John Moyle
Private
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2020
Hey everyone, I am looking for advice.
A small group of individuals who are very interested in the Battle of Dranesville (the first Union victory in the East fought on December 20, 1861) recently learned that a 4-acre estate located in Fairfax County, VA on the core of the Dranesville Battlefield will be put up for sale within the next 3-4 weeks. The executor of the estate is bound to accept the highest bid put forth by potential buyers. We would like to see this property purchased for the creation of a Battlefield Park.
This will most likely be the last opportunity to preserve any of the Dranesville Battlefield as the rest has been covered by suburban sprawl (a fire station, 7-11, laundromat, Montessori School, church, senior citizens home, many houses, etc.). It would also be only the second piece of land in Fairfax Country preserved as a Battlefield Park. A very small piece (about 4.8 acres of a 300 acre battlefield) of the Chantilly (Ox Hill) Battlefield has been preserved previously.
So far we have contacted:
1. The two Fairfax County Supervisors in whose Districts the core battlefield lies (John Foust of the Dranesville District & Walter Alcorn of the Hunter Mill District).
2. They pointed us to the Executive Director of the Fairfax County Park Authority, Mr. Kirk Kincannon. We have contacted him.
3. We have contacted Mr. Mark Whaley, the Park Operations Superintendent of NOVA Parks (Regional Parks) who has passed our ideas on to the Executive Director of NOVA Parks, Mr. Paul Gilbert.
4. We have contacted Mr. Tom Gilmore, the Chief Real Estate Officer at the American Battlefield Trust. Mr. Gilmore told us that since this property is indeed located in the core of the Dranesville Battlefield, The Trust could obtain a federal grant for 50% of the appraised value. We think that this could provide the County or Northern Virginia a considerable incentive to creating a battlefield park on this property.
I should also mention that adjacent to these 4 acres are 9 additional acres of non-developable, flood plain land owned by a neighboring homeowners association. If the first 4 acres could be obtained for a battlefield park, it might be wise to try to obtain this property as well to expand the Park to 13 total acres.
This is the first time that any of us have engaged in battlefield preservation efforts. Who else do we need to contact? What else should we be doing? How can we build a campaign that can help obtain this property within the short time constraints that we are facing? Please feel free to share any advice or recommendations that you may have. Also, if you have any questions for me or if you need additional information, please ask. Any and all advice and assistance will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
A small group of individuals who are very interested in the Battle of Dranesville (the first Union victory in the East fought on December 20, 1861) recently learned that a 4-acre estate located in Fairfax County, VA on the core of the Dranesville Battlefield will be put up for sale within the next 3-4 weeks. The executor of the estate is bound to accept the highest bid put forth by potential buyers. We would like to see this property purchased for the creation of a Battlefield Park.
This will most likely be the last opportunity to preserve any of the Dranesville Battlefield as the rest has been covered by suburban sprawl (a fire station, 7-11, laundromat, Montessori School, church, senior citizens home, many houses, etc.). It would also be only the second piece of land in Fairfax Country preserved as a Battlefield Park. A very small piece (about 4.8 acres of a 300 acre battlefield) of the Chantilly (Ox Hill) Battlefield has been preserved previously.
So far we have contacted:
1. The two Fairfax County Supervisors in whose Districts the core battlefield lies (John Foust of the Dranesville District & Walter Alcorn of the Hunter Mill District).
2. They pointed us to the Executive Director of the Fairfax County Park Authority, Mr. Kirk Kincannon. We have contacted him.
3. We have contacted Mr. Mark Whaley, the Park Operations Superintendent of NOVA Parks (Regional Parks) who has passed our ideas on to the Executive Director of NOVA Parks, Mr. Paul Gilbert.
4. We have contacted Mr. Tom Gilmore, the Chief Real Estate Officer at the American Battlefield Trust. Mr. Gilmore told us that since this property is indeed located in the core of the Dranesville Battlefield, The Trust could obtain a federal grant for 50% of the appraised value. We think that this could provide the County or Northern Virginia a considerable incentive to creating a battlefield park on this property.
I should also mention that adjacent to these 4 acres are 9 additional acres of non-developable, flood plain land owned by a neighboring homeowners association. If the first 4 acres could be obtained for a battlefield park, it might be wise to try to obtain this property as well to expand the Park to 13 total acres.
This is the first time that any of us have engaged in battlefield preservation efforts. Who else do we need to contact? What else should we be doing? How can we build a campaign that can help obtain this property within the short time constraints that we are facing? Please feel free to share any advice or recommendations that you may have. Also, if you have any questions for me or if you need additional information, please ask. Any and all advice and assistance will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.