Matthew HartwigThis Trust-preserved land on the Cedar Mountain battlefield is among the 1,700 acres being donated to the Commonwealth of Virginia for formation of the new Culpeper Battlefields State Park.
It’s official!
Among many outcomes in the Commonwealth of Virginia’s 2023 budget is the establishment of a new unit of the state park system. Slated to open on July 1, 2024, Culpeper Battlefields State Park will be formed through a 1,700-acre donation by the American Battlefield Trust. Our national nonprofit preservation organization has for decades been protecting land on the Culpeper County battlefields of Brandy Station, Cedar Mountain, Kelly’s Ford, and Rappahannock Station; it’s exciting to see those landscapes passed to the permanent stewardship of the Commonwealth, and imagine the increased amenities that transfer will offer visitors.
At the American Battlefield Trust, we are fond of saying that “we build parks and tell stories”—some of the greatest stories in American history. And this is a special instance.
The creation of this new state park is the culmination of hard work across long years. It began with the preservation of the land, both safeguarding it from threats of inappropriate development—everything up to and including a Formula One racetrack proposed for Brandy Station—and then its outright purchase. Tens of thousands of individual donors have made gifts to Trust projects across Culpeper County, ensuring that these important landscapes remained pristine and suitable for such an ultimate fate.
More recently, over the last six years, significant efforts have been made to demonstrate that this new park will be a meaningful addition to Virginia’s landscape in terms of recreation opportunities and the economic potential in heritage tourism. Local preservation advocates and elected officials were stalwart champions of the concept, and worked alongside the Trust to press for this outcome.
We are deeply indebted to the many lawmakers who embraced our vision and helped make it a reality, foremost among them Governor Glenn Youngkin.
The Trust looks forward to working with the Youngkin administration and relevant agencies to craft a plan that will efficiently and effectively transfer our holdings to the state and create the necessary infrastructure for a successful park unit. We can’t wait to see all those eager to experience a historical, scenic, and engaging landscape flock to the Piedmont to enjoy Culpeper Battlefields State Park.
In the interim, the Trust has created a mechanism for preservation advocates to register their thanks with the state officials—legislators, staff, administrators—who made this outcome possible. Add your voice to the chorus encouraging further public investment in heritage tourism and cultural landscape conservation at battlefields.org/preserve/speak-out.
David Duncan is president of the nonprofit, nonpartisan American Battlefield Trust, which is dedicated to preserving America’s hallowed battlegrounds—Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War—and educating the public about their significance.
