Save Land at Three Battlefields

In 2023, we were able to preserve nearly 800 acres of battleground and eliminate millions of dollars debt from these purchases. As wonderful as that is, we’re pushing hard to save more acres – hundreds more – before the end of 2024. We’re negotiating now for properties on battlefields from one end of the Shenandoah Valley to the other, but in order to clear the way for these new efforts, we have to wrap up a few old ones that are hanging out there unfinished. There are three parcels that we’ve been working to preserve for several years: one at New Market, another at Tom’s Brook, and one at Third Winchester. As we look to the rest of 2024 and beyond, completing these projects forever will enable us to hit harder on more challenging projects dawning on the horizon.

We have a lot of exciting preservation opportunities that we’re pursuing this year, but we can only responsibly take on so much land acquisition at one time. That’s why every project left almost finished is another weight around our feet. To wrap up these three projects, we need to raise $146,000.

That doesn’t seem like a whole lot of money compared to some of the amounts we’ve faced in the past – and it’s not. But these funds were borrowed to immediately meet the need and bridge the gap, reducing, and, in some cases, preventing our ability to fund new projects. Pulling together this $146,000 will have a two-fold positive impact by preserving the properties in question and freeing us to tackle additional projects more aggressively.

Though not massive acreage, the impact of completing these projects is indisputable. We really need to close the books on these three parcels and clear the way for linking these properties into the interpretive battlefield landscapes that surround them. Sometimes the battle is won in a grand push across vast expanses; other times, the battle is won by claiming victory one foot at a time. Either way, victory is certain when we make the advance together. Please do what you can to help us finish these projects. We are on the cusp of the greatest years of battlefield preservation we have ever seen. We can’t let these small projects hinder our forward motion and threaten our success.

A dear friend and mentor of mine once told me that in life, “it’s not the mountains that will get us, it’s the flower pattern in the carpet that will make us fall.” It’s the little things left undone that will catch up with us. Let’s not let that happen. Please make a gift today to save these three parcels and help ensure victory in 2024.

New Market Tract

Toms Brook Tract

Winchester Tract Near Battlefield Visitor Center