At the January Board Meeting of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority the new parkland that NVRPA has been acquiring in Loudoun County received its new names.
The historic Mt. Zion Church property on the south side of Rt. 50 will be called "Mt. Zion Historic Park." This building was built in 1851 and served as a hospital after the Battle of Aldie during the Civil War. It was also the first rendezvous site for Mosby's Rangers and one that they used numerous times.
The land to the North of Rt. 50 is called "Gilbert's Corner Regional Park" and includes 155 acres of rolling country side.
Less than one mile away is Aldie Mill Historic Park which NVRPA acquired in 2006 from the Virginia Outdoor Foundation.
Reflecting on the Park Needs survey we did in 2007, it told us that the number one park and recreation desire of the public was to acquire more parkland and open space. In the same survey 75% of the public express a great need for trails and 59% had a need for historic sites. In a similar study conducted by the Commonwealth in 2006 (Virginia Outdoor Survey), "walking for pleasure" and "visiting historic sites" were to two most popular outdoor activities of the public. We certainly are preserving a lot of important history with these properties and one of our goals is to expand our trail network in this area. Building on the system of over 100 miles of trails we currently have.
1 comment:
Glad to read this, thanks for posting it. I didn't participate in the survey, but I also enjoy the awesome trails in our beautiful parks all around Northern Virginia, and I love visiting historic sites, too. I look forward to checking out these new parks!
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