Second Civil War Orientation Center Opens in National Historic District

New Winchester-Frederick County Visitor Center Opens
Facility also hosts Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Civil War Orientation Center

For immediate release—May 12, 2008

Contact:

Natalie Wills/Winchester-Frederick County CVB: 540-542-1326

Howard J. Kittell /SVBF Executive Director: 540-740-4545

Note: Digital images of the new center are available by downloading the zipped file (8mb) at the bottom of this page.

WINCHESTER, Va.—Congressman Frank Wolf and other distinguished guests joined together today to open a new visitor center and Civil War orientation center in Winchester. The Winchester-Frederick County Visitor Center, relocated to this just-completed facility across the parking lot from its old location on South Pleasant Valley Road, also hosts a new Civil War Orientation Center for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District.

WINCHESTER, Va.—Congressman Frank Wolf and other distinguished guests joined together today to open a new visitor center and Civil War orientation center in Winchester.The Winchester-Frederick County Visitor Center, relocated to this just-completed facility across the parking lot from its old location on South Pleasant Valley Road, also hosts a new Civil War Orientation Center for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District.

“By helping residents and visitors learn more about our shared history, this center will serve the region and the nation,” said Wolf. “It also blends economic development with historic preservation—it promotes a stronger awareness of the historic resources that make this area unique and it utilizes those resources to enhance the region’s diverse economic portfolio through increased tourism. This was part of the vision we had in mind when we passed the District’s legislation in 1996 so it is gratifying to see it take shape.”

Wolf, who authored the legislation that created the National Historic District, was joined by representatives of the Winchester-Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, Shenandoah University, the city of Winchester, Frederick County, and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.

New Visitor Center Opens to Increased Visitation

The visitor center, operated by the Winchester-Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau, serves to welcome visitors to the area and help them learn about the variety of attractions, lodgings, and dining experiences available in Winchester and Frederick County. It moved to its new building in January, before its new displays were developed and installed. Already—even while awaiting its full complement of materials—the center has seen a 30% increase in visitation compared to the same months last year.

The facility features a media room, sponsored by Marker-Miller Orchards and Farm Market, and a new orientation film promoting Winchester-Frederick County points of interest, produced by Synavista. New displays and graphics featuring local photography complete the center.

Kim Dodd, chair of the Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Tourism Board commented on the center’s new features. “Winchester and Frederick County offer an amazing visitor experience and now we have a visitor center that reflects that high caliber experience,” she said. “The new media room and orientation video, updated photography, and new displays were all planned with the visitor in mind. This is an exciting day for us here at the Winchester-Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau.”

Civil War Orientation Center : Second of Five in the National Historic District

The Civil War Orientation Center is the second of five planned throughout the eight-county National Historic District. The first opened in May 2005 at McDowell in Highland County.

Located inside the new visitor center, the Winchester orientation center features a large map of the Shenandoah Valley showing the sites of the region’s major battles, a timeline of the Civil War in the Valley, and photos and quotes associated with Winchester-Frederick’s Civil War sites and stories. The center also offers a video presentation about the drama and importance of the Valley’s overall Civil War history. An interactive kiosk gives visitors the ability to tailor their visit to Civil War sites that meet their specific interests.

“This is a red-letter day for the National Historic District,” said Howard Kittell, Executive Director of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, which manages the District. “This center has been a central goal for the District for more than eight years. So it is a thrill to see it open and beginning to achieve its purpose—if we can make it easier for visitors to explore the Valley’s Civil War sites, they will better understand our shared history while also contributing fuel to the Valley’s economic engine. In addition, having residents and visitors becoming more engaged in the battlefields and other historic sites will lead to a stronger sense of stewardship of these nationally important historic resources.”

The video and kiosk information was produced by the award-winning Williamsburg firm Two Rivers Multimedia, noted for similar materials developed for museums and historic sites across the Commonwealth and the East Coast. The wall displays in the visitor center and the orientation center were developed by Thayer Design in Lynchburg, which has produced such materials for sites throughout Virginia, including the Valley Turnpike Museum in Harrisonburg .

Preparing for the Civil War Sesquicentennial

The orientation center is part of the Battlefields Foundation’s effort to help partners in the Shenandoah Valley prepare for the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War, which begins in 2011. As a primary theatre of the Civil War and the site of more that 60 percent of its battles, Virginia is expected to be a primary destination for travelers seeking to learn more about this chapter in American history.

