Fourth Quarter Newsletter October 1 - December 31, 2025
- Friends of Wilderness
- Oct 1
- 9 min read
FOWB Annual Meeting
Saturday, November 8, 2025
New Hope Baptist Church
32250 Old Plank Road
Locust Grove VA 22508
Registration and Social: 10:30 - 11:00
Business Meeting: 11:00 - 12:00
Lunch: 12:00 - 12:45
Speaker: 1:00 - 2:00
Clean up: 2:00 - 2:30
Framed prints of this painting by Gary Glose will be part of the Silent Auction
Please join us for our Annual Meeting, on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at New Hope Baptist Church. Members will want to arrive by 10:30 in order to look at the Silent Auction items and place their bids and visit with everyone before the Business Meeting starts at 11:00 AM. We are looking forward to catching everyone up on what we have been doing, plus we will elect board members for the next term.
Lunch will be provided by Generals Quarters Catering, and they will be serving lasagna, salad, garlic bread and some sort of yummy dessert! A vegetable lasagna option will be provided. Members eat free and guests are $25.00 a person.
Following lunch, we will be treated to a special presentation by CVBT Historian Tim Talbott. (Topic is a surprise!)
Please RSVP to Ruth Pavlik no later than Saturday, November 1.
We hope to see you there!
This limited-edition lithograph, From the Line of Fire, depicting Generals Lee and Longstreet at the Battle of the Wilderness, May 6, 1864, will be available at the Silent Auction. The artist is John Paul Strain and it comes with the certificate of authenticity, number 85/750.
Other items in the Silent Auction include Civil War theme playing cards, two new Civil War print jigsaw puzzles, both depicting paintings by Mort Kunstler, two Navajo pots, a Fredericksburg Monopoly board game, and a vintage wooded rocking horse, just to name a few!
Historic Preservation News
A Battle Won . . . More to Fight
A major victory in the legal fight against a planned mega-development on the doorstep of the Wilderness Battlefield! A judge has ruled that a lawsuit challenging the massive 2,600-acre Wilderness Crossing development in Orange County, VA can move forward. The American Battlefield Trust, Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, Friends of Wilderness Battlefield and local homeowners filed suit in 2023 after the County approved rezoning that would allow thousands of residential units, data centers, warehouses and other developments right next to the battlefield. The court has dismissed some claims, but four significant counts remain, allowing the suit to go to trial.
The Wilderness Battlefield, site of a key Civil War battle in 1864, was named one of the country's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2024. The area that was rezoned for development includes hundreds of acres identified by the National Park Service as within the historic boundaries of the battlefield.
We Have a Winner!!!!!
Award presented to Cheryl Meadows by FOWB Board Member Bob Epp. Photo by Esmeralda Hernandez-Chavis.
Cheryl Meadows, manager of “The Market” store at Locust Grove, Virginia, accepts the award as the winner of the first annual Friends of Wilderness Battlefield (FOWB) 5/10K Run sponsor! The Market was selected from among the 12 sponsors of the March 8, 2025, Bishop's Events Run at the Payne’s Farm battlefield in Locust Grove, VA. Hopefully, The Market will join with FOWB as a sponsor for future 5/10K Runs and become a true partner in the Mine Run Battlefield interpretation! Other sponsors for the race on March 8 included, FOWB, the Fredericksburg Walking Club, the Civil War Study group in Lake of the Woods, Orange County tourism, Battlefield Tours of Virginia, Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, the American Battlefield Trust, Piedmont Environmental Council, the Brandy Station foundation, UVA Health Outpatient Imaging, and Breeden's Auto Repair. The Civil War soldier replica was donated to FOWB by member Mike Pierce.
"Nine Hours of Hell"
The reenactment of the Cedar Mountain Batle, August 9 and 10, 2025
by Mike Block, FOWB Board Member
FOWB board members Michael Block and Joe LaFleur manned a pop-up tent on the Cedar Mountain Battlefield on August 9 and 10. The purpose of our presence was to highlight the Friends of the Wilderness Battlefield byinteracting with guests, discussing our organization, past successes, recent projects and the Heritage Program, as well as other topics not germane to our organization, but related to the Civil War and preservation.
