Carmeuse Lime & Stone, a Belgium-based mining conglomerate, wants to triple the size of its industrial operation at the Middletown Quarry immediately adjacent to Belle Grove, a National Historic Landmark and a National Trust Historic Site in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. This plan threatens serious long-term harm to the quarry’s neighbors—not only historic sites such as Belle Grove and the Cedar Creek Battlefield, but also numerous individual homeowners—through increased blasting, noise, dust, visual pollution and truck traffic. In May 2008, the Frederick County Board of Supervisors narrowly decided to re-zone 394 acres of the battleground for limestone mining.
A coalition of preservation, conservation, and civic groups has formed to make the public aware of the profound impact this mining proposal will have on Cedar Creek and Belle Grove and to encourage Carmeuse Lime and Stone to reconsider their plans. To learn how you can help protect this historic area, visit www.cedarcreekandbellegrove.com.
