Brandy Station Foundation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Brandy Station Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the historic Brandy Station area of Culpeper County, Virginia.
[edit] Preservation efforts
Beginning in 1987, Lee Sammis, a commercial developer and land speculator from Irvine, California, began buying up 500 acre (2 km²) farms in the area. By January 1989, his holdings totaled 5,000 acres (20 km²), and "Elkwood Downs Limited Partnership" announced its intention to construct a massive "corporate office park" on the site of Brandy Station battlefield.
That same year, the Brandy Station Foundation (BSF) was formed to protect the Brandy Station Battlefield from development. According to Clark B. Hall, "a small group of citizens came together over coffee in a little home situated just south of the Rappahannock River in eastern Culpeper County, Virginia. This modest but diverse caucus of 10 regular folk included Culpeper landowners, an octogenarian farm wife, a music teacher, a firefighter, a cook, an FBI Agent, a utilities manager and a local publisher."
Tersh Boasberg, one of the nation's top preservation lawyers, and Daniel Rezneck, of Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C. helped BSF take its fight to the courts. After several years of legal wrangling, the Elkwood Downs group went bankrupt.
A developer named James Lazor then announced plans to build a Formula One racetrack on the land. The County Board of Supervisors voted 6-1 to approve the project, and Lazor began clearing the land. His property became encumbered with several mechanics' liens from contractors complaining of unpaid debts.
With much fanfare, a local newspaper called the Culpeper Star-Exponent began conducting a public opinion poll on the racetrack. The poll was widely ridiculed for its unscientific approach, which called on citizens to clip and mail in ballots printed in the newspaper. Since the racetrack plans included two soccer fields, one racetrack supporter began collecting ballots at youth soccer games. The poll ultimately showed a wide margin of support for the racetrack, with one respondent writing, "Shoot all members of the Brandy Station Foundation."
In 1995, Arthur B. Larson, a local attorney and preservationist, campaigned for a seat on the Culpeper Board of Supervisors. During this time, BSF members began arguing that the independent study Lazor had ordered on the racetrack's potential noise impact had made questionable assumptions about topography and ground cover. Although unsuccessful, Larson's campaign drew more attention to the battlefield's plight.
Shortly thereafter, the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites (now the Civil War Preservation Trust), a well-funded national organization, began showing interest in the battlefield. This was around the time Lazor's group, Benton Ventures, started showing signs of serious financial trouble. After a major investor pulled out, the project was abandoned, and much of Sammis' land was subsequently bought by preservationists.
[edit] Recent projects
It should be possible to replace this fair use image with a freely licensed one. If you can, please do so as soon as is practical.
Recent BSF projects include the purchase of the Graffiti House, a historical building located at 19484 Brandy Road in the eastern end of the town of Brandy Station, Virginia. Local tradition holds that the building was used as a hospital by both Union and Confederate forces. The walls of the second floor contain inscriptions, drawings, messages, and signatures of Civil War soldiers, hence the name "Graffiti House."
The organization is also opposing plans for a new housing development near the base of Fleetwood Heights, one of the most heavily fought-over parts of the battlefield. After BSF's offer to buy the land at 20% more than the purchase price was rejected, the group filed a nine count appeal to the Culpeper Board of Zoning Appeals to block the subdivision and development of the land.
The idea of turning Brandy Station into a national park has been discussed, but has not come to fruition. In 1990, the National Park Service completed mapping of historic resources at Brandy Station and recommended preservation of 1,262 acres (5.1 km²) at four separate engagement areas.
