Preservation Challenges

Despite significant preservation successes in recent years, the Valley’s battlefields continue to be threatened by development and modern intrusions.

In 2000, an analysis by the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District Commission concluded that, despite public and private preservation efforts, some 7,500 acres of core battlefield lands had already been lost to modern development.

Protecting the Valley’s battlefields from incompatible development – a particular challenge in the region’s more populated areas – has been a primary goal for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation. In addition, expansion of roadway corridors and commercial and industrial sites have presented key obstacles for battlefield preservation efforts in the Valley.