Activists have placed a new hurdle between Walmart and its plan to desecrate the historic Wilderness Battlefield in Virginia.

Yesterday, September 23rd, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Friends of Wilderness Battlefield, and six nearby residents filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Orange County.  The suit challenges the August 2009 approval of Walmart’s proposal to plant a massive super center unacceptably close to the historic battlefield.

Walmart’s Wilderness proposal has drawn widespread condemnation from prominent historians, actors, politicians, activist groups, and concerned citizens.  However, Walmart is hardly shy about building stores where residents don’t want them. As Walmart Real Estate Manager Jeff Doss once noted, “If that were the case, we’d never build a store anywhere.”

This time, Walmart won’t be allowed to impose without a long, hard, and expensive fight.

We applaud the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Friends of Wilderness Battlefield for taking a stand against irresponsible development.