(3/10) The creation of a National Civil War monument is once again seeking location support.

Memorial maker Gary Castile of Gettysburg solicited the Town Council for assistance in locating land for a National Civil War Monument.

Noting that the Civil War is the only American war in which there is no national monument, Castile looked to establish one to educate the public on "the very war that made us who we are today."

Castile presented a model of the proposed monument that included 16 portraits of significant individuals, 16 portraits of military leaders, and 20 tablets chronicling key events. The model depicted a circular monument that would be 90 feet in diameter with 10-foot-high granite walls. A gift shop and information center would also be part of the layout, he said.

Castile claimed an economic impact study by the University of Michigan estimated the monument would bring in 300,000 visitors to Emmitsburg and produce $15-18 million yearly. Financially, Castile considered the monument a "goldmine" that would produce jobs without requiring the Town to invest in infrastructure.

Castile stated one-third of the project (the concept design) was already completed, and his monument team of renowned historians, artists and authors, were now looking for site land to erect the memorial. A national fundraising company has already been contracted and is just waiting on a location to kick off their fundraising efforts, Castile said.

Castile also noted the History Channel is looking to do a documentary on the National Civil War Memorial and has begun filming part of the making of the monument. The American Bus Association has also voiced interest in adding the monument to its tour list, he said.

This go round, Castile was seeking roughly three acres, significantly less than the original request in 2015 of land for the memorial, ideally close to the Mason Dixon line due to the significance of the location during the war.

In 2015, Castile engaged in preliminary discussions with the Town for 25 acres of vacant land on the east side of Rt. 15 just opposite the visitor’s center when information was prematurely leaked by former Mayor Don Biggs resulting in the proposal being retracted.

Before the project was scrapped, efforts had advanced to such a point that negotiations were underway for the transfer of land to the non-profit National Civil War Memorial Commission. Castile was in the process of negotiating for studio space within the Visitor Center, with the goal of allowing visitors to observe the making of the memorial and to assist with fundraising.

The Council recommended Castile bring forth a detailed proposal to the Town office for consideration.