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Conduct Study of Critical Historic Viewsheds of Manassas Battlefield
Manassas National Battlefield Park » Conduct Study of Critical Historic Viewsheds of Manassas Battlefield » Document List
The National Park Service and the Prince William County Office of Planning are jointly managing a grant from the American Battlefield Protection Program to conduct a study of the historically significant viewsheds associated with the First and Second Battles of Manassas.
Manassas National Battlefield Park, a 5,072-acre property located in Prince William and Fairfax counties, preserves substantial portions of the historic core areas of both battlefields. The Manassas Battlefield Historic District contains 6,400 acres and embraces the park as well as adjoining properties that retain their historic integrity. Both the park and its associated historic district are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, the park is designated by Prince William County as a County Registered Historic Site.
The growth of the Washington Metropolitan Area in recent decades has brought profound change to Northern Virginia, including Prince William County and the Manassas area. Continued residential, commercial, and industrial development in the vicinity of the Manassas Battlefields is altering the historic setting of the Civil War battlefields, posing the potential for visual intrusions into the battlefields' historic vistas. The lack of a comprehensive viewshed study has limited the ability of the NPS and county government to identify and implement measures to manage threats to vulnerable viewsheds and to protect the visual quality of the park and its associated historic district.
The purpose of this project is to identify and document the historically significant viewsheds of the two Manassas Battlefields, to recommend strategies for preserving and enhancing these viewsheds, and to prepare a viewshed preservation plan as a planning tool for the NPS and county government.
Please note: the public meeting that was scheduled for October 2, 2008, has been postponed to allow the consultant team additional time to prepare the draft viewshed preservation plan. When a new meeting date has been selected, the notice will be posted on this site.
703-361-1339, ext. 1203
Manassas National Battlefield Park, a 5,072-acre property located in Prince William and Fairfax counties, preserves substantial portions of the historic core areas of both battlefields. The Manassas Battlefield Historic District contains 6,400 acres and embraces the park as well as adjoining properties that retain their historic integrity. Both the park and its associated historic district are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, the park is designated by Prince William County as a County Registered Historic Site.
The growth of the Washington Metropolitan Area in recent decades has brought profound change to Northern Virginia, including Prince William County and the Manassas area. Continued residential, commercial, and industrial development in the vicinity of the Manassas Battlefields is altering the historic setting of the Civil War battlefields, posing the potential for visual intrusions into the battlefields' historic vistas. The lack of a comprehensive viewshed study has limited the ability of the NPS and county government to identify and implement measures to manage threats to vulnerable viewsheds and to protect the visual quality of the park and its associated historic district.
The purpose of this project is to identify and document the historically significant viewsheds of the two Manassas Battlefields, to recommend strategies for preserving and enhancing these viewsheds, and to prepare a viewshed preservation plan as a planning tool for the NPS and county government.
Please note: the public meeting that was scheduled for October 2, 2008, has been postponed to allow the consultant team additional time to prepare the draft viewshed preservation plan. When a new meeting date has been selected, the notice will be posted on this site.
Contact Information
Ray Brown, Cultural Resources Manager, Manassas National Battlefield Park703-361-1339, ext. 1203