On December 12, from 1–4 PM at the Graffiti
House, the Foundation will hold its Christmas Party. Be sure to get to the
Graffiti House early on December 12th. There will be lots of delicious food &
drink. There will be great opportunities for filling your gift list. Books,
T-shirts, ornaments, and more! Door prizes will be given away. Come enjoy ! All
are so very welcome and no RSVP is necessary.
John Tole and Ann Howard of Evergreen Shade
perform at Berry Hill Farm
The BSF Board of Directors had the pleasure of
hosting a luncheon honoring 20th years of preservation and the men
and women who have worked toward this goal by serving on the Board of Directors
during that 20 years.
140 guests attended the event on September 13,
a beautiful summer like day, at the historic home of the Jorge Schneider family,
Berry Hill Farm. We could not have had a more gracious hostess in Geraldine
Schneider and her family. Many were excited to visit this beautiful home which
wasn’t known to many because of its private location in the midst of a large
tract of land that saw a lot of skirmishes during the Civil War. The original
house was burned to the foundation in December of 1863 and was rebuilt after the
War.
The event featured Eric J. Wittenberg, noted
historian , as guest speaker. BSF Vice President, Ed Gentry, in one of his other
talents, served a delicious lunch; and, wines from Old House winery were served.
Evergreen Shade (John Tole and Ann Howard) provided the stirring music.
Craftsmen were on site with their various wares and a silent auction was held to
benefit the Foundation. Many partook of the opportunity to tour the home.
Helen Geisler, 20 year member of the Board
introduced and thanked each of the former gentlemen who have served as President
of the BSF Board. Mr. B.B. Mitchell, first President and founding member Page
Mitchell were on hand. Former President Willie Martin and founding member Rose
Marie Martin joined in the celebration. Our longest serving President, Bob
Luddy, and his lovely wife Paula Luddy continued their service to the BSF in
their fun positions as wine pourers extraordinaire ! Clark B.’Bud’ Hall, also a
former President , spoke of the history of the BSF and thanked the many former
and current members in attendance. Current President Robert Jones was unable to
attend but sent his greetings.
Although this was planned as just a thank you
to the Board members, through their continued generosity we were able to raise
over $2000 net for the continuing efforts toward preservation of the Brandy
Station historic area.
THE LAND TRUST OF VIRGINIA CREATES THE
DEBORAH W. FITTS BATTLEFIELD STEWARDSHIP FUND
In late summer of 2009 the Land Trust of
Virginia (LTV) Board of Directors created a new fund called the Deborah Whittier
Fitts Battlefield Stewardship Fund, as a means of recognizing and providing
financial support for landowners interested in protecting properties where Civil
War battles took place. Grants from this fund will be used to offset some of the
individuals landowner’s expenses associated with putting battlefield acreage
into easement.
Ms Fitts was considered by many to be the
nation’s leading journalist covering Civil War preservation issues. Ms Fitts was
wife to founding and current BSF Board member, noted historian, Clark B. ‘Bud’
Hall. Last year the CWPT honored Deborah’s memory by conveying her,
posthumously, the distinguished "Lifetime Achievement Award", bestowed for
journalistic excellence in educating her readers about the fragile status of our
nation’s battlefields. The CWPT also rendered a $30,000 grant for the purpose of
inaugurating the stewardship fund. Other pledges have brought the fund up to
$60000 and they are looking to $100,000 by end of year.
The establishment of this fund
will be of direct benefit to the Brandy Station Foundation in that
landowners who may wish to bestow the responsibilities of stewardship of their
historic lands on the Foundation, may be able to obtain financial support from
the Fund to do so.
For further information about the Deborah
Whittier Fitts Battlefield Stewardship Fund, contact LTV Executive Director Don
Owen at
donlandtrustva@earthlink.net
or LTV Board member Childs Burden at
cburden338@aol.com
The rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of Brandy
Station on October 24, as the Brandy Station Foundation hosted its third annual
Spirited Evening. The Graffiti House opens its doors for an annual community
service event of ghost stories, good food and fellowship.
