Has anyone heard anything about what sort of CRM plan Disney has if/when
they start construction of their "history" park in Virginia?
 
Jerel Crosland writes that these seem to be petty complaints by historians
and "it would be different if they were  digging over Indian burial mounds
or something but it's just land."  Well, I've done contract archaeology work
in that part of Virginia, and  there is potential for Indian sitesthere.
(Despite long settlement and farming of the area, the firm I did temp work
for found an amazingly well-preserved stone tool manufacturing site less than
half a meter below the surface.)
 
Any part of Virginia is pretty much "steeped in history."  According to an
article in the Washington Post (11/12/94 p.C1) there is an abandoned plantation
complete with slave quarters on the Disney land.  If Disney is planning to rip
up the country side, how can we save the information about the past that is
embodied in that site?
 
I grew up in Virginia and have seen the sprawl of the Washington suburbs slowly
eat away at the countryside, so my opposition to the Disney plan is both
emotional as well as professional (assuming one can be both).  I know that both
the Virginia legislature and many other residents are looking at the boost to
the economy that Disney would bring, but with that will come increased traffic
and pollution and strain on the surrounding environment.  I see both the
destruction of a landscape I love, as well as the loss of important historic
and archaeological information that would help us understand our past better.
(I won't get on my soap box about history education here).  Right now, I don't
see how Disney will be stopped when the governor of Virginia is welcoming them
with open arms (I didn't vote for the man), but if they have the commitment to
history that they claim they do in building this "history" park,will they try
to recover information as they destroy archaeological sites?  (I'll leave the
environmental argument to someone else.)
 
Carolyn Brady
PS. As a Virginia taxpayer I don't want to foot the bill for the expanded
highway system that will have to be constructed so that all the tourists can
reach Disney.
 
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