U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced that Virginia has been awarded $270,553 in federal grants to help protect and preserve almost 200 acres of Civil War battlefields across the Commonwealth.
The grants were awarded by the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program, which Warner and Kaine led the bipartisan effort to reauthorize in 2014. The program leverages funds from states and landowners to preserve Civil War battlefields at risk of being lost to haphazard development.
“In every region of Virginia we are surrounded by our nation’s history, and it is incumbent upon us to protect that history so future generations can learn from our past,” said the Senators. “Today’s funding helps us get closer to achieving that goal.”
The following battlefields will receive funding under today’s announcement:
- Brandy Station Battlefield in Culpeper County will receive $183,553 to purchase a 70-acre easement;
- McDowell Battlefield in Highland County will receive $78,951 to protect 22.87 acres;
- Cool Springs Battlefield in Clarke County will receive $8,050 to purchase a 106-acre easement.
State and local governments are eligible for Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants. Private nonprofit groups may apply with state or local government sponsors. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources are the state sponsors of these grants. Grants are awarded through a competitive process and require a dollar-for-dollar non-federal match.
Last week, Warner and Kaine announced their provision to protect an additional 7,000 acres of Petersburg National Battlefield is expected to pass Congress this week as part of the annual National Defense Authorization Act.
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Chris Graham