The weather was mild (mid-80’s) so that was not a concern. Mike set up the pop-up and table on Friday evening, before the event, which made Saturday set-up much easier.
Both Saturday and Sunday, Joe and Mike laid out our material and spent both days highlighting our organization. In addition to our rack cards, we had American Battlefield Trust maps of the Payne’s Farm fight as handouts.
When the event was finished, we had filled out one page (save one line) of new email contacts, handed out Heritage Program applications to four individuals (we were able to capture emails of three) and garnered at least $40 in donations.
Joe and I made contact with the other groups and organizations to include the Virginia Naturalists, SCV camp in Gordonsville, Cedar Mountain Foundation and the Culpeper Museum.
The event brought approximately 600 guests to the two-day event.
Interpretation at Payne's Farm
by Don Shockey, Operations Chair
The Mine Run Campaign and the Battle at Payne’s Farm are two of the lesser-known Civil War actions. FOWB has embarked in effort to bring those two actions more into the public’s eye. During the summer months, fifteen of our members spent a total of 144 hours at Payne’s Farm to provide insight to both the Battle at Payne’s Farm and to the Mine Run Campaign to visitors. The Battle of Payne’s Farm was the major action of the Mine Run Campaign. While short, less than two hours, it was an extremely hard fought, producing nearly 1,500 casualties. While the visitation was less than hoped for, the future establishment of signs with directions to Payne’s Farm are expected to increase visitation. In the meantime, FOWB continues to work with the American Battlefield Trust to maintain and improve the Payne’s Farm Battlefield.
Nature Trail at Payne's Farm
by Ben Hamm, Master Naturalist and FOWB Board Member
Many thanks to the Central Rappahannock Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists for creating this beautiful handout/slide about Payne's Farm. They are working on creating a lovely Nature Trail that people will enjoy. For more information about Virginia Master Naturalists, go to:
Orange Street Festival
Saturday, September 6, 2025
Friends of Wilderness Battlefield had a tent at the Orange Street Festival on Saturday, September 6, and visited with a lot of people. Our FOWB Chip Clip give aways were quite popular and Beth added two and a half pages of contacts to our email list! Thank you to Gary Close, Chris Crocker, Bob Lookabill, Ruth Pavlik, and Beth Stenstrom for manning the booth and visiting with folks all day.
Scholarship Recipient Update!
by Bob Lookabill, President
When I reported to the Montpelier archaeology department on Saturday the 20th of September for my volunteer day, I was shocked to find my team leader for the day was Thomas Wiles. Thomas was the first Orange County High School history student to receive our FOWB scholarship. We have now presented a total of four scholarships over the last four years.
Thomas completed his studies at the University of Virginia in three years and is working as a paid intern at Montpelier while he prepares to enroll in a master’s degree program in the fall of 2026. He made a point of saying how helpful the award was to him during his first year at UVA. It was wonderful to catch up with Thomas as his career progresses. We were digging shovel test pits (stp) (see photo) at the site of a blacksmith shop to prepare for more in-depth work over the next several years.
In Memory of Susie Ellicott
by Bob Lookabill, FOWB President
During the time I have been associated with the Friends of the Wilderness Battlefield, over 15 years now, we have experienced the passing of many members due to old age or health issues. As with many non-profits, we have an older membership base, which makes perfect sense being that most of us are retirees. While it is never easy to lose a member, some hit a little closer than others. Such was the case with Susie Ellicott, who passed away on June 24th of this year. Susie and I met at a Fredericksburg Civil War Roundtable meeting approximately a year and a half ago. We both enjoyed reading history, but I could not hold a candle to her appetite for all types of history. Not only did she read everything related to the Civil War that she could get her hands on, but she also devoured World War I and II literature of all types. As I helped her brother, David Voreacos, clean out her book collection from her house, I ran across a breath of books I could only imagine. I will mention one area of particular interest: the Roosevelts. I lost count of how many books on Franklin D. and Eleanor that I boxed up for donation.
