Help Us Save the Miller Farm at Cedar Creek

Thanks to the generosity of one of our board members, we have the opportunity to preserve the Miller property at Cedar Creek. If you aren’t familiar with the site, I’m talking about a 5-acre parcel on the north end of the battlefield - the knoll where Ramseur’s men made their last stand of the battle and very likely where Ramsuer himself was mortally wounded. The property includes the historic Miller House that one Federal soldier from Vermont remembered as swarming with Confederates who were firing from every window. This is an important property that needs to be preserved, and not only can we preserve the property forever but we can complete the desperately needed preservation work to the house – and all for just $100,000!

This is only possible because one man stepped into the breach and purchased the property to get it into friendly hands before it was too late. We only had a matter of days to secure a deal, and without the funds needed to move quickly enough to satisfy the needs of the former owner’s estate, it looked like the property was going to be sold on the open market. The condition of the house and grounds was so bad that it was almost a foregone conclusion that, if we didn’t act, the structure would be leveled and the site developed into multiple housing units. That’s when our preservation hero decided to act – by purchasing the property and giving us time to figure out how to move forward from there.

While we were putting together options, the man who purchased the property made things a whole lot easier for us when he decided to make his temporary investment a permanent gift. He has decided to donate an easement to us for the permanent protection of the site and has allowed us to take control of the property and open it to the public. As if that wasn’t enough, he is already talking about the possibility of donating total ownership of the property to the foundation sometime in the not-so- distant future.

in the property being protected forever, the preservation of the Miller House, and this previously inaccessible site open to the public. If you make one gift, it will have the impact value of three!

What makes this property even more important is its location on the north end of the battlefield where so much battlefield ground has already been lost. Together we have saved more acres at Cedar Creek than any other single organization and almost more than all those other organizations combined. Most of that effort has been focused on the south end of the field along the banks of Cedar Creek and in the area where the battle began. But just like the battle that raged there in 1864, the action has moved from south to north. We have to save this important parcel. It’s not massive in size, but its importance as a battlefield landmark and its importance as a preservation initiative make it an extremely high priority project.

If it’s been a while since you’ve been to Cedar Creek you might be shocked by the number of townhouses and single-family homes that have popped up, primarily on the north end of the battlefield. The last decade has brought a tremendous amount of residential development to Middletown and that’s been quickly followed by a surge in commercial development projects. Winchester/Frederick County has once again been named the fastest growing community in Virginia and

While those details are being ironed out and the due diligence for the easement is being completed, all that he asked is that we plan and direct the work necessary to preserve the historic Miller House. Thanks to $100,000 in donations already received for the project, we are halfway to having the funding needed to do just that! If we match what has already been raised by pulling together $100,000, our combined investment will result

that growth now threatens to engulf acre after acre of hallowed ground at Cedar Creek. Middletown’s mayor and town council are very preservation minded, but many of the projects now threatening core battlefield were approved many years ago, leaving current town leadership with very little ability to push for preservation.

That’s where you and I come in. We can do our part to push back on the tide of unchecked development of core battlefield at Cedar Creek. Please help take advantage of this last opportunity to save the Miller property. Join this fight and together we can advance the flag of preservation and seize victory at Cedar Creek . . .