Our Mission
The primary mission of the FSCWS is to ensure the County and developers are informed of Civil War sites in time to take action. We provide them information in a manner, which if disregarded, will allow us to single out individual developers or officials that need to be held accountable by Stafford County citizens. Finally, in those cases where preservation is not feasible due to the needs of the County and its citizens, we work with developers to explore options for partial preservation, or proper recording before the site is gone forever.
Specifically, the FSCWS provides GPS location information, photographs and site documentation to the County and developers necessary to turn future preservation debates from, "Oh if only we had known . . ." to "Now that we know, what can we do?" If nothing is done, we will publicize the lack of action by specific developers and County officials so that County voters, or regulatory boards can hold them accountable.
We concentrate only on Civil War sites where significant physical evidence of Civil War use still remains. Examples include, but are not limited to, earthworks, forts, redoubts and dug-in campsites. We work with the County, and developers, but based on past precedent, will not leave to them the critical task of identifying and protecting Stafford's Civil War sites. We believe a citizens group like ours is necessary to help them to do the right thing.
Our History
The FSCWS was founded in March of 2005, by Mr. Glenn Trimmer and Mr. D. P. Newton after a Civil War Redoubt (#3) in Eastern Stafford County was destroyed during development of a neighborhood. The redoubt's walls were over 70 feet long, 12 feet tall and were surrounded by a moat four feet deep. Despite two and one half years of County and developer review prior to construction, neither recognized, nor took action to preserve the fort. Indeed both County officials and developer spokespersons said after the fact that if they’d only known sooner the redoubt would have been saved. The FSCWS was founded to test this assertion, but emphasis from day one has been to identify Stafford’sCivil War sites, and to work with other Citizens, Developers or County Officials to develop executable options that respect the property rights of all involved. We have found workable solutions that have benefited all parties, and simultaneously preserved or suitably marked sites so that their history has not been lost.
In 2006 we worked out a plan where a local developer, SYG Homes Inc., donated, a large FSCWS designed granite Monument to the Union XII Corps, and preserved a large portion of a Union XII Corps winter encampment. That sub-division, Sentinel Ridge, today also includes streets named for those who once camped on its hills and in several places interpretive signs related to those soldiers. Excavations on the site by FSCWS members, and a full site mapping at no charge to the developer helped seal this deal, and all artifacts are now viewable by the public in the developer’s model home. (See Article(s) on Press Page)
In 2006 concerned over what we believed was the underreporting of remaining hut sites at a Union 5th Corps encampment by a local Cultural Resource firm, we intervened with the developer, first asking only to properly map the site, and later working with both County Government, the Developer, and a new Cultural Resource firm to arrange for a zoning agreement which allowed for both preservation of an entire regimental camp, and which was designed to allow the density of housing in an adjacent area that the developer needed to sign on to the encampment’s preservation.
In 2006 the FSCWS completed a limited distribution book on Stafford Civil War Sites which detailed 24 sites in the County where significant fortifications, earthworks, or other visible evidence of Civil War sites still exists. Nineteen of these sites were not previously part of the County’s, nor the State’s historic sites data-base. In this book, the FSCWS also pointed out 4 fortifications and a set of bridge abutments on land owned by the County, and first proposed development of these sites as a public Park. Since then the FSCWS has worked with Stafford County on issues from taking officials to the sites, to helping arrange access easements through nearby Sona Homes Inc. property, to managing and completing an engineering feasibility study and engineering plan for a Stafford Civil War Park on land set aside by Stafford County and the City of Fredericksburg. Again, based on common solutions that will benefit all parties leading to the simultaneous preservation of multiple historic sites in a beautiful wooded setting connected via road or trail.
In the near future we must raise funds for the plans and construction of the Park, and yes that is one million dollars. If you can help by donation or membership please see the links to donate or join with us on the home page. Any donation of $100 or more will be carefully tracked, and should we not deliver on the Park Project, the money will be returned to the person who donated it. We also are committed that for all donations over the life of this project, no more that 10% of donations will be used to support administration or fundraising efforts. The additional 90% will go solely to the Civil War Park Project. No Directors, Officers, or Members of the FSCWS are paid for their efforts. We are a strictly volunteer organization and officially recognized 501(c)(3) Non-profit. All donations are deductible.
