Wal-Mart To Locate Near Va. Civil War Battlefield
Officials in central Virginia have approved plans for a Wal-Mart Supercenter near one of the nation's most important Civil War battlefields. The Wilderness Battlefield is where generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee first met in battle 145 years ago. Construction could begin in a year.
Copyright © 2009 NPR. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.
RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
NPR's business news begins with Wal-Mart's battlefield victory.
(Soundbite of music)
MONTAGNE: When Wal-Mart decided to build a supercenter near one of the country's most important Civil War battlefields, a modern-day conflict loomed.
The Wilderness Battlefield in rural Virginia is where Robert E. Lee fought Ulysses Grant in a two-day battle that left nearly 30,000 soldiers dead.
Opposition to the Wal-Mart store was fierce. It came from state officials, historians and Civil War buffs who feared commercial sprawl would engulf the venerated site.
Now, after a long struggle, Wal-Mart has won approval to build. In the end, opponents of the store were defeated by those who favored the jobs, the tax revenue and the shopping that the store will bring to this rural area.
Copyright © 2009 NPR. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to NPR. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.
More From Business
Comments
You must be signed in to leave a comment. Sign In / Register
Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and terms of use, and will be moderated prior to posting. NPR reserves the right to use the comments we receive, in whole or in part, and to use the commenter's name and location, in any medium. See also the Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Community FAQ.
