                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, July 31, 1995                   TAG: 9507310092
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: FREDERICKSBURG                                 LENGTH: Short

CIVIL WAR GROUP LEAVING VA.

The Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites has picked Hagerstown, Md., over Winchester as the site of its new home beginning in early 1996.

The board of trustees of the association chose Hagerstown on Saturday in a vote after hearing presentations from both communities. Hagerstown's offer was backed by Washington County, Md.

``Maryland leads the nation in state funding for battlefield preservation, with more than $13 million spent on land purchases,'' said Thomas W. Richards, chairman of the board of the 10,000-member association.

``Hagerstown has 12 significant Civil War sites within a 45-minute drive, and it has demonstrated a sincere commitment to the goals of the APCWS.''

The association, the nation's largest Civil War battlefield preservation organization, has had its headquarters in Fredericksburg since its inception in 1987.

by CNB