Two Rivers Giving Circle member Peter Smith, right, presents the award to Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association President Mike Nickerson. Courtesy photo

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The Two Rivers Giving Circle has honored the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association (SBPA) with its 2023 Conservation Award.

The award was presented at a picnic held the afternoon of Aug. 26, at Far Away Farm, just southeast of Shepherdstown, which is part of the site of the Battle of Shepherdstown.

The association was formed in 2005 to protect and preserve the Battle of Shepherdstown site. The battle, which occurred on Sept. 19 and 20, 1862, was a rearguard action that followed the battle of Antietam. With more than 625 casualties, it was the bloodiest Civil War battle in what is now the State of West Virginia.

The battle site was threatened by development starting in 2004, when a Maryland builder proposed to create a 152-home subdivision on the 120-acre Far Away Farm, which is in the heart of the site.

Since that time, the SBPA has been in the forefront of efforts to block the Far Away Farm development and has also worked successfully with partner organizations to protect hundreds of surrounding acres through conservation easements and outright purchases.

Finally, all of this controversy was effectively ended last November when the developer transferred Far Away Farm to the American Battlefield Trust. The trust, in turn, is now in the process of turning the farm over to the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission, which already hold titles to other battlefield lands that have been purchased.

Eventually, it is hoped that all of the lands held by the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission will be incorporated into Antietam National Battlefield.

In presenting the Two Rivers Giving Circle award to the SBPA, Smith said “there’s no question that you’ve been instrumental in safeguarding the battlefield site. You worked hard, you never gave up, and you got it done, and the community is grateful for your efforts.”

The Two Rivers Giving Circle is a field of interest fund of the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation. Since its inception in 2008, it has provided more than $120,000 to Eastern Panhandle organizations engaged in natural resources conservation and historic preservation. It is one of the few grant makers in the region that focuses on these two fields.

Each year, the Two Rivers Giving Circle also gives an award an individual or organization that has been a leader in one or both these fields. The award is always crafted by a local artist. This year, it was a drawing by Shepherdstown artist Rebecca Grace Jones.

To learn more about the giving circle, visit www.ewvcf.org, or contact the foundation’s executive director, Michael Whalton, at 304-264-0353 or info@ewvcf.org. The cost of membership in the giving circle is $500 annually. However, contributions of any amount are welcomed.