Our Organization

Mission Statement:

The Brandy Station Foundation is a 501(c)-3 non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the natural and historic resources of the Brandy Station area of Culpeper County, Virginia.

While our focus is toward the Civil War history of the Brandy Station vicinity, our efforts are not limited to that time period or by any geographic boundaries. We have been instrumental in the preservation of significant tracts of land related to the Battle of Brandy Station (June 9, 1863) and Kelly’s Ford (March 17, 1863). We operate the Graffiti House, which serves as our visitor center and museum.

As part of the Friends of Culpeper Battlefields we support a new state park at the Brandy Station and Cedar Mountain battlefields. Together, the American Battlefield Trust and the Brandy Station Foundation have acquired and preserved about 1,400 acres across these two battlefields. As both the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors and Culpeper Town Council have articulated, bringing together this previously preserved acreage under the Virginia state park system would provide a distinctive destination for heritage and recreational tourism alike

Our goal is to ensure the history and heritage of the area is not “paved over” in our rush to progress. Toward that end, Brandy Station Foundation has strong working partnerships in the community and with like-minded organizations.

Some of those organizations include:

Brandy Station Foundation Officers

President: Howard Lambert

Vice President: Gregory Mertz

Treasurers: Peggy and Peter Mocarski

Secretary: Peggy Misch

Brandy Station Foundation

Board of Directors

Jane Brookins

Donald Carlson

Helen Geisler

Larry Pullen

Rice Wagner

Paul Warmack

Brandy Station Foundation Advisory

Committee Members

Dr. Dan Beattie

Michael A. Hill, M.D.

Michael Kalis

Joseph W. McKinney

John Orr

Cecilia Schneider-Vial

Anthony Seidita

William Truitt, Jr.

BRANDY STATION POSITION

LANDOWNER IMPROVEMENTS AND AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES

The strategic goals of the Brandy Station Foundation include “Preserv[ing] and protect[ing] the Brandy Station and Kelly’s Ford Battlefields and related sites of historical significance for the appreciation and education of future generations.”

The Foundation does not support commercial or residential development on historic battlefield property, and in the past has opposed developers before governmental agencies and in the courts. This last occurred in 2005 when Golden Oaks, a development company, purchased eighteen acres on the western approach to Fleetwood Hill with the intent of subdividing the land and building a dozen dwellings. In that endeavor the Foundation was successful and the Golden Oaks tract is now protected.

However, in pursuing our goals, we are mindful that landowners have certain rights with regard to the property that they own. As a result, we believe that it is generally not productive to officially oppose common property improvements, particularly when those improvements are reversible. Also, we do not oppose landowners who conduct agricultural activities on battlefield property. We freely acknowledge that such improvements and agricultural actions may be contrary to the personal views of some of our members and supporters.

Frequently landowners are required to obtain permits before making improvements or undertaking certain agricultural activities. We view the permit process primarily as an issue between the landowner and the governmental agency exercising legal or regulatory authority over the matter. However, the Board of Directors is prepared to consider each matter individually, and to provide the Brandy Station Foundation’s official position to the appropriate governmental agency if warranted.

We of the Brandy Station Foundation believe that all people, even those whose opinions or actions we may disagree with, should be treated with courtesy and respect.

Board of Directors
Brandy Station Foundation
May 16, 2011