Cross Keys & Port Republic Battlefields Preservation Plan
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Cross Keys & Port Republic Battlefields Preservation Plan Prepared for Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation And the County of Rockingham, Virginia Prepared by Principal Authors John D. Hutchinson V Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation Phoebe Kilby, Sympoetica Sympoetica Planners and Designers Woodstock, Virginia With Kim Holien Martha Semmes Lisa Hawkins October 22, 2003 Invited Members of the Cross Keys / Port Republic Battlefields Preservation Plan Steering Committee Gerald Beam David R. Knicely W. C. Bedall, Jr William B. Kyger, Jr. Chris and Gene Bowlen Anita Landes Thomas Bowman Rachael Lilly Anita Cummins Violet H. Magalis Walter and Martha Curt Vern D. Michael Jack Daulton Gerald Myers Sarah and Lee Foltz Wayne Pence Bibb and Dolly Frazier Steven L. Saunders Aaron Good Fred and Patty Sensabaugh . Randy Harper, Jr. William J. Snuffin, Jr Irwin and Nancy Hess Julie and Dan Stickley Ellen Kaylor Thomas D. Strickler Beatrice and John Woody This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior. Cross Keys and Port Republic Battlefields Preservation Plan Table of Contents Executive Summary..............................................................................................i 1.0 Introduction ......................................................................................................1-1 1.1 Battlefield Preservation in the Shenandoah Valley.................................1-1 1.2 The Preservation Planning Process ........................................................1-4 1.3 Battlefield Boundaries...........................................................................1-9 1.4 Principles of Planning and Preservation...............................................1-13 1.5 Issues and Ideas to be Addressed by the Plan ......................................1-13 1.6 Vision Statement and Goals.................................................................1-14 2.0 History of the Battles of Cross Keys and Port Republic.....................................2-1 2.1 Introduction...........................................................................................2-1 2.2 The Battle of Cross Keys – 8 June 1862 ................................................2-1 2.3 The Battle of Port Republic – 9 June 1862.............................................2-5 3.0 Existing Conditions of the Battlefields and Environs in 2002 ............................3-1 3.1 Historic Resources Remaining on the Battlefields .................................3-1 3.2 Current Use of Land on the Battlefields...............................................3-10 3.3 Zoning and Subdivision Controls ........................................................3-13 3.4 Comprehensive Plan............................................................................3-17 3.5 Transportation Planning ......................................................................3-19 3.6 Current Preservation Status of Battlefield Lands..................................3-19 3.7 The Agricultural Economy ..................................................................3-23 3.8 Tourism...............................................................................................3-25 4.0 Potential Preservation Tools and Techniques ....................................................4-1 4.1 Private Land Conservation ....................................................................4-1 4.1.1 Fee simple acquisition ...............................................................4-1 4.1.2 Conservation easement acquisition ............................................4-2 4.1.3 Ways to acquire easements and fee simple interests ...................4-2 4.1.4 Leases and management agreements..........................................4-4 4.1.5 Agricultural and forestal districts ...............................................4-4 4.1.6 Design consultation service........................................................4-6 4.2 County Actions to Preserve the Battlefields...........................................4-6 4.2.1 Purchase of development rights (PDR) ......................................4-6 4.2.2 Comprehensive plan policies .....................................................4-7 4.2.3 Zoning and subdivision regulations............................................4-8 Rockingham County and the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation Cross Keys and Port Republic Battlefields Preservation Plan 4.3 Tax Policies ........................................................................................4-10 4.3.1 Use Value Assessment.............................................................4-10 4.3.2 Local Real Estate Tax Reductions for Conservation Easements ..........................................................4-11 4.3.3 Federal Income Tax Benefits for Conservation Donations........4-11 4.3.4 Virginia Income Tax Deductions and Credits for Conservation Donations...........................................................4-11 4.3.5 Federal and State Income Tax Credits for Historic Building Rehabilitation ..........................................................................4-12 4.3.6 Estate Tax Reductions for Easements.......................................4-12 4.4 Battlefield Agricultural Support Program ............................................4-13 4.5 Sources of Funding for Preservation Programs ....................................4-14 4.6 Recommended Preservation Tools.......................................................4-16 5.0 Preservation Priorities.......................................................................................5-1 5.1 Methodology / Preservation Value Ranking System ..............................5-1 5.2 Preservation Recommendations.............................................................5-2 5.2.1 Parcel-specific recommendations...............................................5-2 5.2.2 Preservation recommendations for entire battlefields .................5-2 6.0 Management Issues...........................................................................................6-1 6.1 Cultural Resource Management.............................................................6-1 6.2 Landscape Management ........................................................................6-3 6.3 Access and Visitor Management............................................................6-4 6.4 View Management ................................................................................6-5 7.0 Potential Partners in Preservation, Interpretation and Management ...................7-1 8.0 Action Plan.......................................................................................................8-1 Appendix A Preservation Ranking System...............................................................A-1 Appendix B Vegetation Management....................................................................... B-1 Rockingham County and the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation Cross Keys and Port Republic Battlefields Preservation Plan Executive Summary A Community-Based Preservation Plan The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, Rockingham County, and a Citizens Steering Committee jointly prepared this preservation plan for Cross Keys and Port Republic Civil War battlefields in Rockingham County, Virginia. With funding and support from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program, they established a process for developing a community-based action plan to preserve the battlefields. A 37-member Steering Committee of landowners was enlisted to guide the process and to reach out to the general public for ideas and issues that should be addressed in the plan. The resulting plan was endorsed by the Board of Trustees of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation on December 16, 2002, and by the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors on October 22, 2003. The Role of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation (SVBF) was established in 2000, pursuant to the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District and Commission Act.1 The act, passed by Congress in 1996, established an eight-county national historic district and set in motion a planning process overseen by a commission of landowners and local, state, and federal government representatives to address the preservation, interpretation and management of the following ten Civil War battlefields within the district. Ten Civil War Battlefields of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District Cedar Creek Frederick, Shenandoah, and Warren counties Cross Keys Rockingham County Fisher’s Hill Shenandoah County Kernstown Frederick County McDowell Highland and Augusta counties New Market Shenandoah and Rockingham counties Port Republic Rockingham County Second Winchester Frederick County Third Winchester Frederick and Clarke counties Tom’s Brook Shenandoah County The locations of the ten battlefields within the National Historic District are shown in Figure i. 1 P. L. 104-333 as amended. Rockingham County and the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation Page i Cross Keys and Port Republic Battlefields Preservation Plan Figure i Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District Rockingham County and the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation Page ii Cross Keys and