Highlights
Brandy Station Foundation Annual Dinner & Business Meeting Friday April 21, 2023
The Brandy Station Foundation Annual Meeting this year is Friday, April 21st at the Brewery Pub at Old House Vineyards, 18351 Corkys Lane, Culpeper, VA 22701. The event starts at 6 PM. At the meeting, the membership will vote on the Board of Directors for the year 2023-2024 presented by the Nominating Committee and any other matters to be brought before the Membership. Please remember that in order to vote at the annual meeting, you must be a BSF member in good standing and have paid your dues on or before the meeting. Chuck Laudner with the American Battlefield Trust will provide a state park update.
Our speaker is BSF Vice President and retired National Park Service Supervisory Historian Greg Mertz on “The Cavalry from Hartwood Church to Brandy Station - Misunderstandings and Surprises.” The first half of the year 1863 witnessed some interesting perceptions of the use and effectiveness of cavalry, particularly in the Federal Army. Greg will share some thoughts on what some of the commanders on both sides expected of the Federal horsemen in the cavalry actions at Hartwood Church, Kelly’s Ford, during the Chancellorsville Campaign, and at Brandy Station.
President’s Corner
Hello BSF Members, It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that I greet you in 2023. After months of planning, we kick off another year and open our doors to the Graffiti House. Of course, the reality is that our doors are never really closed as we continue to host visitors by appointment. We owe a great deal of gratitude to our greeters and guides for making it all possible even on short notice. They continue to go the extra mile whenever there is a desire by an individual or group to visit the Graffiti House. Over the last three months, we have been busy on a number of fronts to include planning our event calendar for 2023, conducting prep work associated with the state park at Brandy Station, partnering with Culpeper Battlefield Tours on the upcoming 160th Anniversary of the Battle of Brandy Station, and taking steps to make repairs to the exterior of the Graffiti House and improving the displays by incorporating more media during tours of the interior of the house, just to name a few. To that end, we have engaged professionals with expertise in the maintenance and restoration of historic houses to provide us with feedback on the current condition and recommendations to ensure long term care of the structure and graffiti. We are in the process of acting on several of their recommendations and plan to commence work in the comingweeks. Additionally, we met with a curator to solicit ideas on how to more effectively convey our information and enhance the overall experience of our visitors. There are several ideas under consideration. As with any organization, periodically there should be a review of the organizational bylaws. The Board conducted a thorough review of our bylaws and changes were made to provide more clarity, address roles and responsibility and better define process and procedures. I would like to thank the Board for being conscientious in dealing with the task at hand and their recommendations. The updated BSF bylaws effective March 2023 have been posted on the website: www.brandystationfoundation.com. Of timely note are updated procedures for the election of officers, directors, and advisory committee members. The names of the candidates for officers and the nominees for the Board of Directors and the Advisory Committee will be posted on the website: www.brandystationfoundation.com The Officers of the Foundation shall be the President, a Vice-President, the Secretary, and the Treasurer. Two to four weeks prior to the Annual Meeting, the Nominating Committee shall recommend to the Board of Directors the candidates for the Executive Board. The names of the candidates shall be posted to the Brandy Station Foundation website. All Executive Board Officers shall be elected by the Board of Directors prior to the Annual Membership Meeting. Officers shall be elected for a term of one year, or until their successors are elected.
The Nominating Committee shall nominate candidates for the Board of Directors and the Advisory Committee. No Nominating Committee member shall be nominated for an Executive Board position without the approval and consent of the Board of Directors. The nominations for the Board of Directors and the Advisory Committee shall be presented to the membership at the Annual Membership Meeting. The nominees will be posted to the Brandy Station Foundation website two to four weeks prior to the Annual Membership Meeting.
Nominations by Members. Nominations for the Board of Directors shall be submitted in writing, by any member of the Foundation, to the Nominating Committee via the Brandy Station Foundation email address (bsfgh1863@gmail.com) at least one week before the annual meeting.
Election of Directors. Election of Directors shall be by secret ballot, unless waived by unanimous consent of all members present. The candidates receiving the plurality of votes cast shall be elected.
Finally, we have a number of exciting events planned this year. First, we are hosting at the Graffiti House, after years off due to COVID, our Sunday guest speaker series. Starting in April, we have a number of dynamic speakers scheduled through September 2023. We will also be kicking off our Membership Drive in April. On June 10th, we will be hosting acclaimed author and historian Dr. Gary W. Gallagher at the Brandy Station Volunteer Fire Department Hall.
