Sprawl Encroaching On Historic Civil War Countryside

"'The Journey Through Hallowed Ground' is the name for a corridor that runs from Charlottesville, Va., to Gettysburg, Pa., and includes the Catoctin Mountain region of Frederick County. Along this route are homes of six former presidents, historic sites related to African-Americans and Native Americans, scenic rivers and byways, and Civil War battlefields. Much of the landscape is being transformed by sprawl from the fast-growing Washington area...Housing subdivisions are sprouting from cornfields; winding country roads are being straightened to accommodate traffic, and traditional 'Main Street' towns are being marred by incompatible new development." Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania have "formed a three-state, public-private coalition to seek ways to balance growth and historic preservation while protecting the region's heritage."