Virginia Awards $6.1M to Preserve Civil War Battlefields Across the Commonwealth

Virginia is investing $6.1 million to protect and interpret 423 acres of battlefield land tied to the American Civil War. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) will distribute the money through the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund (VBPF), supporting land purchases, easements, and public access features such as signs, tours, and walking trails.

“America was made in Virginia, and as we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary, it’s more important than ever to protect and share the history that shaped who we are,” Governor Glenn Youngkin said. “By safeguarding these battlefields, we keep that story alive for generations to come.”

This year’s awards back 10 projects in Prince William, Henrico, Smyth, James City, York, Orange, and Frederick counties. Grants go to three nonprofit partners:

• American Battlefield Trust — $4,244,750 across eight projects
• Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation — $1,750,000 for one project
• Friends of Wilderness Battlefield — $195,925 for one project

DHR Director Julie Langan said the program confirms Virginia’s leadership in this work. “Virginia’s legacy of battlefield preservation and stewardship is reaffirmed by these grant awards,” she said. “DHR is proud to administer a state-funded competitive grant program that puts Virginia in the forefront of battlefield preservation and interpretation.”

Where the funds are going

Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation

• $1,750,000 to acquire the 130-acre Glass Tract in Frederick County, part of the Kernstown I (1862) battlefield and adjacent to already protected land.

Friends of Wilderness Battlefield

• $195,925 to acquire the ~40-acre Randolph Artillery Tract in Orange County, entirely within the Mine Run (1863) battlefield and containing a historic cemetery.

American Battlefield Trust

• $1,250,000 for 150+ acres at Bristoe Station (1863) in Prince William County (Hylton Tract).
• $210,000 for the 65-acre Alexander Tract at Saltville (1864) in Smyth County, covering a large portion of the battlefield’s core.
• $640,250 to purchase the Deener and Nason tracts inside Second Manassas (1862), both adjoining Manassas National Battlefield Park in Prince William County.
• $1,455,000 for the 20-acre Colonial Williamsburg II Tract in James City County and $312,500 for the 2.2-acre Historic Triangle Tract in York County, both on the Williamsburg battlefield. The Colonial Williamsburg II Tract overlaps the 1781 Revolutionary War and 1862 Civil War battles of Williamsburg.
• $377,000 to acquire the Graham and Krevonick tracts on Deep Bottom II (1864) in Henrico County, expanding a growing corridor of conserved lands.

All properties purchased with VBPF support must carry a perpetual easement donated to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources. These easements limit subdivision and commercial development and protect archaeological and landscape features. According to DHR, the Board currently holds easements on about 17,150 battlefield acres, with more than 46,750 acres eased statewide.

Stefanie Taillon, Virginia’s Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources, noted the broader benefits. “Investments in preservation not only protect historic resources but also provide a connection to Virginia’s incredible natural resources,” she said. “Keeping battlefield lands intact provides opportunities for Virginians to get outdoors and explore hallowed grounds that played a significant role in our nation’s history.”

How projects were chosen

DHR considered each site’s significance and ranking in Congress’s Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields, proximity to already protected land, threats from development, and potential for education, research, recreation, and heritage tourism. Beyond history, preserved battlefield acreage also protects open space, farms, wetlands, timberlands, water quality, and wildlife habitat, especially near fast-growing areas.

Created by the General Assembly in 2010, the VBPF also supports sites from the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. However, no applications for those eras were submitted in this grant round.

As Virginia moves toward the nation’s 250th anniversary, these new projects aim to keep important places on the map—and open to the public—for the long term.

(Taken from Press Release)