DINWIDDIE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Two Civil War battlefields in Central Virginia are receiving money for preservation and potential new programs thanks to a national grant.
The National Park Service (NPS) announced this week that $1,133,275 in Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants will go towards protecting four Civil War battlefields in Maryland, Mississippi and Virginia.
The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation received $655,070 for preservation of 163 acres at Chancellorsville Battlefield in Orange County and $163,251 for preservation of 101 acres at Ream’s Station Battlefield in Dinwiddie County.
Chancellorsville Battlefield in Orange saw two major battles in the springs of 1863 and 1864. The site is also home to Siegen Forest, which was preserved by the Germanna Foundation over 60 years ago to the commemorate 18th century German colonists who settled in the area.
Ream’s Station Battlefield in Dinwiddie was the site of a major Confederate victory in the summer of 1864.
These two sites will not only be preserved with this money, but may also get new programming and things for visitors to do. The Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants offers state and local governments and nonprofits to create new educational and recreational programs in historic spaces. The money for these grants come from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
“Our work preserves and honors the places and stories of those who lost their lives in battle,” NPS Director Chuck Sams said. “These grants support locally-led stewardship at state and county governments and reinvests to bring new experiences and powerful moments to places where so many lives were lost.”
This latest round of funding will also go towards preserving the Chickasaw Bayou Battlefield in Warren County, Mississippi and the Antietam Battlefield in Washington County, Maryland.
