THE KBA STORY
~ Preservation and Stewardship ~
The Kernstown Battlefield Association (KBA)
is an all-volunteer non-profit 501(c)3 corporation, formed in July 1996.
The KBA owns and operates the 388 acre Kernstown Battlefield on the
Pritchard-Grim Farm located in Winchester/Frederick County, Virginia.
BACKGROUND
In 1996, the Kernstown Battlefield Association was formed as a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation whose mission was to acquire, preserve and interpret the Pritchard-Grim Farm as an historic resource. The KBA benefits from the generosity and support of our members and supporters. We remain a not-for-profit association and as such are able to pass along to our benefactors the tax advantages of contributing to a non-profit association such as ours.
The KBA is an all-volunteer organization. The Visitor Center is staffed by volunteers on Saturdays and Sundays 10-4, May through October. Special events are held throughout the year. Other volunteers maintain the buildings and grounds in proximity to public areas. The land continues to be a working farm with cattle grazing the fields and hay crops annually harvested.
There is no charge for admission, but support through membership and donations is encouraged and welcomed.
ACQUISITION
In 1989, upon the death of Charles Hardy Grim II, the farm consisted of 375 acres. In accordance with his will, the estate (including the farm) was left in a trust.
In 1995, the designated trustee was preparing to auction the farm and many developers were eying the property. When local governmental bodies and concerned citizens became aware that development was imminent, they banded together to save this pristine battlefield land and green oasis within the city/county.
By September 2000, 60 acres had been sold off to two other entities. After four years of persistence, negotiations and legal maneuvering, the KBA had amassed over $3 million of local, state and federal preservation grants; the KBA purchased the remaining 315 acres for nearly $4 million. Four local banks loaned the KBA $925,000 to complete the purchase.
In August 2003, the last mortgage payment was made with grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farmland Protection Program and the County of Frederick. The complete and permanent protection of the Kernstown Battlefield was finally a reality.
PRESERVATION AND INTERPRETATION
In 2001, after taking possession of the property, the KBA established a Visitor Center in one of the farm buildings and opened to the public. Walking trails were established, battlefield interpretive signage installed, and cleanup of the Pritchard House and other endangered buildings commenced.
In 2005, restoration of the Pritchard House began and continues to this day. In 2009, with the help of a grant from the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, an Historic Structures Report was prepared, which will help to guide the KBA in its future restoration work on the house.
Since 2000, many other restoration projects have been undertaken. They include repainting all of the wood-frame farm buildings and the 20th century bank barn; repainting the Pritchard House roof and the metal roofs on all of the other buildings; clearing the grounds of debris, dead trees, and the remnants of the large post-Civil War apple growing operation. Trees were planted in the south field, which will eventually create a buffer between the farm property and commercial development to the south. To help secure the property, new perimeter fencing has been installed.
Over the years, the Visitor Center has been steadily improved, and presents a good overview of the history and battles for visitors. Walking trails have also been improved and expanded with added interpretive signage.
Many other projects have either been completed, are in progress, or are planned for the future. Today the land appears much the way it did prior to and during the Civil War, and the KBA will continue to present the story it tells for generations to come.
