Badly wounded by Japanese machine-gun fire in the Pacific during World War II, Ed Bearss spent 26...
A B-24 bomber pilot in Europe during World War II, the Rev. Bob Bluford returned home to Richmond, Va., to become a Presbyterian minister, a tireless community servant and a dedicated preservationist of the Richmond-area battlefields. Among his many preservation accomplishments. Bluford was closely involved with the Trust’s acquisition in 2000 of the 245-acre Burhman Tract at Malvern Hill in Henrico County. He also helped secure 5.8 battlefield acres at Totopotomoy Creek in 2006. A decade earlier, in 1995, Bluford worked with developers to buy and preserve 100 acres of battlefield land with intact earthworks at Cold Harbor while allowing a subdivision development to go forward. His extensive list of public service accomplishments includes co-founding the Fan Free Clinic in Richmond in 1968 and leading the movement to save the pre-Revolution site of Polegreen Church in Mechanicsville. Bluford celebrated his 100th birthday in December 2018.
More Hall of Fame Members
2012
Clark B. Hall
FBI supervisory agent and congressional investigator Clark B. “Bud” Hall became involved in the...
2012
Edward T. Wenzel
Ed Wenzel is one of the originators of the modern battlefield preservation movement. He is a co-...
2012
Emanuel “Tersh” Boasberg III
Since the first years of the modern Civil War battlefield preservation movement, Tersh Boasberg has...
Join t Fight
Donate today to preserve battlefields in America and protect the legacy of our nation’s defining conflicts.
EXPLORE THE WARS
American Battlefield Trust Store
51,000
ACRES SAVED
The American Battlefield Trust and our members have saved more than 51,000 acres in 24 states!
SEE THE LAND WE'VE SAVED
Shop and Preserve
Show your pride in battlefield preservation by shopping in our store. Every purchase supports the mission.
Give with Confidence!
The Majority of our funds go directly to Preservation and Education.