The Director's Corner

If you happen to be talking to a member of our staff or one of our volunteers, you’ll probably hear them say our latest catchphrase in some fashion: “Opportunity abounds.”  And while it’s easy to dismiss catchphrases as tacky or overly simplistic, ours is a constant reminder of our ability and obligation to fulfill our mission of stewardship and interpretation of the Cedar Creek battlefield.

The Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation has made a lot of progress on these fronts within the past few months.  In May, we opened the Hupp’s Hill Civil War Park & Museum in Strasburg.  Our new location includes larger exhibit galleries, allowing us to more completely tell the story of the Battle of Cedar Creek and the events leading up to it.  We also have more program space, both in our indoor theatre and on the park grounds.  Overall, Hupp’s Hill provides an attractive and visitor-friendly venue to carry out our educational mission.

Hupp’s Hill has also allowed us to expand our partnership opportunities.  The town of Strasburg has opened the Gateway to Shenandoah Visitors Center within the museum, allowing us to better serve our guests by referring them to other regional and statewide attractions, thereby promoting our community, our state, and the larger story of the Civil War. 

Partnerships are an important element of our future success.  Together with our neighbors at Belle Grove, we are part of the Cedar Creek & Belle Grove National Historic Park, and we work very closely with the National Park Service in fostering the success of this historic area.  This summer, NPS park rangers initiated a series of free public programs at Hupp’s Hill and the Cedar Creek battlefield, as well as at Belle Grove.  Other key partners with battlefield property include the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation and the Shenandoah County parks system.  We have many great opportunities to strengthening our relationships with all of these partners to better interpret the important events that took place here and improve visitor access.

Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation took an important step in that direction when we opened our “trench property” overlooking Cedar Creek to the public this summer.  This 134 acre tract features extensive earthworks built by the Federal XIX Corps.  We plan to offer additional public programs on this battlefield land, and hope to work with our other partners to link this property with other battlefield areas.

As exciting as these opportunities are, they come with significant challenges.  The Hupp’s Hill site offers exciting possibilities, but also includes new expenses for utilities and site maintenance.  The development of expanded exhibits and educational programs requires additional funds.  The earthworks on our trench property are threatened by erosion and encroaching vegetation, and our trails and visitor parking at that location need improvement.  The Cedar Creek Visitors Center in Middletown, which will host over 10,000 guests over the course of our 2012 reenactments, is in need of a new coat of paint, new restroom facilities, and roof repairs.  On top of all that, we have a $16,000 loan payment to meet every six months to pay off the remaining debt on the trench property.    

We are fortunate to have a dedicated core of volunteers and supporters who are willing to step forward with their time, talent, and treasure to help us meet these challenges.  Our partners are another valuable resource of advice and other assistance.  I invite you to join our team by joining the ranks of or volunteers; becoming a member of our support group, the Cedar Creek Brigade; or by simply making a donation. 

Yes, opportunities do abound.  Help us meet them.

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