Prince William Digital Gateway sparks backlash for planned data center on Civil War battlefield land in Virginia.
The project aims to build the world’s largest AI-powered data center complex where some of the bloodiest Civil War fighting occurred. QTS, one of the tech firms involved, promises historical kiosks and trails but local groups aren’t buying it.
Preservationists and environmentalists warn the project threatens sacred battlefield sites and burdens Virginia’s power grid. With AI’s heavy electricity needs, the grid’s load could quadruple in 10 years, risking higher bills and stalling clean energy goals. 
The irony: many Civil War reenactors protesting this are IT workers themselves. They want to protect history, not fight tech.
Jim Matte, of the Bull Run Legion reenactment group, said:
“Nobody wants to look into the forest and see these massive monoliths rising.”
Virginia’s state government approved the data center after a tense 27-hour town hall, fueling local outrage.
Now lawsuits are flying. The American Battlefield Trust, famous for fighting Walmart over battlefield land, is taking on Big Tech in this historic standoff.
This battle is far from over. The fields of Manassas may again become a frontline—this time over AI’s footprint on America’s past.
