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Battlefield Protection

The Bondi Family Land Conservation and Battlefield Preservation Fund

The Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area is pleased to announce that a partnership with the Bondi family of Old Welbourne has been established to promote protecting important battlefield property in permanent easement. “The Bondi Family Land Conservation and Battlefield Preservation Fund” will be available to landowners within the Unison Battlefield Study Area who are considering protecting their land with a permanent conservation easement. The fund is designated to assist landowners with transaction costs, including stewardship, legal, and surveyor fees and the Bondi family has pledged to replenish the fund annually in perpetuity. If you are interested in learning more about the Bondi Family Land Conservation and Battlefield Preservation Fund, please contact VPHA by clicking here or by calling (540) 687-6681.

Cavalry Battlefields—Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville

During the period of June 17 to June 23, 1863, three significant cavalry battles were fought along the area surrounding Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville on today’s Route 50. These battles were part of a campaign that saw Confederate forces moving north toward Maryland and Pennsylvania. Confederate cavalry led by General J.E.B. Stuart was given the assignment to screen the movement; Union cavalry led by General Alfred Pleasonton was given the assignment to penetrate the screen and determine the location of the main Confederate forces. 

The Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area received a grant from the National Park Service for the preparation of a plan to protect the rural character of the battlefields and their remaining historic resources.  With the grant, the Association has undertaken a major project to implement its plan to preserve critical properties along and adjacent to the route of the battles, including addressing the existence and scope of current protection easements, studying the adequacy of existing protections, and determining whether further protective actions are necessary. 

Our mission is centered around the preservation of historic properties in the Heritage Area.  The Heritage Area has determined that a critical mission is to ensure that properties related to the three cavalry battles in the heart of the Heritage Area are preserved.  The preservation of these sites and properties does more than preserve the battlefield: it preserves and maintains the rural and historic character of the landscape; it provides landowners with tools and support to protect rural farm uses and historic viewsheds; and it supports the preservation of historic farms and open space for present and future generations

In the gallery below, photographer Luke R. Greer captured features of the battlefield preservation area on Route 15 between Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville:

• Battle of Aldie Cavalry Marker

• Goose Creek Bridge, a 200-foot-long stone arch bridge built in 1810

• Sunken Road—Kinchloe's Mill Road—looking west