Susie was a retired technical writer and editor for numerous beltway contractors during her working years. Her skills came in handy as she volunteered to edit my annual reports and generally all correspondence that I produced for FOWB. I definitely welcomed the help and will sorely miss her support when that chore comes up again in a month or so. She truly loved historic preservation and was a lifelong friend of Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown. She also donated to the American Battlefield Trust and FOWB.
While health issues curtailed her travel somewhat, she still enjoyed antiquing and visiting new and different places whenever possible. Her home was filled with numerous collections and collectibles to include all types of artwork. She loved attending the Civil War Symposiums held in the area and always took pages of notes and purchased even more books. Her passing will certainly cause a dip in local book sales.
Numerous friends and acquaintances have already made donations to FOWB in Susie’s name. If you wish to do so, you may use our website and attach her name to the donation.
In closing, I know the local historic preservation community will miss her tremendously. I know I will miss her friendship, smile, intellect and wonderful sense of humor. RIP Susie.
Upcoming Events:
Oktoberfest & History Faire
Saturday, October 18, 2025
Historic Salubria
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
19173 Salubria Lane (off Route 3/Germanna Highway)
Stevensburg, VA
On Saturday, October 18th, Friends of Wilderness Battlefield, working side by side with the Germanna Foundation, will present a colonial craft event at historic Salubria. The house, which was built c 1757, is located off Route 3 in Culpeper County. See Google map link below. The day will be similar to the event FOWB used to put on every year called Taming of the Wilderness, which was held at historic Ellwood. The event at Salubria will feature living historians in period attire demonstrating the 18th century skills necessary to exist in the local area at that time, including a doctor, a stone mason, basket maker, dancers, colonial era children’s games and tavern life and culture. The family friendly event is free to the public. The event begins at 10:00 AM and ends at 4:00 PM. For more information about the Germanna Foundation and the house, please see the website below!
Anniversary of the Battle at Mine Run
Living History Event at Payne's Farm
Saturday, November 1
and
Sunday, November 2
Payne's Farm Battlefield
31334 Zoar Rd
Locust Grove, VA 22508
(Directly across the road from Zoar Baptist Church)
Mine Run (Paynes Farm)
Event Schedule
Saturday
Time Activity Location
10:00AM Event & camp; Camps Open Main Field
11:00AM Infantry Drill and Review Main Field
12:00PM Medical Presentation Main Field
1:00PM Artillery Demonstration Main Field
2:30PM Infantry Drill and Review Main Field
3:30PM Civilian Presentation Main Field
4:00PM – 6:00PM Camp Visitation Main Field
6:30PM Artillery Night Fire Main Field
7:00PM Event Closes
Sunday
Time Activity Location
10:00AM Event & Camps Open Main Field
10:30AM Infantry Drill and Review Main Field
11:15PM Medical Presentation Main Field
12:00PM Artillery Demonstration Main Field
1:00PM Event Closes Main Field
Did you know?
Making gifts to FOWB during your lifetime:
When you make a gift to Friends of Wilderness Battlefield as a QCD (qualified charitable distribution) from your individual retirement account (IRA) or Roth IRA, you do not pay income taxes on the distribution. Funds gifted from your IRA will NOT subject your Social Security income to higher tax levels and will count toward your annual required minimum distribution (RMD). If you are 73 or older, you can make a gift in 2024 from your IRA up to $105,000 per IRA owner or beneficiary. Contact your tax advisor to determine if this is appropriate for your situation.
Making gifts to FOWB at your death:
Would you like to leave a legacy to Friends of Wilderness Battlefield? A gift through your will, trust, a direct beneficiary designation, or estate is the easiest gift you can make today. You may add a provision in your will or trust designating either a specific amount, a percentage, or all or part of the residue of your estate to FOWB. Bequests provide flexibility in that they allow you to make a gift commitment now by including a provision in your will or trust while preserving the right to make changes at any time in the future should your circumstances change. Certain bequests in trust are not subject to estate taxation. Your assets remain in your control during your lifetime. You can modify your gift to address changing circumstances. It’s a great way to help support the mission of Friends of Wilderness Battlefield.
FoWB, Inc. is 501 (c) (3) Not for Profit Organization.
Tax ID # 42-1689437
