- (October 2007) WINCHESTER, Va. - Star Fort, one of only a handful of Civil War fortifications still standing in the Shenandoah Valley, will be preserved and opened to the public by the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation.

Executive Director Howard Kittell announced Sept. 5 that the foundation had received the donation of the fort and land totaling nearly 7 acres. The earthworks, comprising 4 acres in a star shape, was one of four forts built to guard Winchester.

"Our first project is to get the property fenced," said Kittell, noting that all-terrain vehicles have caused damage in the past.

The fencing will be followed by the selective removal of trees and other vegetation, planting grass on the works, planting of vegetation to screen out modern intrusions, and installation of an interpretive trail with signage.

"Our goal is to have it open by the sesquicentennial of the war," Kittell said.

Star Fort is located on the north side of Route 522 at the northwest edge of Winchester. It sits behind the Red Cross building on a wooded hill.

Making the 5-acre donation was a local Civil War group, the Middlesex Artillery/Fleet's Battery, which had been given the fort by a previous owner in 1980, according to Kittell. No more than a half-dozen individuals at the time, the unit has shrunk to about three now, he said, and was looking for an organization capable of preserving the fort.

Nick Nerangis of the Middlesex Artillery said the members of his group were happy to make the gift. "It will insure that a very unique part of Civil War architecture and history will be preserved for visitors to our community to enjoy now and in the future."

Three local developers whose residential subdivision fronts the site on three sides donated an additional 1.6 acres abutting the fort. Kittell said the extra land will serve as a buffer. In the future the foundation may seek to purchase "an acre or two more," he added.

At the press conference Kittell said the foundation was grateful for the two donations. "The preservation and interpretation of the Valley's Civil War history would not be possible without the contribution of private efforts like these," he said.

The foundation is already seeking a funding source for the fencing. Kittell said it would likely be "some kind of a high-quality wire agricultural fence" on three sides, and something with a historic look on the fourth side, which fronts a road. The only gateway into the site will be built to block vehicles but admit people on foot.

James Madison University is under contract to conduct archeology on the site, probably this winter, Kittell said. The main purpose will be to locate relic deposits so they can be avoided during fencing and other activities.

Star Fort, initially called Fort Alabama, was built in late 1861 or early 1862 by troops under Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson. Like all of the fortifications around Winchester it was later occupied and improved by armies from both sides.

The fort featured prominently during the Gettysburg Campaign, in the battle of Second Winchester, June 13-15, 1863, when Confederate Gen. Richard Ewell swept Union troops out of the town and the lower Valley to make way for the Southern advance into Pennsylvania.

The four forts at Winchester were built at the north end of town. East of Star Fort about a mile and a half, on Route 11, the old Valley Pike, portions of Fort Collier are preserved by the Fort Collier Civil War Center. Fort Milroy, a half-mile south of Star Fort, is privately owned, heavily covered with vegetation, and is under threat of development, Kittell said.

The fourth fort, West Fort, a mile or two west of Star Fort, "was essentially wiped out" by construction of Route 37 nearly 20 years ago. Kittell noted the existence also of earthworks at Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek, "but otherwise there aren't a lot of earthworks here in the Valley."

The foundation will be following a preservation and interpretation plan laid out by the Frederick County Board of Supervisors in 2000. Board Chairman Richard Shickle stated at the Sept. 5 gathering, "The restoration and preservation of Star Fort has been the dream of many people for as long as I can remember. I am anxiously waiting for the day when this unique piece of local history can be enjoyed and experienced by everyone."

Kittell said when the county approached the foundation a year ago about receiving the fort, "We kind of took a deep breath. We knew it was going to be very expensive, but we sat back and said, 'We really have to do this.'"

He said the fort has great interpretive potential, especially in view of the fact that there are relatively few battle landmarks around Winchester. Once the surrounding homes and industrial plants are screened out, visitors will be able to "suspend reality" and appreciate the Civil War era.

"The sad part of the screening," Kittell added, "is that at the time Star Fort was built, you could see Harpers Ferry" 25 miles distant. "Now we really need to screen out the modern intrusions, but we also screen out Harpers Ferry, the gateway to the Valley."

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