It has been said that the American Civil War was largely fought over the words ascribed to Thomas Jefferson ~ all men are created equal. Today, as you turn out of his driveway at Monticello, you’ll travel 180 miles north along The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Scenic Byway within the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area to Gettysburg, PA. Within this region you have the largest concentration of Civil War battlefields in the country, including the beginning of the war (Harpers Ferry and Manassas), the middle of the war (Antietam and Gettysburg) and the end of the war (Wilderness). It was here, at these battlefields, where many of the 620,000 men who died during the war fought.

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership is commemorating the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a legacy project of national significance. It is a simple yet eloquent plan to plant one tree for each of the 620,000 soldiers who died, as a living memorial for their individual and combined sacrifices. The trees will create a 180-mile alleé, from Monticello to Gettysburg, along the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Scenic Byway and serve to remind each traveler along the way of the enormity of the loss.

More, we will geotag each tree to allow visitors to learn the name and the story of each young man for whom the tree is planted by allowing photos, diary entries and letters home to be shared. We believe this is the time to create and implement a living legacy for those who gave “the last full measure” during our country’s most trying time, especially in light of the fact that many of these men died anonymously.

This project further lends itself to a national service learning program as we work with students from around the country to research the fallen from their community, learn their stories and dedicate trees in their honor. In May 2013, students from Hartford, VT joined us in Gettysburg to plant trees in honor of the men from Vermont who perished during the Battle of Gettysburg, right at the site where they fought and died.

The Living Legacy Project creates a unified color palette that reminds visitors that they are, indeed, on hallowed ground. Upon completion, this initiative will create the first 180-mile landscaped alleé in the world and the only alleé dedicated to honoring the most defining moment in American history.

Journey Through Hallowed Ground Living Legacy Tree Planting Project

Journey Through Hallowed Ground Living Legacy Tree Planting Project

The Journey Through Hallowed Ground stretches 180 miles along the Route 15 Corridor from Gettysburg, PA through Frederick, MD and ends at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello near Charlottesville, VA.

The Journey Through

Hallowed Ground

From Gettysburg to Monticello

To date, trees have been planted in Leesburg, VA and Gettysburg, PA as part of our pilot project. In partnership with Gettysburg National Military Park, 150 trees are being planted on Bliss Farm as part of the 150th anniversary commemoration of President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address on November 19, 2013. The JTHG Partnership is seeking $100/per tree contributions to plant each tree and donors may select which soldier they wish to honor. For more information on the Living Legacy Project, visit: www.HallowedGround.org.

Partners Include: ● Every Town Council and Board of Supervisors along the JTHG National Scenic Byway ● The National Park Service, Department of Interior ● Federal Highway Administration ● Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation ● Virginia Department of Forestry and Pennsylvania Treevitalize Program ● Civil War Trust ● National Trust for Historic Preservation ● WITF Public Radio ● Oatlands Historic Home and Gardens, Lutheran Theological Seminary, & other sites ● Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania based Landowners, Developers, Tree Farmers, Arborists, Garden Clubs, and Historic Main Street Businesses ● Public Schools throughout the country ● Corporations including Warner Bros. ● Foundations including the Prince Charitable Trusts

Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership P.O. Box 77, Waterford, VA 20197 | (540) 882-4929 www.HallowedGround.org www.facebook.com/TheJourneyUSA @TaketheJourney on Twitter