Saving History Saturday: Culpeper Battlefields State Park Update

In late October the American Battlefield Trust made its latest land transfer to the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Culpeper Battlefields State Park.

One hundred and seventy-two acres of land at the Cedar Mountain Battlefield were transferred, marking the second of what will be a multi-year effort in the creation of the park. There were two buildings included in this transfer, one of which will be used as a visitors’ center, the other as staff housing. The first transfer, which took place in June of 2024, was at the Brandy Station Battlefield, including Fleetwood Hill, and lands immediately around it.

Another 131 acres will be transferred to the state park in 2026. The land transfers will continue through December 2027, and eventually the park, more than 2,200 acres in size, will include land associated with the four major battles fought in Culpeper County; Brandy Station, Cedar Mountain, Kelly’s Ford, and Rappahannock Station, as well as sites where parts of the Army of the Potomac camped in the winter of 1863-64.

Recreational trails, as well as interpretive signage currently exist at Brandy Station, Cedar Mountain, and Kelly’s Ford.

To learn more about the Culpeper Battlefields State Park, visit their website.