Civil War Trust: Third Winchester Interpretive Plan

A Significant Battlefield in Danger of Being Forgotten

The Civil War Trust acquired a beautiful 222-acre parcel of significant battlefield land that no one came to see. Even if visitors tramped through grass and woods to get onto the property, they were disoriented and did not know what had happened where.

Over a three-year period, History Associates conducted research at a variety of repositories, created a comprehensive interpretive plan, laid out a trail system, and helped to implement the installation of five miles of walking and biking trails and more than twenty interpretive wayside exhibits. 

Successful Site Interpretation

Now the site is easily accessible and visitors understand what happened at the bloodiest battlefield in the Shenandoah Valley. “The interpretation at Third Winchester is a huge success story,” said the Trust’s director of communications Jim Campi. “Visitation among tourists and local residents is higher than we ever expected.” An on-line reviewer of historical markers wrote, “Of all the sites I’ve visited in the last two years, the best interpreted in my opinion is the Third Winchester Battlefield. Great maps. Great illustration. And most of all, a text summary of the events that prompts the visitor to walk the fields and see for themselves.”

For more information about the Third Winchester Battlefield, visit: http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/third-winchester.html.