Historic Virginia forestland in Orange County perpetually preserved; more than 163-acres in Siegen Forest on the Rapidan River receive perpetual historic preservation easement because land lies partially within two Civil War battle sites

December 11, 2023 (press release) –

CULPEPER - More than 163-acres associated with two Civil War battles in eastern Orange County , known as Siegen Forest , on the Rapidan River at the border with Culpeper , is being forever protected from subdivision and future development.

It is a key riverfront property laced with layered history, located in an area at a crossroads, facing intense development interest.

Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR), on Wednesday, announced a perpetual historic preservation easement of the land that lies partially within the Chancellorsville Battlefield (1863) and Wilderness Battlefield (1864).

The history goes beyond the Civil War.

"Human communities have occupied this area for nearly 12,000 years, drawn by the rich flora, fauna and mineral resources in the river environment, as well as by the shallows that provide a point of crossing over the waterway, that for centuries served as a transportation highway," according to the National Park Service , which granted more than $655,000 in February for the easement at Siegen Forest . The park service also released an article, "Conservation at the Crossroads: Preserving Siegen Forest at Chancellorsville."

English and Germans settlers in the early 18th century, the Germanna colonies, drew knowledgeable workers from their native land - the German principality of Nassau-Siegen - to mine local iron deposits, according to the park service of the origin of the forest name.

Enslaved people of African descent toiled these lands by the time the Civil War tore through Virginia , according to the National Park Service .

Historic Germanna, the nonprofit that owns and oversees the Siegen Forest Tract, donated the easement for conservation purposes, according to DHR.

A U.S. Army Commander during the Civil War, future President Ulysses S. Grant , and his army crossed at the site in the hours before the Battle of Wilderness. People can walk to that crossing site, near Historic Germanna Visitor Center .

"We are thrilled to have achieved this pivotal milestone," said Historic Germanna Board President Keith Hoffman in a statement announcing the easement. "Placing Siegen Forest under easement with the DHR is a strategic maneuver that ensures our steadfast dedication to preserving and perpetuating Germanna's rich historical and natural resources for generations to come."

Located at 2062 Germanna Highway , the Siegen Forest Tract is connected to Historic Germanna Visitor Center and the Hitt Archaeology Center. The property offers the public an extensive trail system along the Rapidan River as well as water access to launch kayaks and canoes onto the river, according to DHR.

Over the years, the Department of Historic Resources and Historic Germanna have built a strong relationship based on collaboration and shared commitment to preservation, said DHR Director Julie V. Langan , Virginia's State Historic Preservation Officer.

"This easement donation is the logical extension of our partnership and will ensure that it continues long into the future," she said.

Siegen Forest includes the site of Germanna Ford, a key crossing used by the Union Army throughout the Civil War. It was one of the few places along the Rapidan River where large groups of infantry and cavalry could cross quickly, according to DHR.

Before the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863 , Union troops crossed at Germanna Ford to outflank Robert E. Lee's army encamped near Fredericksburg . On April 29, 1863 , Union troops crossed the ford and passed through Siegen Forest as they headed toward Orange Turnpike , a gravel toll road connecting Fredericksburg to Orange Courthouse .

Before the Battle of the Wilderness started, Grant, on May 4, 1864 , ordered a portion of his army to cross at Germanna Ford. After constructing pontoon bridges across the Rapidan , a duo of Union corps crossed toward Germanna Plank Road , passing through Siegen Forest to camp near Wilderness Tavern .

The Siegen Forest Tract, in addition, contains seven known archeological sites - a historic mill complex, an 18th- to 19th-century domestic site, family cemetery and Civil War earthworks, according to DHR. There is further indication the property likely contains additional areas, deposits, or features from prehistoric and historic occupations of the land through time.

Today, Siegen Forest consists of forested cover and almost half is high-yielding farmland, according to DHR. The easement's protection of wetland and riparian resources promote water quality of the Rapidan-Upper Rappahannock and Chesapeake Bay watersheds, according to the state agency release.

American Battlefield Protection Program of the National Park Service and the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation provided grants for the perpetual historic preservation easement. Historic Germanna conveyed the easement to the DHR board in October.

The Siegen Forest site is around seven miles north of the proposed, 2,500-acre " Wilderness Crossing ," a massive "master planned community" of more than 5,000 homes, businesses and industries, such as data centers. The plan was approved earlier this year in a controversial rezoning of land at Route 3 and Route 20 , near Lake of the Woods .

Historic and natural resource preservationists are fiercely fighting the development and recently forced Orange County to turn over nondisclosure agreements key officials had signed with Amazon, related to potential future data center technology parks on the property, bordering the Rapidan River .

" Wilderness Crossing is planned to be a walkable community with an extensive trail and sidewalk network connecting the community to the surrounding area," according to wildernesscrossingva.com. "It's centrally located along the Rapidan River and Wilderness Run and is minutes to surrounding golf courses, historic features in the area and Germanna Community College ."

According to Piedmont Environmental Council , who filed the suit forcing release of the nondisclosure agreements, Wilderness Crossing is also the site of numerous un-reclaimed gold mines. These mines have never been closed off and cleaned up of contaminants, such as mercury, arsenic, cadmium and lead, according the PEC. The largest mine on the property, Vaucluse mine, was at one time considered for inclusion as an EPA Superfund site, according to PEC.

Wilderness Crossing is in litigation in a civil suit filed in May in Orange County Circuit Court - soon after the rezoning - by American Battlefield Trust , Friends of Wilderness Battlefield and Central Virginia Battlefields Trust .

The plaintiffs allege the board of supervisors "gave a blank check to undisclosed interests to intensely develop, over several decades, hundreds of acres of forested, undeveloped land adjacent to the Wilderness Battlefield, the location of a key Civil War engagement in 1864, for industrial, commercial and residential uses," according to a Free Lance-Star article.

* All content is copyrighted by Industry Intelligence, or the original respective author or source. You may not recirculate, redistrubte or publish the analysis and presentation included in the service without Industry Intelligence's prior written consent. Please review our terms of use.