Beyond the biennial budget bill, where PEC plans to help lead the charge for increased and dedicated funding for natural resource preservation, there are a few key issue areas we’ll be watching closely over the next two months.
African American history
New Maddensville Historic Site
At the quiet, rural crossroads of Routes 610 and 724, barely beyond the threshold of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Culpeper, the once-booming area of Maddensville is arguably one of the most intriguing and historical locations in Culpeper County.
A Few Highlights From 2021
Despite the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and a global economic slowdown, 2021 proved to be a year of new opportunity here at The Piedmont Environmental Council.
Webinar: Quarterly Keynote with Ebonie Alexander
On December 14, PEC hosted its final Quarterly Keynote of 2021, which featured a discussion on retaining and protecting Black-owned land.
Maddensville Historic Site, Civil War Memorial, is dedicated before a crowd of 200 in Culpeper
On the stunningly sunny and crystal clear, crisp morning of Saturday, Nov. 6, just ahead of Veteran’s Day, some 200 people from far and wide came together in rural Culpeper County, Virginia to dedicate a new Civil War memorial site honoring three United States Colored Troops killed nearby in 1864 and the contributions of the family of a free Black man, Willis Madden.
New monument to honor United States Colored Troops and African American contributions in Culpeper County
While a national reckoning with the impacts of long-standing Confederate symbolism has brought about the sweeping removal of many Civil War statues across the commonwealth, at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, just ahead of Veteran’s Day, a new Civil War monument will rise up in Culpeper County, Virginia. Along Madden’s Tavern Road near the once-booming crossroads of Routes 610 and 724, this granite obelisk will memorialize the ultimate sacrifice of three veterans, United States Colored Troops (USCT) who were captured and executed by 9th Virginia Cavalry troops just 300 yards away on May 8, 1864.
Learn About the Proposed Rapidan River – Clark Mountain Rural Historic District
On Thursday, Nov. 4 at 5:30 p.m., PEC hosted a virtual community meeting to learn about the proposed Rapidan River – Clark Mountain Rural Historic District and our work to get it listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.
Mapping Historic African American Land Ownership
As part of PEC’s mission to protect historic resources, we have been working on the ground with communities throughout our nine-county region to document historic parcels from the 1800s through today, including those relevant to African American land ownership.
Story Map Brings History to Light
In 1860, free and enslaved African Americans made up half of Fauquier County’s entire population. Black communities like Morgantown, two miles south of Marshall and where Afro-American Historical Association of Fauquier County President Karen Hughes White and Board Member Angela Davidson were raised, grew out of emancipation. They held powerful meaning as community centers where African Americans could freely do what they could not when they were enslaved: worship, conduct commerce, obtain education, own land.
Update on St. Louis / Aldie
On Wednesday, June 9, the Loudoun Board of Supervisors held two important public hearings. The first was to listen to residents’ thoughts about how the county should address the Middleburg Preserve development and planning and zoning issues in St. Louis. The second was to review multiple offers from prospective buyers of the county-owned Aldie Assemblage property, which consists of three distinct parcels. The board previously decided to abandon plans to build a fire station there in the face of overwhelming public opposition.