Help Us Save Two Important Sites in New Market!

You and I are accomplishing great things for battlefield preservation. And I don’t have to tell you that one of the places where we are having an enormous impact is the New Market Battlefield. Together we’ve preserved 13 different battlefield properties in New Market and now we have the opportunity to preserve two more parcels adjacent to lands that you have already protected!

Both parcels are the site of key battle action and in the core area of the battlefield, and both parcels help stave off the potential of additional battleground being lost to future development. In short, if we save these two properties several other properties nearby will be more difficult to develop,

thereby influencing the long-term preservation of land beyond the boundaries of this purchase. Neither parcel is extremely large but both parcels are extremely impactful. With all the work that you and I and our friends from across the nation have been doing in New Market, saving these two parcels are a must if we are going to realize our vision for New Market as a battlefield tourism mecca in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley.

Together, we have done so much to reimagine and then create an entirely new way to explore the New Market Battlefield. Building on decades of stewardship and interpretation by the Virginia Military Institute and their park at the Bushong farm, we’ve opened more than 100 additional acres of preserved land to the public with another 70 acres to be opened in the near future. We have installed trails and interpretive signage, historic fencing and cannons, and we’ve even erected a monument. We’ve created a tour app that allows you to “dial-in” to history, established a downtown visitor center and recently renovated the visitor experience at the New Market Battlefield Visitor Center & Museum.

There are great things happening in New Market and preserving these two additional parcels are a critical part of that forward motion. Why? Because at the heart of all our efforts in New Market and throughout the Valley is the land – the battlefield itself – hallowed ground that must be preserved.

The two parcels at hand are located about a mile apart (a reminder of how far-ranging the Battle of New Market actually was, a fact often overlooked). Parcel 1 is located on the north slope of Shirley’s Hill where Confederate General Gabrial Wharton’s men launched their initial assault and the VMI cadets suffered their first casualties. This land is a significant part of the hillside where the Infantry action of the day-long battle began.

Located very near the Interstate 81 interchange and immediately behind commercial properties, this parcel was in danger of being combined with other nearby parcels, creating a larger site suitable for hotel construction (the latest hotel chain to seriously study the site is La Quinta).

Parcel 2 is located along the Valley Pike immediately north of town

Parcel 1

where Confederates of the 62nd and 22nd Virginia Infantry regiments made their assault against the makeshift defensive position around the Rice house. Charging forward across this property they drove back Union men from the 123rd Ohio and 18th Connecticut, clearing the way for the Confederate advance northward.

This parcel is irregularly shaped, spreading out behind other house lots and stretching from the pike westward to our previously preserved River Road parcel. Due to its shape and location, preserving this one parcel will significantly reduce the likelihood of the adjoining properties being further developed.

When combined, these two parcels total about 6.8 acres, and when you include our due diligence and transaction expenses will cost us $706,000 to purchase and preserve.

The good news is we have already pulled together significant funding to help complete this project! This is thanks to the incredible generosity of the Perreault and Graves families who together contributed $165,000 to this effort; our partners at the American Battlefield Trust who came in strong with a grant of $180,000; and the Commonwealth of Virginia who provided another $180,000 of funding. This gives us $525,000, leaving just $181,000 to raise!

So, I’d like you to join in this effort and help preserve two key battlefield properties at New Market. Every dollar of the remaining $181,000 needed will be matched by almost 3 to 1 – tripling the impact of your gift! This is a great investment for any of us who care about saving battlefields and I can’t thank you enough for giving it some thought. . . .