CWPT also honors three others
Kentucky Historical Society named preservation organization of year

The Kentucky Historical Society was named recipient of the Brian Pohanka Preservation Organization of the Year award and three Kentuckians were preservation winners at the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) annual conference in Lexington. The awards were made at the conference banquet that concluded the June 3-6 event.

“The Kentucky Historical Society,” CWPT President James Lighthizer said, “embodies the belief that with dedication and vision, an organization, no matter how small, can make a tremendous difference in the way that American history is understood and remembered.”

In addition to its work in history preservation, the historical society (KHS) took a prominent role in marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln last year and is now leading the charge to commemorate the Civil War Sesquicentennial beginning in 2011.

The award to KHS was one of a series of annual preservation awards bestowed during the CWPT annual conference held at the Hilton Lexington Downtown Hotel and Conference Center.

Kurt Holman, Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site park manager, was named the Carrington Williams Battlefield Preservationist of the Year, Rep. Ben Chandler received the National Preservation Leadership Award, and Gov. Steve Beshear was the State Preservation Leadership Award honoree.

Holman was cited for outstanding dedication in preserving and interpreting the site of the largest Civil War battle fought in Kentucky. The recognition for federal policymakers who have made significant contributions to preservation went to Chandler as co-sponsor of legislation to reauthorize the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Program; the congressman also serves on the Appropriations Committee, which last year endorsed a landmark $9 million allocation for battlefield preservation. Gov. Beshear was recognized for his outstanding commitment to historic land preservation and his leadership in Civil War Sesquicentennial planning.

Other honors were:

National Park Service Preservationist of the Year Award: Woody Harrell, superintendent of Shiloh National Military Park.

Preservationist Teacher of the Year Award: Bobby Housch of Emory H. Markle Intermediate School in Hanover, Pa.

Discovery Trail Site of the Year Award: Washington State Park in Arkansas as the top site on the Civil War Discovery Trail, a network of more than 600 historic sites in 32 states.

Reenactment Unit of the Year Award: The Columbia Rifles, an east coast-based group.

Civil War Roundtable of the Year Award: The North Carolina Civil War Round Table for its commitment to excellence and battlefield preservation.