History Hike at the Piedmont Memorial Overlook

Join The Piedmont Environmental Council and Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association (VPHAA) for a History Hike at the Piedmont Memorial Overlook on Saturday, September 13! As we walk along the trails at overlook, Travis Shaw and Ian MacDougall from VPHAA will share a variety of stories on the history surrounding Ashby’s Gap. The stories will range from a brief overview of the landscape, to Native American uses of the mountain gap, to Ashby’s Gap in the context of the American Revolution and the Civil War.

The land encompassing the Piedmont Memorial Overlook was historically part of a territory occupied by Siouan-speaking people that spanned more than half of the present-day state of Virginia. The rolling green hills of field and forest, dotted by historic towns and villages, and crisscrossed by gravel roads have earned the area a well-deserved reputation for its scenic beauty and historic significance, from pre-colonial times to European settlement, through the Civil War and development of modern agriculture. A verdant agricultural landscape stretches 17 miles between the Bull Run Mountains to the east and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west. To the south lies the Crooked Run Valley, extending toward Delaplane. To the north lies Clarke and Loudoun counties.

PEC’s Plantings for the Piedmont Program Coordinator Linnea Sherman and Wildlife Habitat Program Manager October Greenfield will share information about the native plants, birds and other wildlife we see during the walk, as well as more background on the PMO.

The event is free but registration is required on Eventbrite. Space is limited.

About the Overlook

The Piedmont Memorial Overlook sits within a large block of privately and publicly protected land along the Blue Ridge Mountains that is a patchwork of forest, livestock pasture, and mountainous fields. The land was actively farmed from the late 18th century until the recent past, and was heavily grazed by cattle.

In 2012, PEC began an extensive restoration effort on the 50-acre parcel with funding from the USDA, first eliminating fescue and other non-native plants from the pasture, and then seeding native grasses and wildflowers. The property now serves as an active demonstration site for landowners who are interested in viewing habitat restoration practices.

The 15+ acre native meadow is home to songbirds, butterflies, raptors, bees and black bears. It was planted with 16 native wildflower species that provide forage for pollinators and habitat for grassland and shrubland birds. PEC manages the meadow using prescribed fire, late winter mowing, and invasive species monitoring.