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20 Arbor Age / June 2014 www.arborage.com linked the Living Legacy Project to its Fold 3 Memorial Pages and provided complimentary subscriptions to partici- pating classrooms for their use in researching soldiers' stories. In addition, GIS software industry leader ESRI is collabo- rating with the Living Legacy Project to provide database software and technical assistance for educators participating in the project. Students from Vermont to Virginia have been researching the stories of fallen soldiers. Students from Hartford Memorial Middle School (Hartford, Vt.) and students from Gettysburg Area Middle School, gathered in Gettysburg to plant trees in honor of Pliny White and George Shriver, fallen soldiers from their respective communities. More than 50 students traveled from Virginia to Gettysburg to help dedicate the trees on November 19, 2013 to soldiers they had researched. "These students, through their individual and collective efforts, are helping to make history not only relevant to themselves, but to each of us," said Journey Through Hallowed Ground Part- nership President Cate Magennis Wyatt. "And they are dis- covering the deep-seeded roots that binds us all, regardless of where we live." Arborists, nurseries, community groups, businesses, schools, reenactors, history buffs, private landowners, and other indi- viduals can contribute to this project. The JTHG Partnership is seeking $100 contributions to support and plant each tree. Donors may select a soldier to honor, as the trees will be geo-tagged to allow Smart Phone users to learn the story of the soldier, providing a strong educational component to en- gage interest in the region's historical heritage and help bring the tree to life. More than 350 organizational partners of the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership are already engaged with the Living Legacy Project. "We are well aware of the fact an undertaking of this scope and magnitude has never been done, but we are steadfast in our belief that not only can it be done but it shall be done with an amazingly wide range of partnership," stated Wyatt. Among the partners helping to promote this worthy endeavor are Penn Atlantic Nursery Trade Show and the Tree Care Industry Association. This summer, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership will be an exhibi- tor at the PANTS convention July 30-31, 2014 in Philadel- phia. The organization will also have a booth at the TCIA convention in Hartford, Conn., November 13-15, 2014. For those interested in learning more about the project or fi nding out how to get involved, visit the JTHG exhibit at either of these gatherings or check out their website at www.hallowedground.org. Shuan Butcher is director of communications at the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership. Butcher, a member of the National Press Club from Frederick, Md., is a writer and frequent contributor to local, regional and national publications. He writes about history, arts, culture, tourism and other important quality-of- life subjects. SPECIAL FEATURE SPECIAL FEATURE Hagerstown Gettysburg Frederick Westminster Harper's Ferry Leesburg Manassas Culpeper Warrenton Madison Stanardsville Orange Monticello Spotsylvania Charlottesville RICHMOND BALTIMORE DC PENNSYLVANIA WV MD VIRGINIA About the Region T he Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area is a 180-mile long, 75-mile wide swath of land stretching from Gettysburg, Pa., to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in Charlottesville, Va., that contains a vibrant natural, historical, and cultural landscape. Known as the region "Where America Happened," it contains more history than any other region in the nation and includes: • National and World Heritage sites • Over 10,000 sites on the National Register of Historic Places • 49 National Historic districts • Nine Presidential sites • 13 National Park units • Hundreds of African American and Native American heritage sites • 30 Historic Main Street communities • Sites from the Revolutionary War, French-Indian War, and the War of 1812 • The largest collection of Civil War sites in the nation. Map provided by the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership