Rappahannock Property Owner Plans Tourist Venue
REMINGTON, Va. — A destination for heritage tourists coming to visit Northern Virginia battlefields like Brandy Station, Chantilly and Rappahannock Station is being planned for a 13-acre parcel that abuts the Rappahannock River. The “Culpeper Crossing” tract is on the Culpeper County side of the border with Fauquier County along the upper Rappahannock River, near where the Orange and Alexandria Railroad crosses the river.
Land owner and developer Bob Currier, who used to build expensive homes in the region, said he’s been working on this project for four or five years. The concept is “to provide something for people to be able to come down, relax, and be able to visit the park and the different battlefields.” Currier envisions five elements: Recreational, Civil War, Revolutionary War, French and Indian War and American Indian. A museum would cover the local history which spans several eras from the Indians who first settled the area to the colonial and then Civil War. Only four of the 13 acres will actually be developed, according to Currier. A small-town-like environment of 10 or so buildings in the early 1800s style would include an 18-room bed and breakfast, winery, microbrewery, working mill, non-denominational chapel, restaurant, clubhouse, reception hall, multipurpose building and a museum. The 13 acres have already seen plenty of previous development, including three homes, two stores and a gas station, Currier said. None of them remain. Adjacent to the 13 acres is a 189-acre property Currier owns that has already been placed under a permanent historic preservation easement. This severely restricts any potential development, but provides a state income tax credit to owners. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources (VDHR) has been pushing such easements for several years. Currier said he received more than a $3 million tax credit. Currier said the 189 acres encompass much of the Confederate position on that side of the river for the Second Battle of Rappahannock Station on Nov. 7, 1863. Visitors to his tourist facility will be able to learn about the battle in the museum and then walk the battlefield on the adjacent conserved land at no charge. He said he wants everyone to understand that he is not building “some amusement park or anything like that.” He insists that his buildings will have an historically accurate appearance and says that the 13 acres “is totally isolated – you cannot see it from the battlefield.” He is committed to developing Culpeper Crossing with guidance from VDHR, Currier said. “This is all based on being historically correct.” He added, “My goal is to turn out something everyone can be proud of.” The Second Battle of Rappahannock Station is among the 384 most important battles of that war, as determined by the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission (CWSAC). The CWSAC was tasked by Congress with identifying and classifying the most important and most threatened battles of the war. Second Rappahannock Station is rated at the second-highest category of importance. Land on the selected battlefields is identified as core area, where the combat took place, and study area, which includes the core area as well as other ground where maneuvers before, during and after the battle took place. The core area “is generally the part that should remain undisturbed,” according the 1993 CWSAC report. Some preservationists have expressed concern over Currier’s plans. “The proposal is located on core battlefield land associated with Rappahannock Station, making it difficult to imagine any development at the site being compatible with preservation,” said Jim Campi, policy and communications director for the Civil War Preservation Trust. “I have met on-site with Mr. Currier and he has discussed with me his conceptual plans for Culpeper Crossing,” said Clark B. “Bud” Hall, who is a founder and past president of both the Chantilly Battlefield Association and the Brandy Station Foundation. He is the husband of the late Deborah Fitts, Civil War News Assistant Editor. Hall said, “I have indicated that his proposed project sits squarely in the center of the Confederate defensive position during the Battle of Rappahannock Station, Nov. 7, 1863, a threshold battle in the Civil War. Serious casualties occurred on this precise piece of ground.” Hall praised Currier for preserving the 189 acres, however. He said he told Currier preservationists are most grateful that he has placed nearly 200 acres adjacent to his proposed development site in perpetual easement. “Now I hope we can achieve a resolution that will result in the protection of the remaining acreage he owns on the Rappahannock Station Battlefield. In this regard, we look forward to working with Mr. Currier.” Currier disagrees that he intends to use part of the battlefield where anything significant happened. He described the research he has done, including checking Gen. Robert E. Lee’s notes on the engagement. He said his research has not turned up any historically significant occurrences on the 13 acres he wants to develop. Once Currier finalizes his design for Culpeper Crossing, he will need a zoning change. The 13 acres are zoned agricultural. “It’s going to have to step up, but it won’t go commercial because it’s a special use situation,” Currier said. He acknowledged that getting these zoning changes could be a two- or three-year process. He said the Virginia Department of Transportation has approved required changes to applicable nearby roads. A septic field has also been approved. “The infrastructure is OK. Power is coming into [the property].”
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