A movement is in the first order. Collective action is imperative. There will be no preservation of Legion Ville without first building a movement to organize the effort. 

LEADERSHIP – Organizational command

• Who is going to organize and lead the new Legion Ville preservation effort? 

ALLIANCES – Power partnerships, networks, and affinity kinships

What key players or stakeholders need to be on board and actively involved and in what ways can a new movement join forces and ally with affinity movements and existing historical sites, such as Fallen Timbers Battlefield National Park? 

• Beaver County History Community

• Regional, State, and National Historical Partners

• Alliances with a wide range of preservation groups

PLAN OF ACTION – Strategic and tactical efforts

• What are the movement’s near-term and long-term goals?

• What objectives will signal that the movement is achieving its goals?

• What is the master timeline for the movement?

New times require new ways of seeing and imagining. The “idea” of Legion Ville has to resonate with modern sensibilities. Contemporary preservation efforts must take seriously the need to utilize ideological and moral “framing” as a means to articulate and focus on specific issues and needs.  

• What do we mean when we talk about preserving Legion Ville today?   

• What are the new near and long term goals and objectives?

MULTI-LEVEL STATUS – Creating a dynamic preservation structure

• Local 

• County

• State

• National

PHYSICAL PRESERVATON

• In what ways can the Legion Ville site be legally protected from harm, misuse, and neglect?

• Who would be the legal trustees?

• Who would be the practical caretakers of the Legion Ville site?

CONCEPTUAL PRESERVATION – Concerns beyond physical structures: cultural and collective memory

EDUCATION – Providing the necessary historical, scholarly, and cultural knowledges

• Historical and Scholarly Knowledge – A case needs to be made that all Americans can and should be able to understand and appreciate Legion Ville in both objective and subjective terms. In other words, it is the task of a preservation movement to inform and inspire the public. 
  • Does the public understand the historical significance of Legion Ville?
  • Why should the public care?
• Moral Considerations – History shows that Anthony Wayne was a complicated figure and a man of his time and status. He  was among other things an elitist and militarist, a white supremacist, and political scoundrel. He was also a proud and loyal American, fierce warrior, extraordinary military tactician, and highly effective leader of men. From our modern perspective, conditioned by our modern sensibilities, how do we make sense of and come to terms with this remarkable biography? These is a conversation that is worth engaging and inviting the public to be a part of.   

ENGAGEMENT – Involving the public in every aspect of preservation

Educating the public about Legion Ville is necessary, but it alone is not a sufficient condition toward empowering a new preservation movement. The public has to be activated, animated, and engaged in preservation efforts. 

• How can the public take on an active and central role in a new Legion Ville preservation movement? 

PROGRAMMING – Activities for the public 

As the old saying goes, money makes the world go around. Previous efforts purchase the Legion Ville acreage raised significant amounts of money, but for various reasons these amounts were never enough to satisfy some or all of the land owners, as well as a matching grant opportunity.  However, a more immediate objective today would be to fund the preservation movement, including capital to support organizational operations, public education and outreach efforts, political support campaigns, grant writing, and many other expenses separate and apart from monies earmarked for purchasing land.   

BUYING THE LAND

• What options exist for securing land of the Legion Ville site? 

• What would be the sale price for the land?

• Can the land be leased?

• Can the land be granted an easement?

IN-KIND SUPPORT

FUNDRAISING ACTIVITES

• What would a diversified finance or shared funding portfolio look like in 2023?  

• What local, state, national (and beyond) philanthropies are most interested preserving Legion Ville?