Press Release
See outcome of balloon fly below Press Release Date: May 26, 2010 From: Ellen PercyMiller RE: T Mobile Balloon Fly in Thoroughfare Gap Battlefield In late January of this year, T Mobile filed with Prince William County for permission to build a 150 foot cell phone monopole one half mile from the Turn The Mill Around Campaign (TTMAC) property around Chapman/Beverley Mill. This monopole will adversely affect the entire view shed of the Battle of Thoroughfare Gap which extends two miles north Chapman's Mill to Hopewell Gap on Bull Run Mountain and almost a half mile south of Chapman's Mill. The Battlefield also extends three miles east into Prince William County and nearly two miles west of the Gap into Fauquier County. On August 28, 1862 Union General Ricketts was ordered to occupy Thoroughfare Gap to prevent Generals Lee and Longstreet from marching through the Gap and joining Confederate troops gathering for the Second Battle of Manassas. Historians say that had Ricketts prevailed at the Battle of Thoroughfare Gap, which took place in and around Chapman's Mill, the Second Battle of Manassas would never have taken place, and the Civil War would have ended in a matter of weeks instead of years. Today the view shed looks very much like it did on August 28, 1862. On Wednesday, June 2, 8:30-10:00 a.m., T Mobile will perform a balloon flyover, placing a large balloon tethered at the site where the monopole is requested. The balloon will be flown at the proposed height of the monopole, 150 feet. Photos will be taken of the balloon from a number of different perspectives and these will become part of the record of this application. This test was ordered by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources at the request of Chapman/Beverley Mill because the Mill is on the National Register of Historic Places. TTMAC, whose mission is to interpret the history of the Gap, is exceedingly concerned about the impact of the proposed monopole on the well-preserved view shed and the ability of future visitors to fully experience the history of the site and setting. On May 13, 2010 The Civil War Preservation Trust placed the Thoroughfare Gap Battlefield on its "ten most endangered battlefields" list because of the threat the 150 foot cell phone tower presents. If you haven't already seen the Bud Hall talk about the Battle of Thoroughfare Gap and the impending threat of the monopole, please go to http://www.civilwar.org/video/at-thoroughfare-gap-with-bud.html In the hopes of getting a large crowd at the Mill to observe the balloon test, TTMAC is asking for citizens to come to Chapman/Beverley Mill before 8:30 AM on Wednesday, June 2, 2010 to stand and watch the balloon fly as an expression of concern. Bring friends. We are asking that observers meeting to watch the 150 foot T Mobile monopole balloon fly from Chapman/Beverley Mill on Wednesday, June 2, 2010 from 8:30-10:00 a.m., send comments regarding the view of the tower (balloon) within two miles, as they approach and depart the site. These can be sent to mill@ChapmansMill.org">mill@ChapmansMill.org and will be submitted to the Prince William County Planning Commission. Please sign the comments with your name and mention which road you were on. Thanks. They will be helpful. Ellen PercyMiller Outcome of "balloon fly" at Thoroughfare GapIn late January of this year, T Mobile filed with Prince William County for permission to build a 150 foot cell phone monopole one half mile from the Turn The Mill Around Campaign (TTMAC) property around Chapman/Beverley Mill, the circa 1742 stone mill that straddles the Prince William/Fauquier County line off I 66 in Thoroughfare Gap. Chapman/Beverley Mill is on the National Register of Historic Places. On June 2, 2010 T- Mobile flew a balloon 150 feet in the air from its proposed site on Rt. 55 east of the mill. Many area residents gathered to see the visual impact of the balloon on the Chapman/Beverley Mill property. Barry Starke of Earth Design Associates, Inc. the Architectural Landscape firm hired by Turn The Mill Around Campaign to do its site development work and who has experience with balloon flies stated, "There is no doubt that the cell tower will be visible from almost everywhere on the mill property in the winter months. The higher the elevation from which the tower is viewed the more prominent it will be. Obviously, in the summer months the tower will be less visible than in the winter. The tower will also be more prominent than depicted in the photo simulations. In the T-Mobile exhibits, standard photographic and simulation techniques have been used to make the tower appear less prominent." Many people observed that the balloon was very visible from the area of an on-going archeological dig at the site of slave quarters dating back to the mid 1700's. In its site development plan TTMAC will be removing trees and returning the area to a more historically correct interpretation for the benefit of visitors. On August 28, 1862 Union General Ricketts was ordered to occupy Thoroughfare Gap to prevent Generals Lee and Longstreet from marching through the Gap and joining Confederate troops gathering for the Second Battle of Manassas. Historians say that had Ricketts prevailed at the Battle of Thoroughfare Gap, which took place in and around Chapman's Mill, the Second Battle of Manassas would never have taken place, and the Civil War would have ended in a matter of weeks instead of years. Historian Bruce Slawter stated that the plateau on which the cell phone tower is proposed to be situated "was a key terrain feature which influenced how the battle evolved in the late afternoon and evening of August 28, 1862. This geographical point served as the following:
Today the view shed looks very much like it did on August 28, 1862. On May 13, 2010 The Civil War Preservation Trust placed the Thoroughfare Gap Battlefield on its "ten most endangered battlefields" list because of the threat the 150 foot cell phone tower presents. Civil War historian Bud Hall talks about the Battle of Thoroughfare Gap and the impending threat of the monopole at http://www.civilwar.org/video/at-thoroughfare-gap-with-bud.html This monopole will adversely affect the entire view shed of the Battle of Thoroughfare Gap which extends two miles north of Chapman's Mill to Hopewell Gap on Bull Run Mountain and almost a half mile south of Chapman's Mill. The Battlefield also extends three miles east into Prince William County and nearly two miles west of the Gap into Fauquier County. In addition, Todd Benson, a Theodore Roosevelt historian, noted that the proposed tower will be placed on the site of the Pennsylvania 6th Regiment Camp when they were part of the 10,000 Spanish-American War troops sent to an encampment in Thoroughfare Gap in 1898 to avoid the typhoid outbreak in Alexandria where they awaited transport to the battlefield. Our local history is national history. |
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First posted May 26, 2010 Last update |