News Conference about the Controversial Wilderness Crossing Development

On Wednesday, May 1, the Wilderness Battlefield Coalition will be joined by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to share an exciting announcement about the preservation of the Wilderness Battlefield, a nationally significant historic landscape, in the face of inappropriate development.  

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Issue Background

The controversial Wilderness Crossing development plan, which was approved by the Orange County Board of Supervisors just over a year ago on April 25, 2023, is the subject of a legal challenge by local residents and several nonprofit members of the Coalition.

Site History

The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5-7, 1864, was a bloody conflagration that resulted in 29,000 casualties and signaled the beginning of the end of the American Civil War. The Wilderness Battlefield Coalition, an alliance of regional, state and national nonprofit organizations formed in 2009 to protect the historic Wilderness Battlefield and other cultural resources in eastern Orange County.

The news conference will be held at 10 a.m. at Wilderness Run Vineyards, a locally owned business near the entrance to the battlefield that also promotes the area’s unique history.

• WHAT: News Conference about the controversial Wilderness Crossing Development
• WHO: Journey Through Hallowed Ground, American Battlefield Trust, National Trust for Historic Preservation and other member organizations of the Wilderness Battlefield Coalition
• WHEN: Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at 10 a.m. ET
• WHERE: Wilderness Run Vineyards, 11109 Plank Road, Locust Grove, VA

On May 1, follow signs for parking.  Refreshments will be available after the event. Event will be held rain or shine. Please indicate your attendance by emailing RSVP@battlefields.org.