Civil War preservationists had hoped a General Motors bankruptcy would make the automaker more willing to sell its Spring Hill battlefield property at a discount. But the two sides are now at an impasse.
GM owns 500 acres across Highway 31 from the company’s plant. 100 acres surrounding Rippaville Plantation have been permanently preserved, but the land around that remains up to the highest bidder. North of the Civil War-era Rippavilla mansion is considered core battlefield property by historians.
Non-profits and government groups had cobbled together several million dollars to buy the property, but GM hasn’t been willing to start negotiations. Senator Lamar Alexander has even taken time to set up meetings with GM’s top real estate executives.
Tennessee Preservation Trust’s Dan Brown says anything could happen, but an acquisition isn’t promising.
“You never know where the bankruptcy is going to go and you don’t know how that might work out, but we don’t see any light at the end of the tunnel right now.”
Even before GM declared bankruptcy, the automaker had this property on the market, advertising in a brochure about the “outstanding development investment opportunity.”
See the brochure.
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