Henrico County Finalizes 56-Acre Civil War Battlefield Purchase to Preserve Historic Trails

HENRICO COUNTY, Virginia — Officials in Henrico County have finalized the purchase of 56 acres of historic land from the American Battlefield Trust, ensuring that an essential piece of American Civil War history will be preserved for future generations. The newly acquired property sits at the core of the New Market Heights and Deep Bottom battlefields, an area located along the county’s East End that has remained quietly untouched in the woods for more than 160 years.

During a recent survey of the dense property, county staff and historians uncovered a remarkably well-preserved piece of military history that had been lost to time. Hidden deep in the forest is an intact, hand-dug earthen fortification. Historians determine that this defensive breastwork was constructed between 1864 and 1865 to protect the federal supply lines at Deep Bottom against Confederate advances from New Market Heights. The defensive line was more than likely dug by a mixture of the United States Colored Troops (USCT) alongside regular Union attachments. According to regional historians, Henrico County contains the densest concentration of military fortifications anywhere along the Eastern Seaboard.

The county intends to fully protect, interpret, and integrate the property into the community's daily life. The 56-acre parcel will serve as a vital link for a planned three-mile paved, multi-use trail designed for running, walking, cycling, and horseback riding. To engage modern visitors, the trail will feature educational signage integrated with QR codes, allowing outdoor enthusiasts to stream historical podcasts and narration as they travel through the landscape.

County leadership emphasized that the project is part of a broader, long-term conservation effort to save thousands of acres of open space from urban development. By establishing the new trail network, the county will successfully connect local landmarks spanning from the American Revolution through the Civil War, bringing increased visibility to the courageous sacrifices of the soldiers who fought there.

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