An important Civil War battle was fought at Cross Keys, Virginia on June 8, 1862. In the early 1990s Peter Svenson wrote a book about the importance of the battlefield, what he had learned from farming it, and his desire to see it preserved for future generations. In 1994, he entered into agreements with the Civil War Trust and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, which he was told would ensure that the portion of the battlefield he had owned would be protected "in perpetuity." In 2007 the heart of the battlefield was bulldozed - despite the existence of this perpetual conservation easement. We commissioned a study to see how this could have happened. Our goal is to ensure that the battlefield is protected in the future.
