southeast Missouri State University's Center for Regional History has been awarded an $18,823 contract by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Division of State Parks.

The contract, made possible by a grant from the American Battlefield Protection Program, is for developing a battlefield protection plan for the Fort Davidson State Historic Site in Pilot Knob.

Dr. Frank Nickell, director of the Center for Regional History, said the plan will include a summary of the events of the battle at Pilot Knob, identify ways to increase public awareness of its historic and economic importance, determine short- and long-term threats, and provide alternative solutions for the protection of the battlefield.

The plan will evaluate efforts to preserve and interpret the battlefield, recommend new areas for study and development and guide future efforts at the site.

The Center for Regional History will work with the local communities and the Fort Davidson staff in developing the protection plan.

The protection plan will build upon the work conducted over the past two years by the staff of the Fort Davidson State Historic Site, the American Battlefield Protection Program, and the Iron County Historical Society. The 14 most significant portions of the battlefield have been identified and are currently being marked. Work on the protection plan is to be completed by the end of 1996.