The Grand Review Brandy Station Foundation, June 2026
- Brandy Station Foundation
- 2 hours ago
- 8 min read
On Saturday, June 6, 2026, from Noon-4PM, the Brandy Station Foundation will be holding a BSF Open House at the Graffiti House. In addition to regular tours of the Graffiti House, and as part of the 2026 Brandy Station Foundation Speaker Series, we have three special guest speakers at the Graffiti House in the Ankers Media Room.
Noon - 1 PM: Charles Jameson: “Culpeper Minutemen at the Battle of Great Bridge”
The Battle of Great Bridge was fought December 9, 1775, in the area of Great Bridge, Virginia, early in the American Revolutionary War. The Culpeper Minutemen were a famous colonial militia formed in July 1775 in the district around Culpeper. Their company flag depicted a coiled rattlesnake and the mottos "Liberty or Death" and "Don't Tread on Me”. The men wore green hunting shirts and were famously ordered to meet and drill under a large oak tree in "Clayton's old field in Culpeper. That area is in present-day Yowell Meadow Park.
Charles Jameson has been around Culpeper County for a while. In fact, he was born here in his family home, right across from his current address, and has been a life-long resident. The Jameson family has lived in Culpeper since the 18th Century and in Virginia as far back as the 1600’s. One could say Charles is rooted in Culpeper with ancestors being Culpeper Minutemen.
Charles attended segregated schooling here in Culpeper 1st at A.G.Richardson Elementary School in the town of Culpeper and graduated from George Washington Carver Regional HS in 1965. Charles graduated from VCU in 1970 after attending Virginia Union Univ. Charles’ greatest disappointment was being drafted 2 weeks before he marched from VCU in May 1970.
After attending basic training at Ft. Campbell Ky. and advanced training at Ft. Sill Okla. with certification in figuring accurate fire for the artillery, Oct. 1970 Charles was sent to Vietnam where he first served as Section Chief (computing accurate fire for the 11th Armored Cavalry Artillery near Logh Binh and was awarded a Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Unit Citation Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry With Palm. He then was transferred and served as Section Chief while supporting the 1st Brigade 5th Infantry Division on the DMZ at Firebase Charlie 2 on the DMZ earning an Army Commendation medal and Bronze Star and finished up with the 101st Airborne on the Laotian Border earning another Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal for serving in Lam Som 719.
Upon returning home Nov. 1971 Charles wanted to begin a teaching career, but schools had started so instead he went back to work with his father. When his father retired Charles was offered his position, and that’s where he remained for most of his career, always missing the original goal of being a teacher. He worked in the field of Highway Construction and Site Development as a project superintendent, finishing as the construction manager with Apac Atlantic in Manassas, retiring in 2010.
But after retirement, Charles felt boredom settling in and took the opportunity to use his free time getting involved with the Culpeper community. Along with the Carver alumni work with scholarships and the Carver 4 County Museum Charles has served with the NAACP 7058 where he was the recipient of their 2022 Activism award. Other achievements include the 2016 Culpeper Colonel Award by the Culpeper Board of Supervisors (for citizens who have gone above and beyond the call of citizenship in service to the county) and a Who’s Who Executives designation in the Professionals National Register 2005- 2006. He was the recipient of the 2020 Scrabble School Foundation MLK Dreamkeeper Award, 2022 NAACP Community Service and Activism Award.
He is a member of the Culpeper Minutemen Chapter VASSAR and was president for the years 2020 & 2021. The Minutemen received Congressional recognition from 7th District Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger for honoring all the heroes of the Revolutionary War. He is a past member of the Culpeper History Museum Board, the Carver 4-County Museum Board, Past Member of the George Washington Carver Agriculture Research Board, the Culpeper 4th of July Festivities Committee, lifetime member of the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars), lifetime member of the 11th Armored Cavalry, and a lifetime member of the VCU Alumni.
Charles has also been honored as Culpeper’s recipient for Aging Together’s 5 Over 50 Awardees in 2022 And the Culpeper Police Department’s Chief Jenkins Neighborhood Watch 2023 Amazing Citizen Award and the 2024 NAACP President’s Award.
Charles is deeply fascinated by his own ancestry and also in the heritage of African Americans and their participation in the area’s military as well as in the Culpeper region. He has made it his mission to research and teach regarding the African American participation in the Revolutionary Wars. He loves to go to area schools and speak to students as well as participating in Culpeper Museum of History events. You may well have spotted Charles around the area wearing his tri-corner hat!
1PM- 2 PM: Bob O'Connor: "Little Known Facts About the Civil War”
Attendees will find out that General Robert E. Lee sent his resignation to President Jefferson Davis after the battle of Gettysburg, that a Confederate soldier invented Coca Cola, and that famed Civil War photographer Mathew Brady was nearly blind. There and other obscure facts will be of interest to most anyone.
Bob O'Connor is a full-time author with three dozen Civil War books in print. He has been named four times in national book competition as a finalist. He has participated in over 1,500 programs in 29 states since 2006. He likes to write about stories of the war that most people have never heard about. He is married and lives in Charles Town, West Virginia.
