Friends of Wilderness Battlefield President's ReflectionsThe Way Forward

L - R: FOWB President Bob Lookabill, ABT President David Duncan, CVBT President Tom Van Winkle, ABT Chief Policy and Communications Officer Jim Campi.

As we move into a beautiful spring in central Virginia, we thought this would be a great time to update our followers and possible newcomers on what we have been doing lately and where we are headed! We stay busy. It has been two years since our partnership with the National Park Service ended. While we are open to another partnership in the future, we have moved on to other endeavors. Our organization is totally committed to historic preservation and education, and we continue to work hard at those goals for the public.

We are working closely with the American Battlefield Trust (ABT) and the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust (CVBT). We have moved our focus to the Mine Run Campaign, and, in particular, Payne's Farm Battlefield, in Locust Grove, VA. Additionally, we still manage a 48-acre tract of land for the state of Virginia that is within the footprint of the Wilderness Battlefield. We are very interested in the preservation of all battlefields in the Wilderness area, particularly in Orange and Spotsylvania Counties.

Our organization provides speakers for historic events, and we are beginning to bring back our “Living History” events, which visitors really enjoy. One of our challenges is the upkeep on the Payne's Farm Battlefield with its 1.5 mile loop walking trail. We are considering setting up a Ground Force for this maintenance. Payne's Farm is owned by the ABT, and we are working closely with their Land Stewardship Manager, Tom Saielli, to eradicate invasive plants on the property. We have several local groups who are happy to come out and help with that, plus the Central Rappahannock Chapter of Master Naturalist is planning to create and maintain a nature walk on that trail. Local farmers, under contract with ABT, do the mowing of the major fields, but trail maintenance and the eradication of invasive plants is an ongoing battle.

One of our primary goals is to eventually own and preserve property with historic significance in the area. We have started fundraising towards this goal so when the opportunity arises, we will be able to move forward. Any property that we consider must have historic significance to a battle in Orange or Spotsylvania County. Please contact us if you know of anyone who is interested in preserving such a piece of property.

Our membership is a vital part of our organization, and our members are a dedicated group. They contribute monetarily with dues, and donations, and some of them do research for us and some have ancestors who fought in a Civil War Battle in the Wilderness area. This makes them eligible for our Heritage Program. Our members often contribute fresh ideas and give us insights into topics we are happy to explore. Thank you and we are truly grateful for each and every one of you. If you are not currently a member, it is easy to join via our website, WWW.FOWB.ORG.

We are hosting a Volunteer Open House on Saturday, May 3. While it is primarily for individuals interested in interpreting at Payne's Farm during the summer, we also need people who enjoy doing research, maintaining the trails, and who have computer skills. Our interpreters will be on hand to explain all of these possibilities if you are interested. They will also be happy to discuss the Mine Run Campaign, and show visitors where things happened at Payne's Farm. The Open House is at Payne's Farm and will be from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM. We look forward to meeting you.

We will provide a day of training for interpreters and other interested parties. Please feel free to send us questions and we will be happy to respond to you. Thank you for following us and helping to keep our organization strong and focused! We are an all-volunteer organization, and our board of directors work hard to keep things flowing smoothly!

Thank you so much!

Respectfully, Bob Lookabill