Whereas, millions of Americans will now be traveling through areas once traversed by Georgian Continentals and Militia, due to the building of Interstate Highway 95 which opens up what has been largely a wilderness area, and Whereas, Georgia has a special interest because its President and Commanderin-Chief, Button Gwinnett, was a Signer of the Declaration of Independence who planned the 1777 campaign, and met his death in a duel as a result of his criticism of that campaign, and Whereas, the construction of the new Interstate Highway 95 opens up access to the Battlefield of Thomas Creek which was a part of the Gwinnett campaign, and Whereas, memorializing this area would be a fitting part of the forthcoming Revolutionary Bicentennial observance, and Whereas, setting aside some 700 acres of this largely wilderness land within the city limits of Jacksonville would be within the meeting of the "Open Spaces" program recommended by the President of the United States . . . providing recreational and conservation facilities along with a most useful historic reminder, Now Therefore Be It Resolved that the Georgia Historical Society hereby requests the Congress of the United States to create a National Park on the Thomas Creek Battlefield near Jacksonville, Florida, where it will serve Georgia, Florida and the Nation in preserving the memory of the men who fought here, while at the same time preserving the natural beauty and wildlife for future generations as the President requests. Respectfully submitted, GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY, Savannah, Ga. RESOLUTION RE H.R. 12424 House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, Suite 1324, Whereas Savannah, Georgia, was a base of military operations against Britishoccupied Florida in three separate campaigns, and Whereas the failure of these disastrous expeditions opened the door for the capture of Savannah with consequent great loss of life and property, and also made possible the conquest of most of the South, and Whereas the tremendous sacrifices made it the procurement of our liberties may well be forgotten forever if the land these men fought on is allowed to fall prey to the developers instead of being preserved in its natural state, and Whereas the Battlefield of Thomas Creek has now been made accessible by the opening of Interstate Highway 95, and thus offers the public a view of the terrain which was typical of all these operations, and Whereas turning this unused land into a REVOLUTION'S SOUTHERNMOST BATTLEFIELDS NATIONAL PARK would benefit the entire Southern participation in the Bicentennial of the Revolution in 1976, and would be a perpetual reminder to the nation of the part the entire South played in the bloody purchase of our freedoms, and Whereas this NATIONAL PARK within the city limits of Jacksonville would be within the scope of the President's call for "open spaces", and would provide recreational and conservation facilities for entire South as well as for millions of visitors, Now Therefore Be It Resolved that the Historic Savannah Foundation, Incorporated, Box 1733, Savannah, Ga., 31402, hereby asks the Congress of the United States to turn the wilderness battlefield site of Thomas Creek into a National Park which will be a memorial forever for the men who died here and which at the same time will preserve the land and its creatures much as they were in the days of the creation of the Republic. Respectfully submitted, HISTORIC SAVANNAH FOUNDATION, INC., Mr. TAYLOR. The subcommittee stands adjourned. Savannah, Ga. (Whereupon, the hearing in the above entitled matter was adjourned at 11:47 a.m., to reconvene at the call of the Chair.) |