CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Less than an acre of land where the first major armed battle of the American Revolutionary War happened will now be preserved, according to the Department of Historic Resources (DHR).
The easement protects the 0.664-acre property where the Battle of Great Bridge occurred from future development. The area, known as the Mair Tract, includes the Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways Historic Park.
"As a direct result of the Patriots’ victory in the Battle of Great Bridge, the Virginia Convention adopted the first public declaration expressing a spirit of independence," according to a release from DHR.
In 2019, the American Battlefield Trust (ABT) acquired the Mair Tract through funding from various grants, including the American Battlefield Protection Program and the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Fund. Then, in 2023, ABT donated the easement to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources (VBHR).
The City of Chesapeake plans to incorporate the property into Battlefield Park. The Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways Historic Park also features a museum.
DHR has placed more than 45,000 acres of land in Virginia under easement.
