DATE: Wednesday, March 5, 1997              TAG: 9703050421

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LIZ SZABO, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE                        LENGTH:   74 lines

RITE AID SEEKS BATTLEFIELD PEACE

Operators of a new Rite Aid drugstore in Great Bridge are attempting to make peace with citizens who took offense when the store was built on a historic Revolutionary War site.

But Chesapeake residents who opposed the drugstore's construction - and the demolition of a 150-year-old farmhouse on the property - say they will continue to picket and boycott the pharmacy.

Rite Aid Corp. plans to create an exhibit inside the store to commemorate the property's place in history, spokesman Jamie Van Bramer said. The drugstore, which opened Feb. 23, is built on land where American troops were quartered during the Battle of Great Bridge, the first battle of the Revolutionary War fought in Virginia.

A 19th century home was torn down last year to clear the land, which may contain the foundation of the Southern Branch Chapel, built in 1701 and home to American troops during the 1775 battle, said Elizabeth Hanbury, former president of the Norfolk County Historical Society. Hanbury wrote the text for the exhibit.

In addition to the exhibit, Rite Aid has given the historical society money to build a granite marker outside the store, located on the corner of Battlefield Boulevard and Cedar Road.

Rite Aid hopes the exhibit will ``bring the history of that site to life for folks who live in Chesapeake,'' Van Bramer said. ``This is the first time Rite Aid has ever done something like this. We're trying to respond to the community's concerns.''

Chesapeake artist Mark Carey, known for his weekly column and drawings in the Chesapeake Clipper, is illustrating the exhibit. Carey has created seven pencil drawings of historic Chesapeake sites, including the original Wilson House, built in 1845. He expects the exhibit to be completed by the end of March.

But drawings and granite markers cannot replace a treasured historical landmark, said Great Bridge resident Robert Parker, who picketed the store during its construction and on its opening day. Parker has fought development on the site for two years.

Many of those who oppose the development fear that Chesapeake's rapid growth and economic expansion are stripping the city of its sense of history.

``It's a pretty sad day when you have to go to a Rite Aid to learn about your own history,'' Parker said. Rite Aid is ``taking credit for something they ruined. They're throwing everybody a bone, but it's too little, too late. There's so little of the historic fabric left in the city, and now there's that much less.''

Many protesters say they are disappointed Chesapeake's City Council was not able to purchase the land for a municipal park. The spot has been zoned for commercial development since 1969.

``This is going to be such a big crowded area some day,'' said Steve Shils. ``Now is the time to build a park, to leave some undeveloped parts of the city so there will be some green space, some breathing space in the city.''

Diane Mahoney, one of the pickets, admitted that her boycott probably will have little effect. Driving away Rite Aid's business will not restore the demolished building, she said.

So far, Rite Aid's business has been slow - but not because of the pickets. Business is always slow at new stores, said Rite Aid store manager Sandy Gooslin.

While some local historians hope to put the controversy behind them, they hope people will not forget Chesapeake's history.

Hanbury said the Rite Aid exhibit might educate customers, and inspire them to learn more about their city's heritage.

``My feeling is that you cannot save everything, but you can have a record of what has been,'' Hanbury said.

In Chesapeake, ``we have lacked a will for preservation, we have a lack of a sense of history,'' Hanbury said. ``I think anything that can be done to remind people what has been here is important.'' ILLUSTRATION: MORT FRYMAN/The Virginian-Pilot

Stephanie Peters and her daughter Elissa, 2 1/2, continue to protest

the presence of Rite Aid on the historic site at Battlefield

Boulevard and Cedar Road in Chesapeake.

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