In addition to ghost stories from the Civil
War, with a bit of a humorous bend, artfully told by costumed speakers in the
upstairs rooms; there was, for the first time, tales of unexplained incidents
and unnatural events that have occurred here at the Graffiti House were
whispered.
Also on hand to talk to visitors were members
of Virginia Paranormal Investigators, a regional group of ‘ghost hunters.’ The
investigators displayed and explained their unique equipment and played tapes of
voices they had encountered during their work. VPI has been to our house before,
and each time has walked away with more evidence that something remains besides
graffiti.
A special thanks to all who helped make the
evening a success: Sergeant and Mrs. Bill Lacy from the 17th Virginia
Infantry and Mr. Richard Girvan and Miss Erin Girvan who were our storytellers;
Sarah Hudson and Kenneth Hawes from Kettle Run High School in Fauquier County
were our guides; and Jackson Hicks, Nick Hicks, Rick Allen and Casey Thompson
from Virginia Paranormal Investigators. See you next year
DOLSON FLAG
UNVEILED AT THE GRAFFITI HOUSE
It was 1863 all over again. The Yankees came
sweeping down from the North, burst into the house and occupied it, forced the
owners to make arrangements for them, started fires and forced the local
population to come to them. The only difference was, this time of course, they
were invited.
Members of the 124th New York State
Volunteers, the “Orange Blossoms”, re-enactment group, led by Captain Chuck
LaRocca traveled from New York and New Jersey, and set up a living history
encampment on the grounds of the Graffiti House on October 17 and 18, 2009.
The Orange Blossoms were one of the few
Federal infantry units to be present and active in the fighting on June 9, 1863,
the Battle of Brandy Station. The 124th NY crossed at Beverly’s Ford
with Brigadier General Adelbert Ames select infantry brigade. The unit fought
on the St. James plateau and successfully held Brigadier General John Buford’s
left flank as he attempted to sweep around the Confederate left over the Yew
Hills.
Today’s Orange Blossoms demonstrated camp
life, held marching and fire drills and spoke with visitors young and old
throughout the cold weekend. Over 50 guests visited the house and all enjoyed
the experience. Included in the visitors was a church group from Chantilly, and
students from West Springfield High School and Germanna Community College. At
the end of the day, the 124th presented the Brandy Station Foundation
a generous gift of $500, and a promise to return next year.
Normally use to camping in their tents and
shelter, the 124th was invited to sleep indoors, on the floors of the
Graffiti House, an experience not unlike the original 124th would
have taken advantage of if it was 1863. They literally occupied Brandy Station.
It was fortuitous that also at the Graffiti
House during the weekend was the Dolson Flag. This flag, on loan from the
Neversink Valley Area Museum in Orange County, New York, was made in 1861 by
Liana Dolson. There were three Dolsons who served in the 124th New
York. Though the flag likely never left New York, it is a unique piece of Civil
War history and eternally linked to the 124th, past and present.
A weekend highlight for the re-enactors was a
tour of the battlefield by nationally recognized authority of the Brandy Station
Battle, Mr. Clark C. “Bud” Hall. The tour took them to locations in and around
the battlefield in both Culpeper and Fauquier County where the original Orange
Blossoms’ marched, fought and camped.
It was a good run but it has come to an end.
It has been the honor and privilege of the BSf to host the 124th New
York Volunteers Dolson Flag at the Graffiti House since September 12, 2009.
This important historic artifact has been on
loan to the Foundation through an agreement with the Nerversink Valley Area
Museum in Cuddebackville, New York. The Mission of the NVAM is ‘to preserve,
document and interpret the history of the Neversink River Valley of Orange
County’ and the BSF has been an enthusiastic supporter and spreader of that
mission.
Having this exhibit here at the BSF Graffiti
House has added to the drama that was the Battle of Brandy Station , in that
this flag was made in honor of the 124th New York Volunteers, the
Orange Blossoms, who fought here on June 9, 1863.
