| Governor Glenn Youngkin has announced that more than $3.9 million in grant funds will be allocated to protect 621 acres of battlefield lands associated with the American Civil War throughout the Commonwealth. The Department of Historic Resources (DHR) will administer the grant funds, which were awarded through the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund (VBPF) program.
For the 2024 grant round, the Governor’s Office has confirmed that a total of 10 projects will receive funding through the VBPF to acquire land for the purposes of permanent preservation and battlefield interpretation. Of the projects receiving awards, seven will use the funds for fee-simple acquisitions of historic properties and three will use the funds toward the purchase of a historic preservation and open-space easement on a given property. To ensure that the properties will be accessible to the public, grant recipients will install interpretive signs and develop tours and pedestrian trails.
“Virginia has played a pivotal role in the history of our nation and it is incumbent upon us to ensure that we preserve that history,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “By investing in these historic lands and making them accessible to the public, we are making sure the opportunity to experience Virginia’s rich history is available for generations to come.”
“Virginia is committed to historic preservation and land conservation, and this is made evident by our investments in historic battlefield preservation,” said Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources Travis Voyles. “These significant investments provide opportunities for visitors to learn about and connect with Virginia’s rich history. Students, tourists, and families can come here and learn about the history of our nation and the role that Virginia has played.”
The General Assembly established the VBPF in 2010 under Virginia Code §10.1-2202.4 , which, in part, authorizes the Department of Historic Resources to administer the award grants to private nonprofit organizations for the perpetual protection of Virginia battlefield lands associated with the Revolutionary War (1775- 1783), the War of 1812, and the Civil War (1861-1865). No applications for sites associated with the Revolutionary War or the War of 1812 were submitted in this grant round.
Three nonprofit organizations will be awarded the VBPF grants this year: the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, the American Battlefield Trust, and the Capital Region Land Conservancy. The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation is receiving a total of $1,692,500 in grant funds to support four projects in Frederick, Rockingham, and Shenandoah Counties. The American Battlefield Trust is receiving grant funds totaling $1,266,500 to support five projects in Dinwiddie, Frederick, Henrico, and Spotsylvania Counties. The Capital Region Land Conservancy is receiving $978,000 to support one project in Henrico County.
“Virginia’s legacy of battlefield preservation and stewardship is reaffirmed by these grant awards. DHR is proud to administer a state-funded competitive grant program that puts Virginia in the forefront of battlefield preservation and interpretation,” said DHR Director Julie Langan.
In accordance with VBPF stipulations, grant recipients must donate an easement to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources for any acreage acquired with the state grant funds. The perpetual easement restricts or prohibits subdivision and commercial development of the land, and contains provisions protecting historic, archaeological, and battlefield landscape resources on the property.
The 2024 VBPF awards will be distributed as follows:
The Capital Region Land Conservancy will be awarded $978,000—the largest amount distributed to a single project in this grant round—for the acquisition of an easement over the 138-acre Camp Holly Farm in Henrico County. The farm is associated with three major Civil War battles: Deep Bottom I (July 1864), Deep Bottom II (August 1864), and Chaffin’s Farm/New Market Heights (September 1864). This grant award will augment a previous VBPF grant of $300,000 that CRLC received for the purchase of a historic preservation and open-space easement on the property.
A $520,000 grant will be awarded to the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation to partially fund its acquisition of a historic preservation and open-space easement over the Kaylor Tract in Rockingham County. Spanning more than 169 acres, the Kaylor Tract lies completely within the primary site of the 1862 Battle of Port Republic. Conservation of the tract through the easement will connect adjoining protected historic properties and improve public access to the larger Port Republic Battlefield.
The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation will also receive:
+ $115,000 to partially fund a fee-simple acquisition of the Shockey Tract in Frederick County, which will be incorporated into the new Second Winchester Battlefield Park. The 39-acre tract also contains what is believed to be a historic African American cemetery.
+ $407,500 for the acquisition of an easement over the 125-acre Diehl Tract, which lies entirely within the Cross Keys Battlefield and was the site of some of the heaviest fighting during the 1862 battle.
+ $650,000 for a fee-simple acquisition of the Three Amigos Tract, a 50-acre property located within the site of the Battle of Tom’s Brook, fought in October 1864.
The American Battlefield Trust will be awarded grant funds to acquire two properties in Frederick County: $350,500 for a fee-simple purchase of the 33-acre Jones I Tract, and $100,000 for a fee-simple purchase of the three-acre Chasen Tract. Both the Jones I and Chasen Tracts are situated entirely within the site of the First Battle of Kernstown, the opening battle of Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s Shenandoah Valley campaign of 1862. With the VBPF award, the Trust will ensure that the properties remain protected from development and be accessible for new educational and interpretive opportunities for the public.
The American Battlefield Trust will also receive:
+ $250,000 for a fee-simple acquisition of the eight-acre Banks House in Dinwiddie County, which is located within the Petersburg Breakthrough Battlefield, the site of The Breakthrough Battle on April 2, 1865.
+ $251,500 for a fee-simple purchase of the 34-acre Moore Tract in Henrico County. The tract, situated adjacent to the Richmond National Battlefield Park, is located entirely within the Chaffin’s Farm/New Market Heights Battlefield. A critical part of the Richmond-Petersburg campaign, the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm and New Market Heights of 1864 featured multiple units of the United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.), whose presence during this battle and others helped propel the Union Army to victory during the Civil War.
+ $315,000 for a fee-simple purchase of the Schroetter Tract in Spotsylvania County, which lies within the Chancellorsville Battlefield and is associated with Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s famous Flank Attack on May 2, 1863. The property was used as a field hospital following the 1863 Chancellorsville Battle.
The VBPF projects were selected based on each battlefield’s significance and ranking in Congress’s Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields, issued in 1993 and subsequently updated. Additionally, factors in the grant applications were considered, such as the proximity of a battlefield parcel to already protected lands; the threat of encroaching development that could transform a parcel’s historic look and feel at the time of a battle; and the potential for education, recreation, research, or heritage tourism in connection with a battlefield tract.
In addition to supporting heritage tourism, the preservation of battlefield lands also supports many conservation and recreational goals. Preserved battlefield acreage protects open space, agricultural properties, wetlands, timberlands, water quality, wildlife habitats, and recreational spaces near or within growing urban areas.
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