Additionally, this year we will be hosting on the grounds of the Graffiti House two reenactment groups, namely the 23rd United States Colored Troops and 124th New York Regiment plus other exhibits. Please consult our newsletter, website and Facebook page for a complete list of speakers, activities, dates, and times.
In closing, thanks for your continued support of the Brandy Station Foundation. I look forward to seeing you at our Annual Meeting and upcoming activities this year.
Howard Lambert, President, the Brandy Station Foundation
Give Local Piedmont May 9, 2023
Give Local Piedmont inspires community members to give generously to the nonprofit organizations that are making our region stronger. Every dollar donated is increased with additional "bonus" dollars provided by the PATH Foundation, as well as sponsor-driven prizes. Please donate to the Brandy Station Foundation on May 9th by visiting this website: https://www.givelocalpiedmont.org/organization/brandystationfoundation Early giving is also an available option. Thank you!!
Graffiti House Museum Room renamed in honor of Bob Luddy
photo from left: Jane Brookins, Peter Mocarski, and BSF President Howard Lambert with new sign
The museum room at the Graffiti House has been renamed “The Robert Luddy Museum Room” in honor of Bob Luddy. The Brandy Station Foundation and the preservation community has lost an important crusader. Robert (“Bob”) Luddy, who was President of the Brandy Station Foundation from 1998-2008, passed away at his home in Greenbelt, Maryland, on January 8, 2023, following a long illness.
During his tenure, Luddy successfully worked to prevent the loss of key portions of the Battle of Brandy Station battlefield from development.
Paula and Bob Luddy at the “Spirits of the Graffiti House” event in 2015
Although Bob and his family made their home in Greenbelt, Maryland, he spent many hours with his wife Paula traveling to and from Brandy Station for his volunteer work with the Brandy Station Foundation, which he joined in 1992. In additional to his executive roles with the Foundation, Bob served as a Graffiti House tour guide--recounting the Battle of Brandy Station, the house’s history, and the stories behind the charcoal signatures and drawings of both Union and Confederate soldiers on the walls.
During his terms as President, the Brandy Station Foundation protected, through purchase, over 43.5 acres of land. The land includes Battle of Brandy Station battlefield land near Fleetwood Hill: a Fleetwood Heights parcel (14 acres) in 1998 and three Golden Oaks parcels (18.9 acres) in 2005, all between Virginia Route 15 and Route 29 and State Route 685.
As a member of the Brandy Station Foundation Advisory Committee beginning in 2008, Luddy spoke to numerous roundtables, heritage groups, and civic groups on the Battle of Brandy Station and other topics. He worked with several Virginia and West Virginia groups to create the Northern Virginia Civil War Graffiti Trail.
Upcoming Brandy Station Foundation Events
23rd United States Colored Troops re-enactors in Hampton, Virginia in 2015 April 16, 2023 2 PM at the Graffiti House: Jeff Say on a Civil War ancestor and his Graffiti House connection in the BSF Sunday lecture series.
Park Day, April 15, 2023 beginning at 10 at the Graffiti House. Park Day is an annual hands-on volunteer event to help Civil War and other historic sites shine their brightest. Thanks for participating and volunteering to enhance the Graffiti House. Volunteers with questions can email the Foundation at bsfgh1863@gmail.com.
On Saturday, May 6, 2023 at the Graffiti House: Living history event at the Graffiti House featuring re-enactors with the 23rd United States Colored Troops.
Approximately one-third of the men who served in the 23rd Regiment United States Colored Troops (or 23rd Regiment United States Colored Infantry) were from Virginia. The 23rd was organized at Camp Casey, in Arlington, VA (near the location of the Pentagon today). The 23rd Regiment United States Colored Troops became the first colored troops to fight in “directed combat” against Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. The skirmish took place at the intersection of Catharpin and Old Plank Roads (originally Orange Plank Road) on May 15, 1864, near the Chancellorsville Battlefield in the Fredericksburg, Virginia area.
May 7, 2023 2 PM at the Graffiti House: Dr. Michael Hill on Civil War medicine, BSF Sunday lecture series.
June 9-11, 2023, the 160th anniversary of the Battle of Brandy Station will be remembered by the Brandy Station Foundation and other organizations.
June 10, 2023, at the Brandy Station Volunteer Fire Department Hall, 19601 Church Road, Brandy Station. Dr. Gary Gallagher, the John L. Nau III Professor of History Emeritus, University of Virginia, will speak on “The Coming of the Civil War”.
LOOK at all of our upcoming events here, https://www.brandystationfoundation.com/events