Where sabers crossed and 'Stonewall' Jackson roamed: A burgeoning Virginia state park prepares to eventually manage Brandy Station, other Culpeper battlefields

Cunningham Farm wall remnants at Brandy Station (Chuck Laudner/American Battlefield Trust)

The growing staff at Virginia’s Culpeper Battlefields State Park is learning more about the power and potential of Civil War properties it will manage once they are transferred from the American Battlefield Trust.

An office manager and park ranger (maintenance) were recently hired, said Kim Wells, spokeswoman at Virginia State Parks, and a law enforcement ranger will be added soon. Park manager Drew Gruber is leading the group.

The ABT, Friends of Culpeper Battlefields, the Brandy Station Foundation, Friends of Cedar Mountain Battlefield and other groups have worked for decades to purchase and interpret a cluster of imperiled Civil War battlefields in Culpeper County. The sites are Brandy Station, Cedar Mountain, Kelly’s Ford, Rappahannock Station and Hansbrough's Ridge.

While the state park opened 18 months ago, development is relatively still in its early stages. The park staff is working from the Friends of Cedar Mountain Battlefield information center at 9465 General Winder Road, Rapidan (photo below).

“We are already talking in detail with visitors, tour guides (including Culpeper Battlefield Tours), friends’ groups, municipal offices and more to assess what they enjoy about the properties now, their aspirations, the efficacy of existing programming,” Wells said in a recent email. “One thing is certain. Culpeper will continue to offer a unique battlefield experience where you can explore on horseback or paddle between battles.”

The ABT – which will be chief steward of the properties until 2027 -- plans to make several additional donations to the Commonwealth over the next couple years, said Jim Campi, chief policy and communications officer.

The Culpeper Battlefields State Park team has not started the master planning process, but it will be helped by friends groups and the ABT, which oversaw a cultural landscape report at Brandy Station, site of a mammoth cavalry clash in 1863 that signaled the beginning of the Gettysburg campaign.

Preliminary results of the Brandy Station report were unveiled to the public in late June, according to a news article by the Culpeper Times (InsideNOVA).

A staffer with MIG, a landscape architectural firm, said the study identified traces of roads, artillery and gun pits, family cemeteries and archaeological sites -- all of which need further study.

Stone walls marking the edges of fields and property boundaries on the battlefield were believed to have been built by enslaved people, according to the speaker. (At right, ABT map of parcels at Brandy Station; click to enlarge). One wall separated the Cunningham and Green farms.

Campi told the Picket this study focused on a portion of the Brandy Station battlefield, including St. James Church and Elkwood. A final version of the report viewed by the Picket cites concerns about unauthorized relic hunting at the site.

The Picket has reached out multiple times to MIG for comment and visual images but has not heard back.

The various friends groups are hosting tours and “working on programs and projects across the breadth of the properties which are slated to transfer to the Commonwealth,” said Wells. No state employees are currently handling interpretation.

She said the new park ranger in charge of maintenance will be developing a stewardship plan and will work alongside three part-time maintenance rangers to ensure the properties are well maintained and cared for.

Interpretation at Brandy Station's Fleetwood Hill sector (American Battlefield Trust)

“While we’ve been focused on ordering furniture, tools, equipment and more, we’ve found time to explore the properties owned by the American Battlefield Trust which are set to transfer to the Commonwealth in the years to come. There is a lot of ground to cover as we learned about the park’s six Civil War battles, Revolutionary War history and its Civilian Conservation Corp history, too,” wrote Wells.

The master planning process will likely begin once all acquired parcels have been transferred to the state. It will take a few years to complete.

I asked the spokesperson about which of the sites are vulnerable or need extra protection.

“State Park Rangers conduct regular assessments of their parks to identify potential vulnerabilities and to determine whether additional protective measures are needed for sensitive natural, cultural and historic resources at these sites. Actions are handled on a case-by-case basis, and the outcomes of such reviews may or may not be publicly shared. There are no new updates regarding Culpeper Battlefields State Parks in relation to this matter.”

Click map to get a closer view of planned state park properties (American Battlefield Trust)

The ABT previously said it and other groups worked together to stave off much of the commercial development that would take in battlefield land.

“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,” it says.

In the meantime, visitors can walk on several trails and read ABT and Civil War Trails signs.

“We are always going to be involved,” said Campi. “The park is not done yet. There is more land to acquire.”