A $1 million federal grant will help preserve a 1,123-acre tract in Halifax County known as the Cove, which includes two archaeological digs and an 18th-century plantation house. The grant to the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation comes from a U.S. Forest Service program. “It’s pretty emotional to know that we are this close to making this happen,” said NASCAR driver Ward Burton during a recent event to announce the grant. The Southside native, who started the foundation, was joined by Sen. George Allen, R-Va., and Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr., R-5th. Burton’s close relationship with the Cove’s landowner, a retired minister, prompted the man to persuade his family to place the land in the foundation’s hands after his death in 1999. The foundation hopes to raise additional funds to build an educational center on the land that would include natural history exhibits and an auditorium. ( Free Lance Star via Richmond Times-Dispatch)(1-5-2004)
