The National Park Service (NPS) awarded $1.83M to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation on September 24, 2025, under the Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants program (CFDA 15.928) to support the acquisition and permanent preservation of the 39.25-acre Shockey Tract at Winchester II Battlefield in Frederick County, Virginia. The award funds non-federal acquisition efforts conducted in partnership with the American Battlefield Trust as sub-recipient, with the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation serving as the acquiring entity and the Virginia Board of Historic Resources holding the resulting conservation easement. The project is scheduled for completion by September 30, 2028.
This grant enables the permanent protection of historically significant Civil War battlefield land through a conservation easement mechanism, consistent with the program's authorization to assist state and local government entities in acquiring and preserving threatened battlefield lands from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War. The award requires a dollar-for-dollar non-federal match, with project completion benefiting state and local governments through enhanced historical preservation and public access to documented battlefield resources.