“The Civil War Sesquicentennial will be a great opportunity for Virginia to attract large numbers of tourists,” said Alisa Bailey, President and CEO of the Virginia Tourism Corporation. “The Winchester area, with its rich Civil War history and supporting infrastructure, is in an excellent position to realize a significant benefit from marketing its historical assets to the traveler.”

Development of the Civil War Orientation Center : A Partnership

Development of the Civil War Orientation Center was a partnership process. The orientation center’s location and management structure, its approach, and the center’s interpretive content were all determined by a group of local stakeholders and historic sites, coordinated by the Battlefields Foundation. The Convention and Visitors Bureau will be the primary partner to administer the orientation center, in cooperation with the other stakeholders in this area of the National Historic District.

“The National Historic District’s management plan envisions that decisions about each orientation center will be made by the local partners and that is exactly what happened here,” said Elizabeth Stern, the Battlefields Foundation’s Assistant Director for Policy and Communications.

Materials in the center—including some of the graphics and a new visitor guide—were recommended in the Marketing Plan for the National Historic District, approved by the Foundation’s Board of Trustees in January 2008.

Funding for the interpretive displays in the orientation center was provided through a state grant garnered by the District’s General Assembly delegation and through the Battlefields Foundation’s federal appropriation secured by Senators John Warner and Jim Webb and Congressmen Frank Wolf and Bob Goodlatte.

Shenandoah University’s History and Tourism Center

The visitor center and orientation center are housed inside a new building owned by Shenandoah University that is the home of the university’s History & Tourism Center , located on the second floor. The HTC also has exhibit space in the main room of the visitor center next to the Civil War Orientation Center. The street address is 1400 South Pleasant Valley Road, Winchester, 22601.

The visitor center displays were funded by a federal grant secured by Congressman Wolf and matching private donations. The building itself was also financed through a federal grant and with funds from the city of Winchester. The land on which the building sits is owned by the city and is leased to the university.
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WINCHESTER, Va.—Congressman Frank Wolf and other distinguished guests joined together today to open a new visitor center and Civil War orientation center in Winchester.The Winchester-Frederick County Visitor Center, relocated to this just-completed facility across the parking lot from its old location on South Pleasant Valley Road, also hosts a new Civil War Orientation Center for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District.

The Winchester-Frederick County Convention and Visitors Bureau was formed in 2001 as the official destination marketing organization for the Winchester-Frederick County area. The CVB promotes tourism-related service providers, organizations, attractions, museums, and points of interest throughout the region to benefit the City of Winchester and Frederick County directly and indirectly. The organization is jointly funded by lodging taxes collected by the city and the county and is managed by the Winchester-Frederick County Tourism Board.

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 Civil War battlefields in the District and for the coordination of interpretation and promotion of the Shenandoah Valley ’s Civil War history.

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.

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ON THE WEB:

Winchester-Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau:
www.VisitWinchesterVa.com

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

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

Virginia Tourism Corporation
Tourism industry site: www.vatc.org
Consumer site: www.Virginia.org

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Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District

Timeline of Visitor Services Benchmark Accomplishments

The opening of the Winchester-Frederick Civil War Orientation Center represents a significant benchmark in the development of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District.

Other important benchmarks include:

1992: The National Park Service publishes its Study of Civil War Sites in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, a congressionally-mandated, comprehensive analysis of the region’s 15 most significant battlefields.
1996: Congress designates the eight-county Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District.
2000: The U.S. Secretary of the Interior approves the SVBNHD Management Plan that, in addition to articulating goals for preservation and interpretation of the Valley’s battlefields, envisions the development of five orientation centers at points throughout the National Historic District that will orient visitors to the District, the Valley’s Civil War history, and the region’s Civil War sites.
2002: A graphics package—including the “Shenandoah At War” logo—is developed for the National Historic District. The package is used in District and partner materials: printed pieces, websites, and promotional items.
2005: The District’s first Civil War Orientation Center opens in McDowell. The center is housed inside the Highland Museum & Heritage Center .
May 12, 2008: The official guide to the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District is published to provide brief history of the Valley’s Civil War story and help visitors more easily plan a visit to the Civil War sites in the region.
May 12, 2008: The District’s second Civil War Orientation Center opens in Winchester , nested inside the new visitor center managed by the Winchester-Frederick County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

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