Land Trust of Virginia Announces Historic Sandy Fields Farm Easement

Land Trust of Virginia protects over 560 acres with their 263rd conservation easement.

MIDDLEBURG, VA – The Land Trust of Virginia is proud to announce the permanent protection of Sandy Fields Farm, a 562.1-acre historic property located at Weyanoke Point on the James River in Charles City County. This significant conservation easement ensures that the land’s rich historical, agricultural, and environmental resources will be preserved for future generations.

Sandy Fields Farm plays a significant role in Virginia’s history, with roots extending back thousands of years. During European colonization, the property and its surrounding lands were inhabited by the Weyanoke Tribe, one of the largest tribes in the Powhatan Confederacy. There is documented archaeological evidence that Weyanoke Point was inhabited by prehistoric Indigenous communities as far back as 6,000 B.C.

The property played a central role at the beginning of the Colonial period. On May 21, 1607, about a week after the first permanent English settlement was established at Jamestown, Captain Christopher Newport and his exploration party anchored at Weyanoke Point overnight. They interacted with the peninsula’s Indigenous inhabitants, marking one of the earliest interactions between Native Americans and English settlers in Virginia.

In 1618, the property and its surrounding lands were granted to Sir George Yeardley, governor of Virginia. In 1619, about 20 of the first group of enslaved people brought to Virginia were kept at a small settlement on Weyanoke Point. These individuals, originally from Angola, comprised the first group of enslaved peoples in the Virginia Colony.

The Weyanoke Tribe, by force of will and arms, continued to inhabit the land off and on until the mid-1640s. At that point, due to the Third Anglo-Powhatan War, the tribe left the region to resettle with the Tuscarora Indians in North Carolina.

During the Revolutionary War, many troop movements took place in front of what had become Weyanoke Plantation. It was the location of the river crossing for the News Express established by Governor Thomas Jefferson to apprise himself of the movements of Benedict Arnold’s army.

During the Civil War, Sandy Fields Farm was strategically important, given its position on the James River. In June 1864, following the Battle of Cold Harbor, Federal troops under General Ulysses S. Grant occupied the property. Under the protection of Union gunboats, a pontoon bridge was constructed, allowing 15,000 men to cross the river and march toward Petersburg. There, they participated in the First and Second Battles of Petersburg, as well as the city’s subsequent 10-month siege. This significant military maneuver from Weyanoke Point across the James River underscores Sandy Fields Farm’s importance in American history.

“By placing Sandy Fields Farm under a conservation easement, we are preserving a living piece of American history,” said Ashton Cole, executive director of the Land Trust of Virginia. “This land not only tells part of the story of our country’s past but also plays a vital role in the present as active farmland, forestland, and wildlife habitat.”

The property’s conservation values are diverse and significant:

• Historical Resources: The farm includes archaeological sites dating from 6,000 B.C. to the early arrival period of Europeans, as well as connections to the early Colonial and Civil War eras. Its inclusion in the state and national historic registers underscores its historical significance.
• Scenic Resources: Sandy Fields Farm boasts 2.2 miles of frontage on the James River, a state-designated scenic river, and is part of the James River Heritage Trail.
• Agricultural Resources: The farm contains approximately 286 acres of cropland, with excellent agricultural soils classified as being either “prime farmland” or “farmland soils of statewide importance.”
• Forest and Habitat Resources: The property includes 277 acres of bottomland forest, 75% of which are designated as having high forest conservation value. It is located within an Audubon Important Bird Area adjacent to the Kittewan Wildlife Management Area.
• Water Resources: In addition to the James River frontage, the property contains approximately 265 acres of associated wetlands.

The conservation easement on Sandy Fields Farm will protect these invaluable resources, contributing to numerous local, state, and federal conservation goals. The property will remain in active agricultural production, continuing its legacy as a working farm while ensuring its historical and environmental treasures are safeguarded.

This easement is the 263rd conservation easement recorded by the Land Trust of Virginia. For more information about their work, visit landtrustva.org.

Posted on: September 17, 2024