Battle of Berryville Battlefield Considered for National Register Nomination
Post Date:09/25/2019BERRYVILLE, VA (Sept. 28, 2019) The Clarke County Historic Preservation Commission proposes nominating the Battle of Berryville Battlefield for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. The Commission hosts an informational meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, so residents — particularly those whose properties are within the battlefield boundaries — can learn more about the nomination and ask questions.
The Battle of Berryville took place Sept. 3 and 4, 1864, over about 7,000 acres that are mostly west of today’s U.S. 340. The battle occurred at the opening of the Valley Campaign, when forces under Gen. Philip Sheridan (USA) and Gen. Jubal Early (CSA) met west of Berryville. An estimated total 11,000 men fought, with about 500 casualties. The battle was a draw, but it was the precursor to the Third Battle of Winchester two weeks later, the largest battle fought in the Shenandoah Valley and a victory for Union forces.
The Federal Advisory Commission on Civil War Sites, commissioned by Congress to identify the principal battlefields of the American Civil War and their present condition, lists the Battle of Berryville as one of the 384 most significant battles of that War. The Battle of Cool Spring Battlefield in Clarke County is also one of those 384 principal battles. The Battle of Cool Spring took place on both sides of the Shenandoah River just north of the Va. 7 bridge, and Clarke County sponsored the successful placing of that battlefield on both the Virginia and National Registers in 1994.
The Historic Preservation Commission supports Clarke County’s Comprehensive Plan from the viewpoint of protecting and preserving the county’s historic resources, including its built features and its open-space and agricultural landscapes for the benefit of citizens of the county. It also does this to promote heritage tourism and related activities that support the county’s economic development.
Promoting the preservation of these resources includes identifying them and making their history more accessible. One of the remarkable things about both the Berryville and Cool Spring battlefield sites is the extent to which they remain largely in open-space and agricultural use, looking much as they did during the Civil War. The purpose of the nomination and the information gained for it is to increase awareness of the resources and to encourage and support landowners in their maintenance of these areas.
Like the creation of Clarke County’s many Rural Historic Districts (all of which are in the Virginia and National Registers), the placement of the battlefield site in the Registers is strictly honorary. It does not limit the rights of landowners in any way or control how the land is used.
The process includes research, which provides a more thorough and accurate history of the overall site and provides more information to landowners.
The Historic Preservation Commission will seek a grant from the American Battlefields Protection Program of the National Parks Service to cover the costs of researching the boundaries and history of the site as well as completing the lengthy Virginia Department of Historic Resources nomination application.
The local process includes public information meetings, notification to all the landowners within determined boundaries, and research by the team contracted under the grant to prepare and write the nomination.
The process officially begins with the Battle of Berryville Battlefield presentation at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, in the second-floor meeting room of the Berryville-Clarke County Government Center, located at 101 Chalmers Ct. in Berryville. Contact Natural Resource Planner Alison Teetor at 540-955-5134 or ateetor@clarkecounty.gov.Return to full list >>
