Every day thousands of people drive right past a Civil War battlefield and don't even know it.

In 1865, one of the last battles of the war took place in Morrisville, four days after General Lee had surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse.

Historian Ernest Dollar has been lobbying for years to preserve the wooded hill smack in the middle of town where Union troops dug themselves in for the fight.

Last week, the Civil War Preservation Trust joined that fight, naming Morrisville one of their top 25 sites that are in danger of being lost forever.

The trust named 10 sites that are "endangered," and included Morrisville in its next group: 15 battlegrounds it is calling "at risk."

"It's nice to see the Civil War Preservation Trust has picked up on that," said Dollar. "And truly, the eyes of a nation are focused on Morrisville's history for maybe the first time ever."

Right now, the land is privately held, and is almost completely surrounded by new development.

Dollar says there's a very real possibility that if nothing is done with the land in the next five years, it could be taken over by supermarkets and apartments.

"The uniqueness and pristine nature of this spot is teetering," said Dollar.

Town leaders have talked about buying the land and tying it into a greenway they're developing right next to the land.

"We've more than tripled in population yet we still have a chance to protect this very significant Civil War site," said Planning Director Ben Hitchings

The town can't afford the land, and officials have never intended to buy it outright with taxpayer money.

With the current economy, though, grant opportunities for projects like that are tough to find.

If it does work out, Dollar said there's an opportunity for Morrisville to cash in a little, since the 150th anniversary of the Civil War starts in just a couple years.

"We're hoping that Morrisville can somehow tap into that and bring more revenue into the hotels, the restaurants," said Dollar. "And bring in that cash flow into this otherwise wrecked economy that Morrisville needs."

Tuesday night, Morrisville's Town Council is set to vote on Phase One of its Town Center Main Street Plan, which includes a couple proposals related to preserving the battlefield.

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