January 2006 BRANDY STATION, Va. - A planned subdivision on Fleetwood Hill, the heart of the Brandy Station battlefield, was averted when the Brandy Station Foundation (BSF) negotiated a deal to buy the property from the developer.

"I feel much relieved," declared BSF President Bob Luddy, as pieces of the preservation effort fell into place. At presstime in mid-December Luddy was expecting to close within days on 19 acres from the developer, Golden Oaks, for $560,000.

At the same time, the small nonprofit was negotiating purchase of 8 acres along the Rappahannock River near Kelly's Ford, and planning for the new "Kelly's Ford Battlefield Overlook Park."

The Golden Oaks tract lies on the west slope of Fleetwood Hill below where Confederate commander J.E.B. Stuart had his headquarters during the June 9, 1863, clash. Golden Oaks had county approval to build eight homes and could possibly have erected a dozen, according to Luddy.

Instead, the open cropland will be joined with an abutting 14 acres already owned by BSF, and permanently preserved. The foundation board is contemplating construction of an interpretive exhibit and an observation platform where visitors could take in "the panoramic view" of the battlefield, Luddy said.

Earlier in the fall the Culpeper County commissioners endorsed an application by BSF for a $236,000 federal transportation-enhancement grant to create a turning lane onto the BSF property off the Carolina Road, and carry out the interpretive plans - which now extend to the newly purchased 19 acres as well.

"This gives us our first major opportunity to make our property into a visitor attraction," Luddy said.

Money to buy the Golden Oaks land comes from a variety of sources. The Virginia Land Conservation Fund will supply half the amount, $280,000. For the other half, the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) will kick in one-third, or $93,000; an anonymous donor who has made major gifts to preserve the battlefield will provide a like amount; and BSF has taken out a bank loan for the final $93,000.

CWPT will attempt to obtain a federal American Battlefield Protection Program grant to help pay off BSF's loan. But Luddy said BSF will also mount a fund-raising campaign to solicit donations at the national level.

Initial attempts by BSF to preserve the property were continually frustrated. A longtime landowner sold the parcel in 2003 for $225,000 to a neighbor, and the neighbor in turn sold the land nine months later for $450,000 to Golden Oaks. BSF brought suit against the county and Golden Oaks to block the development, to no avail.

"We were dead in the water," Luddy said. "There would have been absolutely no way we could have stopped him short of chaining ourselves to the fences." But the developer ultimately decided to sell to the foundation. His initial asking price of $1.2 million fell to $750,000, and then to the agreed-upon price of $560,000.

"Is it as low as we'd like to see it? Of course not," Luddy said. He noted, however, that an appraisal came in at $620,000, and said, "We feel pretty good."

As for the Kelly's Ford property, it had been advertised for residential development when BSF stepped in. The 8 acres off Route 620 that the foundation is purchasing extends on the south side of the Rappahannock from the area of the highway bridge and public boat launch downstream for 425 feet, ending just 30 yards shy of Kelly's Ford itself. Major battle actions occurred at the ford on March 17 and Nov. 7, 1863, and hundreds of thousands of troops crossed it, making it arguably the most significant river crossing of the war.

The $150,000 purchase is being funded by $60,000 from CWPT and a $75,000 grant from the Virginia Land Conservation Fund. The remaining $15,000 is being covered by BSF with a bank loan. The wooded property includes two lines of Confederate trenches, several rifle pits, the trace of a colonial road, remnants of a canal system along the river, and what is left of "the industrial center of Kellysville."

Luddy said BSF will clear brush on the property, establish a parking area, and build a series of trails with signage. "For the first time, visitors will actually be able to see Kelly's Ford," which is privately owned by the abutter, the Inn at Kelly's Ford. BSF may also attempt to rebuild a portion of the earthworks, Luddy suggested, and "construct something on the Culpeper side of the river that will really give people an idea of how it looked."

Permanent conservation easements will be placed on both the Fleetwood Hill and Kelly's Ford properties, as a condition of the Virginia Land Conservation Fund.

BSF also owns the Graffiti House in the village of Brandy Station, a historic house with soldier graffiti on the walls of the rooms. On Nov. 25 the structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of the significance of the graffiti. The foundation is paying off a $77,000 mortgage on the house.

BSF has about 480 members across the country. Last summer the organization launched a program of battlefield tours every two weeks and a once-a-month Sunday lecture series at the Graffiti House (see coming event listings).

Luddy said next year the BSF board is considering offering horseback tours of the battlefield, canoe tours along the Rappahannock, monthly lectures, and screenings of historical movies. More information on BSF is available at www.brandystationfoundation.com.

Our email address is: mail@civilwarnews.com