The Dolson Flag will be on exhibit at the
Graffiti House on November 6th and 7th and November 13th
and 14th before returning home to New York on the 16th.
The Foundation expresses its gratitude to the
NVAM for sharing this fascinating artifact with our Brandy Station museum and
allowing us the special opportunity to share in the inspiring and educational
aspects of museum cooperation.
For Board Member Michael Block, it has always
been a distinct honor to watch a guest sign the Graffiti House Wall of Honor:
“As a docent, I have this opportunity about once every other month. Well,
imagine four signatures in one day – in reality over the course of two hours!”
One of the special experiences we provide to
visitors of the Graffiti House is the opportunity to sign the Wall of Honor,
also known as the 21st Century Wall. The visitor who is invited to do
this is a descendent of a soldier who fought on either side in Brandy Station
during the Civil War, or, is a descendent of a Union soldier who wintered there
in 1863-1864.
The first to arrive on September 17th
was Bill Yates and his wife. Bill’s ancestor was Lewis William Grove, from
Stephens City, Virginia. Lewis was a private in Company C of the 7th
Virginia and enlisted on January 1, 1863; only to be captured just over three
weeks later. Exchanged on February 12, Lewis was wounded in the lower leg at
Brandy Station on that hot (in more ways then one) and humid June 9th.
Considering where the 7th Virginia was positioned on the Brandy
Station Battlefield that day, he was probably evacuated from the battlefield
along the Carolina Road to Brandy Station. It’s not inconceivable that Grove was
placed along the road in the field behind the Graffiti House, in the House’s
yard, or in the house itself. That evening Grove traveled to Gordonsville,
undoubtedly by train where he spent the night (June 9) and was forwarded to
Charlottesville on June 10, where he recovered. Grove did survive the war.
Following the Yates’ visit, descendents of
five Confederates came to see the Graffiti House.. James Poole, from Fredrick,
Maryland, can trace his ancestry to three troopers from Company B, 35th
Virginia Cavalry, also known as White’s Comanches: William Beall, John Oglivie
Elgin and Elias Price. It is possible that all three were at Brandy Station,
meaning all three swept across the St. James plain into the flanks of the 6th
Pennsylvania and 6th United States Cavalry and just as possible,
charged over Fleetwood Hill and into the maelstrom that took places on those
green fields of today. James Poole is also related to a member of General
J.E.B. Stuart’s staff. That staffer, Major Benjamin Stephen White, was wounded
on June 9th, in the neck during the Battle of Brandy Station. He
survived his wound.
One of the Poole’s descendants who was not at
Brandy Station on June 9th was James Mathews. Mathews served in
Company K of the 6th Virginia. Why wasn’t he there? Well, Private
Mathews was captured on June 8th, either in Fauquier County or
Winchester; it isn’t clear. He was paroled in late June 1863, so he probably
also missed the fighting at Gettysburg, but was with the 6th Virginia
at Brandy Station in the late summer and fall of 1863.
Our final signers that day were a father and
son, Paul Heimbach and son Tom. They were visiting the Graffiti House as part of
a tour led by Joe McKinney for the Society of the Old Greek Cross, a descendents
group of the Army of the Potomac’s Sixth Corps. Their ancestor, Corporal Levi
Heimbach, was a member of the 49th Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer
Infantry Regiment, part of the 6th Corps. The 49th spent
the winter of 1863-64 in the vicinity of Farley, near the Hazel River.
Unfortunately, that winter was to be his last. Levi would fall on May 10, 1864
during Emory Upton’s attack at Spotsylvania Courthouse.
In October, we were delighted to have two more
signers of the Wall of Honor: George Hovenden of nearby Locust Grove, a long
time member of the Foundation, is a descendent of Lt. Dirrick DeHaven
Pennybacker, 7th Virginia Calvary.
James D. Swan, Jr., a life-long resident of
Brandy Station and member of the Foundation, is a descendent of James Alexander
Swan of the 39th Virginia Battery, part of Lee’s couriers and scouts.
