More of Winchester's Battlefield to be Preserved

I read that 209 additional acres of the Third Winchester Battlefield will be preserved. The $3.35 million purchase price will be funded through a partnership between the Shenandoah Battlefields Foundation, the Civil War Preservation Trust, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and private partners. Read CWPT's Press Release. These are photos I took this summer on a park-like section of the battlefield which was previously purchased. People were walking and biking the trails and enjoying the natural beauty of the area.

Since Winchester is only an hour from my home (and one of the places we go for medical appointments and shopping), I've had a chance to visit various points on the battlefield and I must say, it covers a HUGE area! It's an example of why we cannot preserve all sites that were "hallowed" by Civil War battles: they take up large portions of the Shenandoah Valley, including valuable privately-held land in cities like Winchester.

Fortunately, we can still preserve large tracts in some places, enabling visitors to imagine what soldiers experienced. Furthermore, preservation of this area protects Red Bud Run, a tributary of the Opequon which in turn runs into the Potomac. Thus water quality for Red Bud Run will benefit, helping its downstream watersheds including the Chesapeake Bay -- an example of historic preservation leading to environmental protection.

A Trail Crossing Red Bud Run

Previous Posts on 3rd Winchester:

• Along Rt. 7, Third Winchester
• Opequon Creek
• Red Bud Run (video)
• Fort Collier