Governor Glenn Youngkin Announces $6.1 Million in Grant Funds to Protect Civil War Battlefield Lands

The grants will be distributed by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources through the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund and will help protect more than 420 acres of battlefield lands across Virginia.

RICHMOND, VA – Governor Glenn Youngkin announced today that more than $6.1 million in grant funds will be allocated to protect 423 acres of battlefield lands throughout the Commonwealth associated with the American Civil War. The Department of Historic Resources (DHR) will administer the grant funds, which were awarded through the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund (VBPF).

“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,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “By safeguarding these battlefields, we keep that story alive for generations to come.”

For the 2025 grant round, 10 projects will receive funding through the VBPF to acquire land for permanent preservation and battlefield interpretation. To ensure that the properties will be accessible to the public, many grant recipients intend to install interpretive signs and develop tours and pedestrian trails.

The General Assembly established the VBPF in 2010, which, in part, authorizes the Department of Historic Resources to award grants to private nonprofit organizations for the perpetual protection of Virginia battlefield lands associated with the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), the War of 1812, and the Civil War (1861-1865). No applications for sites associated with the Revolutionary War or the War of 1812 were submitted in this grant round.

Three nonprofit organizations will be awarded VBPF grants this year: the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, the American Battlefield Trust, and the Friends of Wilderness Battlefield. The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation is receiving a total of $1,750,000 in grant funds to support one project in Frederick County. The American Battlefield Trust is receiving grant funds totaling $4,244,750 to support eight projects in Prince William, Henrico, Smyth, James City, and York counties. The Friends of Wilderness Battlefield is receiving $195,925 to support one project in Orange County.

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

In accordance with VBPF stipulations, grant recipients must donate an easement to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources for any acreage acquired with the state grant funds. The perpetual easement restricts or prohibits subdivision and commercial development of the land, and contains provisions protecting historic, archaeological, and battlefield landscape resources on the property.

The 2025 VBPF awards will be distributed as follows:

The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation will be awarded $1,750,000—the largest amount distributed to a single project in this grant round—for the fee-simple acquisition of the 130-acre Glass Tract in Frederick County. The property is associated with the Kernstown I Battlefield (1862) and is adjacent to other protected parcels of land.
A $195,925 grant will be awarded to the Friends of Wilderness Battlefield to fund its acquisition of the Randolph Artillery Tract in Orange County. Comprised of nearly 40 acres, the Randolph Artillery Tract lies completely within the Mine Run Battlefield (1863) and contains a historic cemetery.
The American Battlefield Trust will be awarded $1,250,000 to acquire more than 150 acres of the Bristoe Station Battlefield (1863) in Prince William County, known as the Hylton Tract. With the VBPF award, the Trust will ensure that the property remains protected and accessible for new educational and interpretive opportunities for the public.

The American Battlefield Trust will also receive:

$210,000 for the fee-simple acquisition of the 65-acre Alexander Tract in Smyth County, which is located within the Saltville Battlefield (1864), and represents a significant amount of the core area of the battlefield.
$640,250 for the fee-simple purchase of two properties entirely within the Second Manassas Battlefield (1862) in Prince William County. The Deener Tract and the Nason Tract both adjoin the Manassas National Battlefield Park.
$1,455,000 for the fee-simple acquisition of the 20-acre Colonial Williamsburg II Tract in James City County and $312,500 for a fee-simple acquisition of the 2.2-acre Historic Triangle Tract in York County, both of which are located on the Williamsburg Battlefield. The Colonial Williamsburg II Tract is within the boundaries of both the Revolutionary War (1781) and the Civil War (1862) Battles of Williamsburg.
$377,000 for the fee-simple acquisition of two properties on the Deep Bottom II Battlefield (1864) in Henrico County. The Graham Tract and the Krevonick Tract are valuable additions to a growing corridor of conserved lands in this immediate area.

“Investments in preservation not only protect historic resources but also provide a connection to Virginia’s incredible natural resources,” said Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources Stefanie Taillon. “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.”

The VBPF projects were selected based on each battlefield’s significance and ranking in Congress’s Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields, issued in 1993 and subsequently updated. Additionally, factors in the grant applications were considered, such as the proximity of a battlefield parcel to already protected lands; the threat of encroaching development that could transform a parcel’s historic look and feel at the time of a battle; and the potential for education, recreation, research, or heritage tourism in connection with a battlefield tract.

In addition to supporting heritage tourism, the preservation of battlefield lands also supports many conservation and recreational goals. Preserved battlefield acreage protects open space, agricultural properties, wetlands, timberlands, water quality, wildlife habitats, and recreational spaces near or within growing urban areas.

About the Virginia Department of Historic Resources

The Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) is the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) in Virginia. DHR administers a number of state and federal programs related to historic preservation in the Commonwealth. As a state agency in the Natural and Historic Resources Secretariat, DHR fosters, encourages, and supports the stewardship and use of Virginia’s significant architectural, archaeological, and historic resources as valuable assets for the economic, educational, social, and cultural benefit of citizens and communities.

To date, DHR has placed under easement more than 46,750 acres of land. DHR easements are held by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources (VBHR), and DHR staff monitor the eased lands. The VBHR currently holds easements on approximately 17,150 acres of battlefields across Virginia.

For more, visit dhr.virginia.gov.