SVBF Releases Biennial Report

Highlights: 400 acres preserved, two new Civil War orientation centers

For immediate release—February 11, 2010
Contact: Elizabeth Paradis Stern (540-740-4545)

NEW MARKET, Va.—More land protected at two key Civil War battlefields. The opening of the second and third of five planned orientation centers. Publication of the first official visitor guide to the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District. In 2008 and 2009, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation and its partners made significant headway in their efforts to preserve, interpret, and promote the Valley’s Civil War sites and stories.

The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation has released its biennial report for fiscal years 2008 and 2009, which ran from September 2007 through October 2009. The report highlights successful battlefield preservation projects at Third Winchester and Cedar Creek as well as progress made in interpretive and promotional programs in the National Historic District.

Battlefield Preservation at Third Winchester and Cedar Creek

In 2008 and 2009, the Battlefields Foundation protected almost 400 acres at two of the largest battlefields in the region, bringing to almost 3,000 acres the total area owned or preserved by the organization since its inception nine years ago. In July 2008, the Foundation announced the purchase of a 189-acre farm at Cedar Creek and in August 2009, the 209-acre Huntsberry Farm at Opequon (Third Winchester) was permanently protected.

Both efforts involved a variety of partners. The Virginia Land Conservation Foundation—a state-funded agency—provided more than $1.5 million for the two projects. The National Park Service’s American Battlefields Protection Program, the Civil War Preservation Trust, Frederick County, and a private donor provided significant funding for the preservation of the Huntsberry Farm. The Battlefields Foundation’s federal funding was used in the Cedar Creek project.

Management and Interpretive Projects at Star Fort and Fisher’s Hill

In 2008, stabilization work at Star Fort began. Deeded to the Battlefields Foundation in 2007, the fort is in the core area of the Second Winchester battlefield. A management and interpretive plan for the site had been developed by Frederick County in 2000 but had not yet been implemented. Upon acquisition of the property, the Battlefields Foundation began to prepare the site for visitation. Attractive fencing and an interpretive marker were installed in 2008 while internal site work is conducted over the coming years.

In 2009, the Foundation began the planning work on a trail project that will ultimately reconnect areas of the Fisher’s Hill battlefield in Shenandoah County. Funded in part by federal transportation enhancement grants, the planning and management of the project will occur over several years and include landowners and other stakeholders in the Fisher’s Hill community.

Two New Civil War Orientation Centers

The biennium also saw the opening of the second and third of five planned Civil War orientation centers in the eight-county National Historic District. The first center opened in McDowell in 2005. It was joined by centers in Winchester in 2008 and Harrisonburg in 2009. All of the District’s orientation centers provide an overview of the Valley’s Civil War history as well as the role of the local community in that history. Information is also provided to visitors about how to find sites where they can experience that history today.

The Winchester-Frederick County orientation center is nested inside the regional visitor center operated by the Winchester-Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau, which is housed in a facility on the campus of Shenandoah University. The orientation center in Harrisonburg serves the central Shenandoah Valley, including the city of Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, and portions of Page and Augusta counties. Co-located with the regional visitor center for the area, it is managed by Harrisonburg Tourism & Visitor Services.

Official Visitors Guide to the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District

In 2008, the Battlefields Foundation released the first official Visitors Guide to the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District. Production of the free, 48-page guide was a key recommendation in both the marketing and interpretive plans for the District and is intended to make it easier for visitors to find and explore the Valley’s Civil War sites.

The guide’s first section provides a chronological review of what happened in the Shenandoah Valley over the course of the Civil War. It includes maps depicting movements of armies, timelines of the various military campaigns, and a list of the historic sites associated with those campaigns.

Communities throughout the National Historic District—and beyond—each have a unique part of the Valley’s Civil War history. The guide’s second section describes these distinct stories and provides detailed information about the historic sites in that community—location, hours of operation, contact information, and a brief site description.

Finally, the guide also offers general information about Civil War events and activities in the Shenandoah Valley and a list of resources to help travelers plan a visit to the region.

Acknowledging Extraordinary Work

The biennial report also highlights the efforts of volunteers and partners whose work enhanced and furthered the mission of the Battlefields Foundation and the National Historic District.

The 2008 and 2009 Carrington Williams Preservation Awards were presented to Howard J. Kittell and William J. Howell respectively. Kittell, the Battlefields Foundation’s former executive director, was acknowledged for his exemplary leadership of the Foundation in its first decade. Howell, the Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates and co-chairman of the Virginia Sesquicentennial Commission, has made extraordinary efforts to preserve Virginia’s battlefields and share the Commonwealth’s Civil War history with current and future generations.

Looking to the Future

Battlefields Foundation executive director W. Denman Zirkle, who joined the Foundation in 2009, commented on the great progress the Foundation has made in recent years, and the growing challenge that comes with increased success.

“The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation has always had a strong reputation for its remarkable work,” Zirkle said. “But as I’ve spent the last nine months learning even more about the organization, I find myself increasingly impressed with the depth and breadth of its mission and achievements. The challenge now is to maintain that momentum and address the increasing management and interpretive responsibility that comes with the preservation of battlefield land.

“In the coming years, we will be positioning the organization to meet that challenge. This means growing our capacity, something we’ve already begun with the hiring of two new staff members this year. In addition, in the coming year we will be working to expand our non-federal funding resources, especially our private funding. We’re looking forward to a successful 2010 for the Foundation and our partners throughout the National Historic District.”

Copies of the Battlefields Foundation’s 2008-09 biennial report are available at its New Market offices by calling 888-689-4545 or by clicking the link below. (This will automatically begin to download a 1.5mb pdf file.)

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As authorized by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation serves as the non-profit manager of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District, partnering with local, regional, and national organizations and governments to preserve the Valley’s battlefields and interpret and promote the region’s Civil War story.

Created by Congress in 1996, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District encompasses Augusta, Clarke, Frederick, Highland, Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren counties in Virginia and the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, and Winchester. The legislation authorizes federal funding for the protection of ten battlefields in the District: Second Winchester, Third Winchester, Second Kernstown, Cedar Creek, Fisher’s Hill, Tom’s Brook, New Market, Cross Keys, Port Republic, and McDowell.

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ON THE WEB:

Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation and
Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District:
www.ShenandoahAtWar.org

National Park Service 1992 study of the Shenandoah Valley’s Civil War battlefields:
http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/abpp/shenandoah/svs0-1.html

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