NPS Awards $74,000 Grant to SVBF

Project to Relate African-American Experiences in the

Valley During the Civil War Era

The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation (SVBF) has been awarded a $74,000 grant from the National Park Service to support the Foundation’s Long Road to Freedom Project. The project will create a Shenandoah Valley-wide trail and initiative to tell the story of African-Americans in the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War era and during the long journey from Civil War to Civil Rights.

“We are honored and grateful to receive this award,” said Keven Walker, CEO of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation. “And we are excited at the opportunity to bring this history to the forefront.” The funding will be matched in part by recently appropriated state funds, as well as by privately-raised funds, meaning that at least $150,000 will go towards the project.

In addition to traditional interpretive tools, the project will utilize technology through smart phones, QR codes, and web-based tools to enhance the on-site experience and provide additional information, background, and context for visitors at program sites.

“Harnessing the history of our nation’s sites of armed conflict through dynamic interpretation can lead to greater understanding of our shared past. The National Park Service is proud to support public partnerships which support inclusive community engagement that honors and preserves the past to realize our shared ideals,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams.

The centerpiece of the project will be the Long Road to Freedom trail, which will link together historic sites and stories throughout the Valley with wayside interpretive markers, state historical markers, orientation panels, promotional materials, a trail-wide visitor guide, a website, and digital and technological tools.

The project is part of the Foundation’s “One Story… A Thousand Voices” approach to telling the full story of the Valley’s history. The Long Road to Freedom project’s goals include dramatically increasing awareness of and appreciation for the history of African-Americans in the Shenandoah Valley and increasing visitation to the sites where historic events happened.

“For us, this grant is a huge step forward in a process that began four years ago.” Walker notes. The Foundation first started development of the Long Road to Freedom project in 2018 and began working to secure the needed funding in the following years. As part of the project development, the Foundation hosted a conference at James Madison University in November 2019 – The Long Road to Freedom: The Centuries Long Journey from Slavery Through Civil War to Civil Rights.

Walker added, “Now, with the state and federal government joining our long-time private supporters, the Foundation can embark on making those long-developing plans a reality. The story of African-Americans in the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War-era, and on the long road from Civil War to Civil Rights, is a fascinating part of American history. With this project, we can help bring that history the greater recognition it deserves.”