Swan surrendered at Appomattox.
The pictures of all of these recent signers
are posted on the website. Click HERE.
CONGRESS ALLOCATES $9 MILLION TO PRESERVE
AMERICA'S ENDANGERED CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELDS
The Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) today
applauded members of the U.S. House and Senate for including the largest ever
single-year allocation for the federal Civil War Battlefield Preservation
Program in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Interior Appropriations Act Conference
Report (H Rept 111-316).
The conference report, scheduled for a final
vote in both chambers later this week, includes $9 million for the Civil War
Battlefield Preservation Program, a mechanism that utilizes government matching
grants and private funds to permanently protect historic Civil War battlefields
throughout the nation.
"This is tremendous news that could not come
at a more critical time," said CWPT President James Lighthizer. Each day 30
acres of hallowed Civil War battlefield ground are paved over and lost forever.
This money will allow us to preserve historic land that would otherwise be lost
to development and urban sprawl."
The Civil War Battlefield Preservation Program
targets priority unprotected Civil War sites outside National Park Service
boundaries. The program's matching grants formula encourages state and private
sector investment in historic land preservation. . Grants from the program are
competitively awarded by the American Battlefield Protection Program, an arm of
the National Park Service.
The Civil War Battlefield Preservation Program was
reauthorized in March 2009 as part of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of
2009 (PL 111-11). The legislation, introduced in the Senate by Senators Webb and
Sessions and in the House by Congressmen Miller, Israel and Gordon, reauthorized
the program for $10 million a year for five years. The popular bill enjoyed
considerable bipartisan support, earning 33 cosponsors in the Senate and 108
cosponsors in the House
The BSF Board of Directors has sent a letter
to VDOT stating our opinions and objections to the Route 29 Corridor Study
undertaken by this state department. The Board is concerned that the plans
presented in this study would greatly and adversely affect the Brandy Station
Battlefield and specifically the Fleetwood Heights area.
Clark B"Bud". Hall, in collaboration with the
other Directors, wrote in the Board’s letter, that "it is a lamentable fact that
when Route 29 was constructed through Culpeper County, a great deal of the
battlefield’s famous "Fleetwood Hill Sector," was destroyed by four lanes
carving straight across a wide swath of real battlefield where young
Americans fought and died in great numbers. Therefore, you can discern it would
be doubly tragic if additional sacred ground was altered or impacted in any way
by future construction activity along Route 29.
A portion of Route 29, from Charlottesville to
the Fauquier-Prince William County line traverses the region designated via "The
Journey Through Hollowed Ground," National Heritage Area. Just this month the
JTHG, which crosses four states, was awarded the federally recognized
designation ‘ National Scenic Byway’. It is only the 99th recipient
of this prestigious label in the entire country, sharing the title with areas
like the Skyline Drive and the Death Valley Scenic Byway in California. Virginia
news executive and JTHG Chairman of the Board, Arthur W. "Nick" Arundel,
remarked on his pleasure at this award while on tour in Culpeper, stating that
Culpeper is a "key part of it...... very much in the center of it".
The plans, as they stand in the VDOT proposal, would take
the very heart out of the Journey as well as destroy the Brandy Station
Battlefield that so many have fought so long and hard to preserve, not only for
the honor of those who fought and died there, but for the benefit and education
of generations to come. The letter from the Board will be posted on the BSF
website. For more information on the VDOT Study, go to:
http://virginiadot.org/projects/culpeper/route_29_corridor_study.asp
Yes, I support the work of the Brandy Station
Foundation in preserving Historic Brandy Station. Please enroll me as a member
of the Foundation.
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Foundation, P.O. Box 165, Brandy Station, Virginia 22714
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The Brandy Station
Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit, community-based membership group dedicated
to preserving the natural and historic resources of the Brandy Station area of
Culpeper County, Virginia. It relies on
tax-deductible donations
to meet its goals.
