Washington, DC – Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) has awarded the Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board $429,097 to preserve 149.6 acres at Shepherdstown Battlefield in Jefferson County, West Virginia, through the Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants program. The funds will be used to support conservation easements on field of alfalfa, hay and pasture that will limit future development and subdivision of the property.

“Shepherdstown Battlefield is a unique piece of West Virginia’s history, and I am proud to see the Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board receive this grant that will enable future generations to visit and learn about the Civil War battle that took place there. The conservation easements this funding will be used for will also ensure that farmers with land in the area can continue to earn a living and help feed America while protecting a piece of American history that is our duty to remember,” said Chairman Manchin.

Read more from the U.S. National Park Service here.