2PM - 3 PM: Mary Helen Thompson: “Brandy Station and Rochester, N.Y. Connection"
For nearly three decades, Mary Helen Thompson has been researching her paternal roots in Culpeper, Fauquier and Rappahannock counties, Virginia. From early childhood, she learned of her father’s people and their rich Virginia heritage but was always captivated with the stories of family members who left Culpeper to migrate North to the small farming communities in upstate New York near Rochester – Scottsville, Batavia, LeRoy, Livington, Chili, Mumford, Caledonia, Belcoda, etc. To ascertain their motivations for leaving Virginia for an uncertain future, she has expanded her research to encompass the larger community of Culpeper emancipated families who began that journey immediately after the Civil War as well as those who remained.
Ms. Thompson lives in Washington, DC and is retired after a long career in government, political and public affairs. She volunteers as a genealogy aide in the Robert F. Smith Family History Center at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
President’s Message
Greetings,
I would like to take this opportunity to say a “Thank You” to all members, friends, and invited guests who attended the Brandy Station Foundation Annual Meeting and Dinner on April 10th.
The meeting was held for the second year at the Country Club of Culpeper on a beautiful April evening. Our special guest speaker was Chris Mackowski [pictured below with his books for sale and signing at the event]. He has published over 20 books and is currently a Professor at St. Bonaventure University.
Chris gave a very informative presentation on the Topic: Grant’s Last Battle: The Story Behind The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant.
Congratulations go out to the newly elected members of the Board of Directors: Betty Franklin, Michael Carter, Jr., Gavin Haley, and Basil Earl Moncrief, Jr. We would also like to thank Wilfredo (Willie) Golez and Don Carlson, who will be leaving the Board, for their service over the last year.
We are especially grateful to Donald Carlson for his many years of service as a Guide at the Graffiti House and as a member of the BSF Board of Directors. Don began to volunteer for the Brandy Station Foundation in 2008, and joined the Board in 2013. He has held the positions of Vice President, Secretary, and Statistician.
Turning to events in 2026, the Brandy Station Foundation participated in Park Day in April.
A day devoted to helping keep our nation’s heritage preserved. The focal point of our projects was the grounds of the Graffiti House.
Close to a dozen volunteers participated in cleaning up the grounds, including replacing the wooden boards on the sidewalk, landscaping the flower beds, and removing the old pile of bricks near the storage shed, to name a few activities.
This May, we awarded two $1,000.00 scholarships to a student at Culpeper County High School and Eastern View High School, both in Culpeper County. This year’s recipients were Tyrus Nobbs and Joana Manne respectively.
We thank them for their excellent essays and wish them all the best in all their future endeavors. The initial idea for a Brandy Station Foundation annual Scholarship came from BSF member Preston Fray. Fray made the first contribution to a scholarship fund to honor Benjamin Burriss Mitchell III (B.B.) and Page Borst Mitchell, along with Page’s aunt Nancy and Sidney Ritter.
In 1988, B.B. and Page Mitchell were living on the crest of Fleetwood Hill on Fleetwood Heights Road in Brandy Station and became aware of the efforts of a California land developer to transform the open Civil War battlefield lands surrounding their home into a Formula 1 race car complex. Working with other preservationists and local landowners in 1989 they formed the Brandy Station Foundation with B.B. as President and Page as Secretary. Operating from their residence on Fleetwood Hill, the Mitchells quickly became the face of local resistance to the racetrack development.
Additionally, in May, the Culpeper Chamber of Commerce held a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the Graffiti House. The event was to acknowledge the many updates and improvements made to the Graffiti House.
We recently kicked off our Guest Speaker Series with Ernest Dollar, Jr, “Hearts Torn Asunder: PTSD and the end of the Civil War.” The focus of the presentation was the experiences of men and women who endured intense emotional, physical and moral stress during the war’s dramatic climax. It was the first virtual presentation of our guest speaker series. Please visit our website for the complete list of speakers and discussion topics. In addition to our Guest Speaker Series, we will also host an Open House at the Graffiti House and grounds on June 6th.
The list of activities includes guest speakers and tours of the Graffiti House throughout the day. The event is free to the public.
Over the last few years, we have made tremendous progress with repairs to the Graffiti House and improvements to the grounds. Most recently, the historic Gettysburg sign was relocated from Old Brandy Road to a location next to the Graffiti House. In addition, a mural was painted on the shed near the train tracks. In the coming months, plans are to improve the displays and exhibits in the Graffiti House.
In closing, I would like to thank you for supporting the Brandy Station Foundation over the last year. We continue to make great progress through your support and the work of our dedicated volunteers. Last but not least, I would like to thank the Board of Directors and our Advisory Committee for giving their time and treasure to the Brandy Station Foundation. It has truly been a pleasure to work with such a dedicated group. Thanks to all.
I look forward to seeing you at our events in 2026. Sincerely, Howard Lambert, President, Brandy Station Foundation
Dues Reminder from your Treasurer, Peggy Mocarski
If you do not remember paying your Brandy Station Foundation dues, you may want to send them in soon. If you paid within the last 6 – 7 months, ignore this item in your Newsletter.
We will send out reminders in the Fall but wanted to avoid sending out too many. Thank you!
