A new Civil War battlefield historic district, 50 miles from Washington, is being created this year on the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War.
The proposed 8,000-acre Unison Battlefield Historic District in western Loudoun and Fauquier counties, has won two awards and already is being hailed as one of the nation’s best preserved battlefield historic districts. It is being nominated in April to the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register.
The battlefield and the April 30 gala are supported by more than 20 area preservation and conservation groups.
The battlefield has just been honored by the Washington Sustainable Growth Alliance as one of several Washington-area projects that “contribute most to the region’s future quality of life.” The award will be presented at a ceremony April 27 on the lawn at Mount Vernon.
In December, the Mosby Heritage Area Association gave its 2010 “Heritage Hero” award to the nonprofit Unison Preservation Society (UPS), which is creating the battlefield, and also praised the nonprofit Land Trust of Virginia (LTV), which has helped put conservation easements on more than half of the land in the proposed battlefield. —more— The National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program has awarded UPS three federal grants.
The first was to study the little-known 1862 Battle of Unison, planned by President Lincoln himself in the hope it might bring an early end to the Civil War. Two additional grants were given to help fund the battlefield’s nomination to state and national historic registers.
For information about UPS, the Battle of Unison and the battlefield, contact Paul Hodge at a.p.hodge2@gmailcom or 540-554-8624. Or visit the UPS website www.unisonva.org. For information about LTV and the April 30 gala, contact Don Owen at donlandtrustva@earthlink.net or 540-687-8441. Or visit the Land Trust website www.landtrustva.org.
[Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy is one of the groups supporting establishment of these 8,000 acres as a preservation area. It has terrific and varied wildlife habitat.]