Fitts Battlefield Stewardship Fund

The Land Trust of Virginia invites you to learn more about the Deborah Whittier Fitts Battlefield Stewardship Fund as you consider your charitable giving. This fund reflects our shared commitment to conserving Virginia’s Civil War history and the landscapes that hold those stories. 

Since its creation, the Fitts Fund has played a pivotal role in safeguarding 33 historically significant properties, totaling 4,585 acres, and helping preserve 25 different battlefields.  We’re currently working on other potential easements with Civil War history, including one in the heart of Front Royal, and another that would expand the protection of the Fisher’s Hill Battlefield. We’re also working to hopefully protect more of the Unison Battlefield.

By helping reduce the costs associated with donating a conservation easement, the Fund removes a barrier for landowners who want to protect their land permanently.

Established in 2009, the Fund honors the late Deborah Whittier Fitts, a respected journalist for the Loudoun Times-Mirror and Civil War News. For more than a decade, Deborah wrote passionately about the fight to preserve Virginia’s Civil War landscapes. She covered nationally significant preservation battles, including the proposed Disney theme park near Manassas, the successful protection of Brandy Station, and other efforts to save irreplaceable battlefield lands.

In the 17 years since Deborah’s passing, the Land Trust of Virginia has used the Fitts Fund to protect the very places she championed—sites essential to understanding our nation’s history. We are deeply grateful to all who have contributed to this Fund and made this work possible.

While we celebrate these successes, much remains to be done. Many important battlefield properties are still at risk.

At the Land Trust of Virginia, we focus on donated conservation easements rather than costly land purchases. We partner with landowners who want to preserve their properties and maintain the scenic landscapes that define the Virginia countryside. Conservation easements are powerful tools: they permanently protect open space and prevent the unchecked development and subdivision that threaten farms, forests, and historic sites.

We are committed to growing the Deborah Whittier Fitts Battlefield Stewardship Fund so we can continue conserving threatened battlefield lands. Your support makes a meaningful difference. We are currently working to protect a half‑dozen significant battlefield properties and look forward to sharing the results of this important work.

Thank you for supporting the Land Trust of Virginia and the preservation of our shared history.