News Release

National Park Service awards $2.3 million to support community efforts to preserve local history through battlefields

A field of soybeans ranges across the Spotsylvania Court House Battlefield as seen today.

American Battlefield Trust/Matt George

News Release Date: April 8, 2022

Contact: [e-mail]

WASHINGTON - The National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) today awarded $2,347,080 in Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants to Middlesex County in New Jersey, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. The awards protect nearly 500 acres of American Revolutionary War and Civil War battlefields and are made possible by the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which reinvests revenue from offshore oil and natural gas leasing to help strengthen conservation and recreation opportunities across the nation. 

“These grants to state and local governments represent an important investment in public-private conservation efforts across America,” said NPS Director Chuck Sams. “They ensure that future generations have access to green spaces and can reflect on our collective history.” 

One of the land acquisitions in Virginia includes the site where Todd’s Tavern once stood, an essential meeting point for local life and a pivotal landmark during the Civil War Battle of Spotsylvania Court House in 1864. Both Union and Confederate soldiers camped at the site, which once stood on the southern portion of the 137-acre property, now protected by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation and the American Battlefield Trust. While one might not expect taverns to be important to military history, they are often a location that sheds light on the lives of ordinary people caught in the crosshairs. At Todd’s Tavern, there are promising clues about the lives of enslaved and freed African Americans who labored there. This land acquisition allows for the site to be preserved and for future investigation into its nuanced history. 

NPS ABPP’s Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants empower preservation partners nationwide to acquire and preserve threatened battlefields on American soil. In addition, the program administers three other grants: Preservation Planning, Battlefield Interpretation and Battlefield Restoration Grants. This financial assistance generates community-driven stewardship of historic resources at the state, tribal and local levels. 

Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants are available on a rolling basis. To learn more about how to apply, head to NPS ABPP’s website. For questions about NPS ABPP’s grants, e-mail us. 

Recipient	Battlefield	Acreage	Award
Middlesex County, Inc. (NJ)	Metuchen Meeting House Battlefield	7.49	$1,086,306.25
Mississippi Department of Archives and History	Champion Hill Battlefield	353.6	$692,450.00
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation	Sailors Creek Battlefield	1.1	$71,567.50
Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation	Spotsylvania Court House Battlefield	136.67	$496,756.64
	Total:	498.86	$2,347,080.39

www.nps.gov 

About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.