Culpeper Battlefields State Park is Here!

The story of Brandy Station Battlefield alone, from one of the nation’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 1993 to the Commonwealth’s 43rd state park this summer, is the stuff of preservation legend and a victory like no other we have declared! It’s the culmination of roughly 40 years of hard work by so many partners, donors, members, staff and insightful lawmakers who embraced our vision and helped bring it to reality. Thank you!  

Legendary Success  

At various times, pieces of land that we are now gifting to the Commonwealth of Virginia were slated to become housing tracts, industrial parks, water retention and management areas — even a Formula One racetrack! But time and again, we banded together and, with strategic use of government matching funds, preserved these hallowed grounds, gradually assembling what you see today, a major Civil War site worthy of designation as Virginia’s 43rd state park.  

In the past two years, since legislation for the park was signed into law in 2022, Trust staff have worked closely with state officials on the complex logistics that allows for the donation of more than 2,200 acres of battlefield land from the Trust and the Brandy Station Foundation to the Commonwealth. 

About 263 acres centered around the crest of Fleetwood Hill were first donated to the Commonwealth this month, with additional transfers happening in gradual phases through 2027.  

We will work to facilitate a seamless transition, without any interruption in access and a steady stream of new recreational amenities. That transition has begun and today, Virginia has a new state park because of it!